Back مقاطعة أنوكا (مينيسوتا) Arabic Anoka County, Minnesota BAR Анока (окръг, Минесота) Bulgarian আনোকা কাউন্টি, মিনেসোটা BPY Anoka Gông (Minnesota) CDO Anoka County CEB Anoka County, Minnesota Welsh Anoka County Danish Anoka County German Condado de Anoka Spanish
Anoka County | |
|---|---|
 The Anoka County Courthouse and Government Center in downtown Anoka, July 2009 | |
 Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota | |
 Minnesota's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 45°16′N 93°14′W / 45.27°N 93.24°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Minnesota |
| Founded | May 23, 1857[1] |
| Named for | City of Anoka |
| Seat | Anoka |
| Largest city | Blaine |
| Area | |
| • Total | 446 sq mi (1,160 km2) |
| • Land | 423 sq mi (1,100 km2) |
| • Water | 23 sq mi (60 km2) 5.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 363,887 |
| • Estimate (2023) | 372,441  |
| • Density | 862/sq mi (333/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional districts | 3rd, 5th, 6th |
| Website | www |
Anoka County (/əˈnoʊkə/ ə-NOH-kə)[2] is the fourth-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 363,887.[3] The county seat and namesake of the county is the city of Anoka,[4] which is derived from the Dakota word anoka meaning "on (or from) both sides", referring to its location on both banks of the Rum River.[5][6] The largest city in the county is Blaine, the tenth-largest city in Minnesota and the sixth-largest Twin Cities suburb.
Anoka County comprises the north portion of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul statistical area, the largest metropolitan area in the state and the 16th-largest in the United States with about 3.64 million residents.
The county is bordered by the counties of Isanti on the north, Chisago and Washington on the east, Hennepin and Ramsey on the south, Sherburne on the west, and the Mississippi River on the southwest. The Rum River cuts through the county and was the site of many early European settlements. It was a common route to the Mille Lacs Lake, the spiritual homeland of the Ojibwe people. Father Louis Hennepin traveled the river in his first exploration of the region.[7] The area became a center of fur trade and logging as French and French Canadian communities grew in the cities of Anoka and Centerville.[8] Organized in 1857, the county's southern border eventually met Minneapolis and has become a predominantly suburban area following the construction of Interstate 35W. The county is home to local Twin Cities destinations such as the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights and Northtown Mall and the National Sports Center in Blaine.
- ^ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "Minnesota Pronunciation Guide". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "History". Anoka, Minnesota. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Upham, Warren (2001). Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia (3rd ed.). Minnesota Historical Society. p. 23. ISBN 0-87351-396-7.
- ^ "Anoka County Early Years". Anoka County Historical Society. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
- ^ June D. Holmquist (1981). They Chose Minnesota. Minnesota Historical Society Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-87351-231-2.
- ^ Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 61-64. ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2[self-published source]