Bigfork is a city in
Itasca County,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
, United States. The population was 446 at the
2010 census.
Scenic State Park is nearby.
Minnesota State Highway 38
Minnesota State Highway 38 (MN 38) is a highway in north-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 2 in Grand Rapids and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 1 in Eff ...
serves as a main route in the community. State Highways
1 and
6 are nearby.
History
Bigfork originally began as a settlement when Damase "Uncle Tom" Neveaux built a log cabin on the
Big Fork River
The Big Fork River (French: ''Rivière Grande Fourche''; Ojibwe: ''Baas-achaabaani-ziibi'') is a stream in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Starting in the Chippewa National Forest at Dora Lake, it flows for into the Rainy River.
See also
Big For ...
, claiming the stand of pine there, and began logging activities. Though Neveaux reached the area in 1887, and the settlement began in 1892, officially, he was a squatter until the land was opened for settlement in 1900.
By 1902, a post office was established, and in 1906, a station was added to the
Minneapolis and Rainy River Railway
The Minneapolis and Rainy River Railway was a long American short line railroad used primarily for logging activities in northern Minnesota in the early 20th century. It was incorporated on July 20, 1901 and was owned by the Itasca Lumber Compa ...
.
On January 17, 1907, less than a year after the railway stop was completed, Bigfork was incorporated as a village.
Bigfork Village Hall, built in 1936 with
WPA
WPA may refer to:
Computing
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*Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada
* Windows Performance Ana ...
funds, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2010, there were 446 people, 195 households, and 102 families living in the city. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was . There were 241 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.1%
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.7%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 1.1%
Native American, 0.4%
Asian, and 0.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population.
There were 195 households, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.7% were non-families. 42.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 29.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.74.
The median age in the city was 51.3 years. 17.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 34.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 469 people, 208 households, and 110 families living in the city.
The population density was . There were 226 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.65%
White
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 1.71%
Native American, 0.21% from
other races, and 0.43% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.
There were 208 households, out of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 42.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 24.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.68.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 31.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $24,167, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $32,083 versus $19,886 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $14,455. About 6.0% of families and 12.3% 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 14.3% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
Media
Television
References
External links
City of Bigfork, MN – Official Website
{{authority control
Cities in Minnesota
Cities in Itasca County, Minnesota