Akeley is a city in Hubbard County, Minnesota, USA. The population was 412 at the 2000 census.
Minnesota State Highways 34 and 64 are two of the main arterial routes in the community.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km²), of which, 1.5 square miles (3.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.99%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 412 people, 179 households, and 119 families residing in the city. The population density was 277.7 people per square mile (107.5/km²). There were 234 housing units at an average density of 157.7/sq mi (61.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.60% White, 2.67% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.24% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.21% of the population. 47.4% were of German, 13.5% Norwegian, 6.2% French, 5.9% Irish, 5.3% Finnish and 5.3% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 179 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 16.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.9% of all households was made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.65.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,719, and the median income for a family was $33,611. Males had a median income of $26,023 versus $19,063 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,749. About 17.2% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
The city of Akeley was incorporated on December 30, 1916. It was largely developed by a partnership between lumber magnate T. B. Walker and Healy C. Akeley which formed the Red River Lumber Company in 1893.[3][4]General settlement of Akeley began in 1895. After Walker built a sawmill in 1902, Akeley's development skyrocketed. The mill was, at one time, the largest in the state of Minnesota. [5] Thomas B. Walker had intended to build the mill in what would later become Walker, Minnesota, but chose Akeley instead because of his disapproval of the bars and brothels in the Walker area.[6]
Because of the mill, and the train depot built in 1899, Akeley became a boomtown. [7] Lumberjacks came and went on every freight train. The population swelled from 2,000 to over 3, 500 between 1907 and 1908.[8] Now the town has fewer than 500 residents.
Akeley has been celebrating "Paul Bunyan Days" since 1955, and the town hosts a 25-foot (7.6 m) tall statue of a kneeling Paul Bunyan next to a giant cradle. [1][2] Akeley is also home to the Paul Bunyan Historical Museum. [3]
References
External links
Coordinates: 47°00′15″N 94°43′37″W / 47.00417°N 94.72694°W / 47.00417; -94.72694
