Aitkin, Minnesota
| Aitkin, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| City | |
|
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| Motto: "Historic Mississippi Riverboat Town" | |
 Location of the city of Aitkin within Aitkin County, Minnesota |
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| Coordinates: 46°31′55″N 93°42′27″W / 46.53194°N 93.70750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Aitkin |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gary Tibbets |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.20 sq mi (5.70 km2) |
| • Land | 2.20 sq mi (5.70 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,211 ft (369 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2,165 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 2,112 |
| • Density | 984.1/sq mi (380.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56431 |
| Area code(s) | 218 |
| FIPS code | 27-00460 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0639235 |
| Website | www.ci.aitkin.mn.us |
Aitkin (/ˈeɪkᵻn/ AY-kin) is a city in Aitkin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,165 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Aitkin County.
Aitkin was founded in 1870 when the Northern Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. The city and county were named for William Alexander Aitken, a partner of the American Fur Company and chief factor of the company's regional operations in the early 19th century. Many industries had attracted people to the town. In the late 19th and early 20th century, a massive wave of immigration, most likely from present day Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavian countries, had resided into the Aitkin area to pursue the logging and riverboat industries. After the Great Depression and World War II, the logging industry has changed the town into a farming community, consisting mostly of cattle and poultry, which continued until the late 1970s to early 1980s. A creamery and a turkey plant was one of the town's major economic and industrial contributors. Not many farms are currently left over in Aitkin and many abandoned farms could be seen throughout the county. By the 1990s, Aitkin has changed into a community for retirement and tourism, especially with the lake areas and that continues up to today. Health care, education, human services, and non-profit organizations are one of the major contributors to the modern day Aitkin economy, along with the hospitality industry.
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