Anoka

Sister cities

• Shirakawa

History

Colonists first settled the site that is now Anoka in 1844. By the mid-1850s, Anoka had a school, a store and a flour mill. In 1856, C. C. Andrews called it a "large and handsome village" and noted that pine logs were floated down the Rum River to sawmills there. The city was formally incorporated in 1878. The name Anoka may derive from two Indian words. Santee Dakota used anoka, meaning "on both sides" or "from both sides", referring to its location on both banks of the Rum River. Ojibwe used , meaning "I work", referring to the town's busy local lumber sites. Anoka has a strong claim to having provided the first Union Army volunteers during the Civil War, as noted by a small plaque at the corner of West Main Street and Park Street. Alexander Ramsey, Minnesota's governor in 1861, was in Washington, D.C., when Fort Sumter was fired upon. He immediately offered a regiment to the War Department and telegraphed former governor Willis Arnold Gorman and Lieutenant Governor Ignatius L. Donnelly. Gorman, attending a district court session in Anoka, received the note by messenger from Saint Paul and called a court recess, asking for volunteers. Aaron Greenwald, who has an "island" named after him on Lake George, and five others stepped forward; Greenwald was the first to sign. He died on July 5, 1863, after sustaining a mortal wound as a member of the 1st Minnesota Infantry in defense against Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Geography

Anoka lies at the confluence of the Rum and Mississippi Rivers, about 20 miles (30 km) northwest of Minneapolis. According to the United States Census Bureau, it has an area of , of which is land and is water. Adjacent communities include Dayton, Ramsey, Andover, Coon Rapids, and Champlin.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  20,121
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,083
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,027
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  15,241
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,988
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  14,210
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  14,088
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  13,278

Largest nearby schools

• Blaine High School
  High · BLAINE · 2,969 students · 20.8:1 ratio
• Anoka High School
  High · ANOKA · 2,322 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Coon Rapids High School
  High · COON RAPIDS · 2,167 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Andover High School
  High · ANDOVER · 1,758 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• Westwood Intermediate & Middle Sch
  Middle · BLAINE · 1,691 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• ANOKA MIDDLE SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS
  Middle · ANOKA · 1,678 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• COON RAPIDS MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · COON RAPIDS · 1,408 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• NORTHDALE MIDDLE
  Middle · COON RAPIDS · 1,274 students · 17.2:1 ratio