Robbinsdale is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,123 at the 2000 census.
Fawcett Publications was founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale with the publication of Captain Billy's Whiz Bang. This history is echoed in Robbinsdale's annual summer celebration, Whiz Bang Days.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²), of which, 2.8 square miles (7.2 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (6.06%) is water.
Minnesota State Highway 100 and County Road 81 are two of the main routes in the city.
History
Robbinsdale was founded on April 19, 1893. Robbinsdale was the first suburb of Minneapolis and was named for Andrew Robbins, an entrepreneur who had purchased 90 acres (360,000 m2) of land for the purpose of making the area a suburban town. In the late 19th and early 20th century, people traveled to Robbinsdale to go duck hunting on Crystal Lake. Robbinsdale has the oldest continuously active marching band in the U.S.
It is also home to North Memorial Medical Center. Besides being one of the state's Level 1 Trauma Centers, it also operates AirCare, an air medical transport service. They have five flight bases around Minnesota.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 14,123 people, 6,097 households, and 3,524 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,076.0 people per square mile (1,961.5/km²). There were 6,243 housing units at an average density of 2,243.8/sq mi (867.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.88% White, 5.74% African American, 0.59% Native American, 2.07% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population.
There were 6,097 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,271, and the median income for a family was $57,185. Males had a median income of $37,406 versus $30,771 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,912. About 2.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Robbinsdale is located in Minnesota's 5th congressional district, represented by Minneapolis lawyer Keith Ellison, a Democrat.
Education
Robbinsdale is served by Robbinsdale Area Schools. Some schools located in Robbinsdale include:
Notable residents
- Barry Darsow - Pro wrestler—Demolition Smash, REPO Man, etc.
- Greg Gagne - Former professional wrestler and son of Verne Gagne
- Verne Gagne - Former professional wrestler and owner of the American Wrestling Association
- Dennie Gordon - Born and raised in Robbinsdale, MN, Dennie (Denise) is one of Hollywood's most versatile directors. She received her undergraduate degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and went on to the Yale School of Drama. She won the 2000 Director's Guild of America Award for Comedy for HBO's Tracey Takes On... Her popular films include Joe Dirt, What a Girl Wants, and New York Minute. She has directed numerous episodes for many TV series including Everybody Hates Chris, 30 Rock, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Dawson's Creek -- to name just a few. Performances directed by Gordon have garnered a total of eight Emmy awards for her actors. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and son.
- "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig (1958-2003) - Former professional wrestling champion with American Wrestling Association (AWA), National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
- Marjorie Johnson - A popular "Blue Ribbon Baker" who has won over 2,500 fair ribbons and appeared on multiple talk shows, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
- Nikita Koloff - Pro Wrestler—Scott Simpson 1977 graduate of RHS.
- Bam Neely - Current professional wrestler
- "Mean" Gene Okerlund - Former announcer/interviewer for the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling.
- Mike Opat - politician, Hennepin County Commissioner for District 1 since 1992 and current chair of the Hennepin County Board.
- Brittany Petros - Actress who became widely known for appearing in the first season of the CBS Big Brother USA season 1 reality TV show.[1]
- John Reger - Weekend anchor on WCCO, the local CBS station.
- "Ravishing" Rick Rude (1958–1999) - Former professional wrestling champion, who competed with NWA, WCW, and WWE. 1976 graduate
- Kathryn Leigh Scott - Born Kathryn Kringstad in Robbinsdale, MN. Playboy Bunny turned actress who appeared on American Broadcasting Company defunct soap opera Dark Shadows. She later became an author and founded the publishing company Pomegranate Press in 1986.
- H. Timothy ("Tim") Vakoc – the first U.S. military chaplain to die from wounds received in the Iraq War.
- Blake Wheeler - Forward for the Boston Bruins
- Molly Wigand - Author of early reader, inspirational, and how-to books. Currently a staff writer for Hallmark Cards.
- Steve Zahn - Actor, attended Robbinsdale Cooper High School. Most known for roles in movies such as Rescue Dawn and Riding In Cars With Boys.
- Tom Zenk - Former professional wrestling champion, who competed with NWA, WCW, and WWE
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
Coordinates: 45°01′56″N 93°20′19″W / 45.03222°N 93.33861°W / 45.03222; -93.33861
