Askov is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in Pine County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census.

Minnesota State Highway 23 Minnesota State Highway 23 (MN 23) is a state highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota. At in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1. This route, signed east–west, runs roug ...

serves as a main route in the community, and

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

is nearby.

History

The village was originally within the lands of the village of

Partridge A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...

, at a stop far outside the original village along Great Northern Railway; here a post office was set up, called Partridge from 1889 to 1909, before changing its name to Askov in 1909. Most of the original village of Partridge was destroyed in the 1894 Hinckley fire. The immigrants to the Danish "colony" of Askov were nationalistic

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

followers of the theologian and cultural leader

N. F. S. Grundtvig Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig (; 8 September 1783 – 2 September 1872), most often referred to as N. F. S. Grundtvig, was a Danish pastor, author, poet, philosopher, historian, teacher and politician. He was one of the most influential p ...

. Danish immigrants had previously been mostly

economic migrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

s fleeing poverty, but the first migrants to Askov were almost all Grundvigian Danes from elsewhere in the U.S. The ''Dansk Folkesamfund'' (Danish Peoples Society) was founded in 1887 by Svend Hersleb Grundtvig, N. F. S. Grundtvig's son, to conserve Danish social heritage and promote immigration to the U.S. The ''Dansk Folkesamfund'', with help from the railroad company, bought 45 parcels of land around the train station and post office in 1906 and by 1909 had sold them exclusively to Danish settlers, some 25 families. The name "Askov" was chosen to commemorate the village of Askov, Denmark, the site of one of the largest

folk high schools Folk high schools (also ''adult education center'') are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and i ...

(''Askov Højskole'') founded by N. F. S. Grundtvig. The name Askov is derived from "ash forest" (''ask skov'') in Danish. By 1916, almost 1,000 settlers of Danish descent lived here, although 1920 U.S. census data records only 242 inhabitants in Askov; most people lived in

. This was Minnesota's largest concentration of Danish settlers. The new village was incorporated on April 25, 1918, and officially separated from the

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

as the City of Askov on April 8, 1921. Initially the main economic activity was dairy (the first cooperative creamery being built in 1910) supplemented by mixed

intensive farming Intensive agriculture, also known as intensive farming (as opposed to extensive farming), conventional, or industrial agriculture, is a type of agriculture, both of arable farming, crop plants and of Animal husbandry, animals, with higher levels ...

. Nearly all the streets in Askov have Danish names. Askov's population now has the following ancestries: German (20.8%), Irish (12.0%), Norwegian (7.3%), Danish (6.3%), Scandinavian (5.2%), American (4.7%). The fashion brand

Askov Finlayson Askov Finlayson is a Minneapolis-based fashion brand and outfitter featuring primarily menswear, men's outdoor apparel, gear and accessories. Askov Finlayson was founded in 2011 by Eric and Andrew Dayton, grandsons of Bruce Dayton and sons of Min ...

was named after this city and neighboring

Finlayson, Minnesota Finlayson is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 315 at the 2010 census. The city's area was incorporated from Finlayson Township, the remainder of which is still adjacent to it. https://finlayson.municipalimp ...

, which share a freeway exit on

I-35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexico–Uni ...

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 village has an area of , all land. The Kettle River and Partridge Creek both flow nearby.

Banning State Park Banning State Park is a state park in Pine County, Minnesota, Pine County, Minnesota, United States, stretched along of the Kettle River (St. Croix River), Kettle River near the town of Sandstone, Minnesota, Sandstone. The centerpiece of the p ...

is also nearby.

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 364 people, 171 households, and 88 families living in the village. 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 188 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.3%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 2.2% 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 1.4% of the population. There were 171 households, of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% 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, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 48.5% were non-families. 41.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the village was 41 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28% were from 25 to 44; 25.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 368 people, 165 households, and 92 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 181 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.92%

, 0.27%

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 ...

, 1.63% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.54% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. There were 165 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were

living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $28,472, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $27,375 versus $24,375 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 $14,583. About 5.3% of families and 9.2% 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 6.3% of those under age 18 and 16.7% of those age 65 or over.

Tradition

Askov formerly called itself "

rutabaga Rutabaga (; North American English) or swede (British English and some Commonwealth English) is a root vegetable, a form of ''Brassica napus'' (which also includes rapeseed). Other names include Swedish turnip, neep (Scots language, Scots), an ...

capital of the world" due to the large amount of rutabaga grown and exported by the town up until the 1970's. The village is now home to an annual "Fair and Rutabaga Festival", a beauty pageant and fair held during the fourth weekend of August, a few months before rutabaga is harvested.

Education

The local school district is East Central Schools.

Notable people

Askov is also the hometown of Minneapolis Lakers star and NBA Hall of Famer

Vern Mikkelsen Arild Verner Agerskov Mikkelsen (October 21, 1928 – November 21, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. One of the National Basketball Association's first power forwards in the 1950s, he was known for his tenacious defense and ...

and was the residence of former Minnesota governor

Hjalmar Petersen Hjalmar Petersen (January 2, 1890March 29, 1968) was an American journalist and politician who served as the List of Governors of Minnesota, 23rd Governor of Minnesota from 1936 to 1937, succeeding the late Floyd Olson. Background Hjalmar Peter ...

. L. C. Pedersen, businessman and politician, also lived in Askov.Minnesota Legislators Past and Present-L.C. Pedersen
/ref>

References

External links

local newspaper {{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Pine County, Minnesota Danish-American culture in Minnesota