Braham is a city in Isanti and Kanabec counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. The population was 1,769 at the 2020 census. Braham is 12 miles north of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, 15 miles southwest of Pine City, 16 miles south-southeast of Mora, and 12 miles west of Rush City.

History

A post office called Braham has been in operation since 1891. The city was named by railroad officials.

Pie Day

Every year on the first Friday in August, the people of Braham celebrate ''Pie Day''. This celebration includes craft sales, music, food stands, games, and entertainment, and various types of pie. Braham was declared the Pie Capital of Minnesota by former Governor

Rudy Perpich Rudolph George Perpich Sr. (born Rudolph George Prpić; June 27, 1928 September 21, 1995) was an American politician who served as the governor of Minnesota from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor ...

in 1990. Braham became famous for its pie in the 1930s and 1940s when Minnesotans would take the "shortcut to

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

through Braham." While taking this "shortcut," people would stop in Braham and visit the Park Cafe, the cafe that made Braham pie famous. Pie Day began in July 1990, after

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

, as an ice-cream social for fundraising and other charitable activities. The date was changed to the first Friday in August when the Isanti County Historical Society took charge of the event in 1992.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Braham is along Lower Stanchfield Branch.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,793 people, 708 households, and 457 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 755 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. There were 708 households, of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 16.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age in the city was 30.5 years. 30.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29% were from 25 to 44; 19.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.3% male and 53.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,276 people, 511 households, and 331 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 566 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.18%

, 0.31%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.94% Native American, 0.31% Asian, and 1.25% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population. There were 511 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8%

lived together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06. In the city, the population was dispersed with 29.7% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,830, and the median income for a family was $43,229. Males had a median income of $32,455 versus $22,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,693. About 13.1% of families and 14% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.

Sports

Former basketball champions

Braham's boys

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team, the Bombers, won three straight Class AA state championships in 2004–2006. The girls

team won the 2011 Class AA state championship. The boys team won another state title in 2016.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Major highways

The following routes are located in the Braham area. *

Minnesota State Highway 65 Minnesota State Highway 65 (MN 65) is a highway in the east–central and northeast parts of the U.S. state of Minnesota, which starts at its split from Interstate 35W (Minnesota), I-35W, skipping past the downtown Minneapolis core, only to resu ...

Minnesota State Highway 70 Minnesota State Highway 70 (MN 70) is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its Intersection (road), intersection with Minnesota State Highway 65, State Highway 65 in Brunswick, Minnesota, Brunswick and continues east to ...

* Minnesota State Highway 107 Highways 65 and 107 are two of the main routes in Braham. Highway 70 is nearby.

County Roads

* Isanti County Road 4 * Isanti County Road 36

Notable people

* Robert C. Becklin - Minnesota state legislator and businessman * Noah Dahlman – Professional basketball player. * Marlene Johnson – First female Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. * Jerome P. Peterson - Minnesota state legislator and educator.'Jerome Peterson "J.P.-obituary,' Minneapolis Star-Tribune, February 4, 2018

Gallery

File:City Hall and Police Department, Braham, Minnesota 01.jpg, City Hall and Police Department File:Freedom Park USA, Braham, Minnesota.jpg, Freedom Park USA File:Welcome sign, Braham, Minnesota.jpg, Welcome sign "Homemade Pie Capitol of Minnesota"

References

External links

City Website

Braham Area Schools Official Website

Braham Pie Day Website
{{authority control Cities in Isanti County, Minnesota Cities in Kanabec County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota