Afton, Minnesota | |
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City | |
Downtown Afton
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Location of the city of Afton within Washington County, Minnesota |
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Coordinates: 44°54′10″N 92°47′0″W / 44.90278°N 92.78333°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Minnesota |
County | Washington |
Area | |
• Total | 26.42 sq mi (68.43 km2) |
• Land | 25.05 sq mi (64.88 km2) |
• Water | 1.37 sq mi (3.55 km2) |
Elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 2,886 |
• Estimate (2012) | 2,916 |
• Density | 110/sq mi (42/km2) |
Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP code | 55001 |
Area code(s) | 651 |
FIPS code | 27-00316 |
GNIS feature ID | 0639223 |
Website | ci.afton.mn.us |
Afton is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,886 at the 2010 census. It is located on a small bay where Valley Creek empties into the St. Croix River several miles north of the confluence with the Mississippi River.
Afton is well known for Afton Alps, the largest ski and snowboard area in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It is also home to Afton State Park, a popular park on the St. Croix River. Due to these two destinations and the quaint small-town appearance in a major metropolitan area, Afton receives a fair amount of local tourism in the form of day trips.
Afton was platted in 1855, and named for the poem Sweet Afton by Robert Burns. A post office has been in operation at Afton since 1857.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.42 square miles (68.43 km2); 25.05 square miles (64.88 km2) is land and 1.37 square miles (3.55 km2) is water. Main routes include Hudson Road, County Roads 18, 21, and 71; and Minnesota Highway 95. Afton borders Lake St. Croix Beach, Lakeland, and St. Mary's Point to the east. It also borders West Lakeland Township to the north, Denmark Township to the south, and Woodbury to the west.
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,886 people, 1,081 households, and 863 families residing in the city. The population density was 115.2 inhabitants per square mile (44.5/km2). There were 1,143 housing units at an average density of 45.6 per square mile (17.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.3% White, 0.7% African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.