Makinen is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located southeast of the city of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, and southeast of the city of

Eveleth Eveleth is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Decker Eveleth, American researcher *Rose Eveleth, American podcast host, producer, designer, and animator See also *Eveleth, Minnesota Eveleth is a city in St. Louis County, Mi ...

, at the intersection of Saint Louis County Road 16 and County Road 108.

U.S. Highway 53 U.S. Route 53, or U.S. Highway 53 (U.S. 53), is a north–south U.S. highway that runs for 404 miles (650 km) from La Crosse, Wisconsin to International Falls, Minnesota. It is the primary north–south route in northwestern Wisconsi ...

is nearby.

Geography

The center of Makinen is located at the intersection of Wilson Road (County Road 16) and Long Lake Road (County Road 108). The Makinen Post Office]( ZIP code 55763), Makinen Community Center, and the Makinen Market (closed July 2016) are in this vicinity. County Road 16 takes a northern jog near the center of Makinen. This section of County Road 16 underwent re-construction and re-routing from 2006 to 2008. The former "corner" intersection has been rounded out so travelers on County Road 16 no longer have to slow down as much. Mud Hen Creek flows through the community.

Markham Markham may refer to: Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * Markham's grass mouse (''Abrothrix olivaceus markhami''), a rodent subspecies found on Wellington Island and the ne ...

and

Palo Palo may refer to: Places * Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain * Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located within Linn County * Palo Laziale, a location ...

are other nearby communities, from which some residents obtain mail service from Makinen.

Demographics

According to the U.S. Census website, the population of Makinen in 2010 was 554 people. This appears to represent the U.S. Census Tract area CTA and not the actual ZIP Code area.

Education

Most students in grades K through twelve attend classes either in nearby

Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

. Many Makinen students attended school in

Cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

until 2011, when the Cotton School was closed. Other nearby communities include

, Gilbert, Biwabik,

Hibbing Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industry today. At the edge of ...

, and

History

Finnish farming developed next in the region to the west of McDavitt Township, in the townships of Lavell and Cherry. The most important Finnish clusters developed in Cherry (Alavus), Corbin, Forbes, Makinen and the Saint Louis River, while lesser numbers of Finns were scattered throughout the whole region. Makinen received its name from John Makinen who, together with John Kovaniemi, kept a store and post office there from 1905 on. According to several current residents, Makinen was founded in 1900 by John Makinen. The former name of the area was ''Corbin'', however this name was not available to be used when Makinen was founded. Makinen held a "Diamond Jubilee" celebration in 1975, and a Centennial celebration in 2000. A historic Finnish pioneer farm is located in southeastern Makinen, once owned by Eli Wirtanen. The surrounding community hosts a Wirtanen Pioneer Farm festival that takes place for one weekend in September every year. The Makinen Volunteer Fire Department moved from the lower level of the Makinen Community Center to the building that formerly housed Makinen Elementary School (#79).

References

* Rand McNally Road Atlas – 2007 edition – Minnesota entry * Official State of Minnesota Highway Map – 2011/2012 edition {{authority control Unincorporated communities in St. Louis County, Minnesota Unincorporated communities in Minnesota