Virginia

Virginia, Minnesota
—  City  —
Seal
Motto: Queen City of the North
Location of Virginia, Minnesota
Coordinates: 47°31′2″N 92°32′29″W / 47.51722°N 92.54139°W / 47.51722; -92.54139
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	St. Louis
Government
- Mayor	Steven Peterson
Area
- Total	19.2 sq mi (49.7 km2)
- Land	18.8 sq mi (48.8 km2)
- Water	0.4 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	1,437 ft (438 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	9,157
- Density	486.1/sq mi (187.7/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Area code(s)	218
FIPS code	27-67288[1]
GNIS feature ID	0662719[2]

Virginia is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, USA, on the Mesabi Iron Range. The area was originally named "qeechaquepagem" by the Ojibwe tribe, which roughly means "lake of the North birds". The population was 9,157 at the 2000 census. According to a water tower in the middle of town, the city's nickname is the "Queen City", or "Queen City of the North".

U.S. Highway 53, U.S. Highway 169, and State Highway 135 are three of the main arterial routes in the city.

Virginia is part of the Quad Cities of Eveleth, Gilbert, and Mountain Iron. The nearby town of Eveleth is the location of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame (not to be confused with the Hockey Hall of Fame, in Toronto).

Geography

A map of the city of Virginia

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.2 square miles (49.7 km²), of which, 18.8 square miles (48.8 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (1.93%) is water.

Economy

Virginia is located on the Mesabi Range, one of sub-regions within Minnesota's Iron Range.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 9,157 people, 4,333 households, and 2,270 families residing in the city. The population density was 486.1 people per square mile (187.7/km²). There were 4,692 housing units at an average density of 249.1/sq mi (96.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.17% White, 0.46% African American, 2.24% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population. 21.4% were of Finnish, 13.3% German, 9.9% Norwegian, 8.8% Italian and 7.8% Swedish ancestry.

There were 4,333 households out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.6% were non-families. 42.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.6% 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 2.73.

In the city the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,873, and the median income for a family was $43,419. Males had a median income of $38,834 versus $22,473 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,776. About 10.6% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Open pit iron mine, now closed.

Notable natives

• Daniel Berrigan - Nonviolent peace activist
• Jack Carlson - Professional hockey player (retired)
• Steve Carlson - Professional hockey player (retired)
• Matt Cullen - Professional hockey player
• John Gruden - Professional hockey player (retired)
• John Harrington - Hockey player; member of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team that won the Olympic gold medal
• Frank Haege - Professional and collegiate football coach
• Robert Mondavi - Winemaker
• Matt Niskanen - Professional hockey player

Points of Interest

• Olcott Park Greenhouse
• Laurentian Divide
• Mesabi Trail

Education

The public high school is Virginia High School. Other area schools include Parkview Learning Center and Roosevelt Elementary. The higher education institution for the city is Mesabi Range Community and Technical College. The Virginia Public Library is also featured as an educational place for people of all ages.

City Band

Virginia, Minnesota has a city band for people of all ages. They play a range of high school level music each Thursday during the summer in the bandstand in Olcott Park. The conductors are Bob Baldrica and Bill Lavato.

Olcott Park

Olcott Park is a 40-square acre piece of land in Virginia reserved for the city's enjoyment. It has a fountain in the northern part built during the Great Depression. Also, there is a bandstand in the center, used mainlt for city band performances. To the south, it borders Parkview Learning Center (see education), to the east 9th Avenue West, to the north 9th Street North, and to the west Calgary Cemetery.

See also

• Minnesota State Highway 135
• U.S. Highway 169
• U.S. Highway 53

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Virginia, Minnesota - City Government website
• Land of the Loon Festival -- June -- website
• RangeCities.com website

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of St. Louis County, Minnesota County seat: Duluth Cities Aurora | Babbitt | Biwabik | Brookston | Buhl | Chisholm | Cook | Duluth | Ely | Eveleth | Floodwood | Gilbert | Hermantown | Hibbing | Hoyt Lakes | Iron Junction | Kinney | Leonidas | McKinley | Meadowlands | Mountain Iron | Orr | Proctor | Tower | Virginia | Winton Townships Alango | Alborn | Alden | Angora | Arrowhead | Ault | Balkan | Bassett | Beatty | Biwabik | Breitung | Brevator | Camp 5 | Canosia | Cedar Valley | Cherry | Clinton | Colvin | Cotton | Culver | Crane Lake | Duluth | Eagles Nest | Ellsburg | Elmer | Embarrass | Fairbanks | Fayal | Field | Fine Lakes | Floodwood | Fredenberg | French | Gnesen | Grand Lake | Great Scott | Greenwood | Halden | Industrial | Kelsey | Kulger | Lakewood | Lavell | Leiding | Linden Grove | McDavitt | Meadowlands | Midway | Morcom | Morse | Ness | New Independence | Normanna | North Star | Northland | Owens | Pequaywan | Pike | Portage | Prairie Lake | Rice Lake | Sandy | Solway | Stoney Brook | Sturgeon | Toivola | Van Buren | Vermilion | Waasa | White | Willow Valley | Wuori CDP Arnold Unorganized territories Angleworm | Birch Lake | Camp A Lake | Crab Lake | Dark River | Gheen | Hay Lake | Heikkala Lake | Janette Lake | Kabetogema | Leander Lake | Linwood Lake | Marion Lake | McCormack | Mud Hen Lake | Nett Lake | Northeast St. Louis | Northwest St. Louis | Pricket Lake | Potshot Lake | Sand Lake | Slim Lake | Sturgeon River | Sunday Lake | Tikander Lake | Whiteface Reservoir Unincorporated communities Angora | Ash Lake | Bassett | Bear River | Bengal | Brimson | Britt | Burnett | Burntside | Buyck | Canyon | Celina | Central Lakes | Cherry | Clover Valley | Cotton | Crane Lake | Culver | Cusson | Eldes Corner | Elmer | Fairbanks | Fermoy | Florenton | Forbes | Four Corners | French River | Gheen Corner | Glendale | Gowan | Greaney | Idington | Independence | Island Lake | Kabetogama | Keenan | Kelsey | Linden Grove | Makinen | Markham | McComber | Meadow Brook | Melrude | Munger | Palmers | Palo | Payne | Peary | Petrel | Peyla | Prosit | Ramshaw | Redore | Robinson | Rollins | Saginaw | Sax | Shaw | Sherman Corner | Side Lake | Silica | Skibo | Soudan | Spina | Sturgeon | Taft | Toivola | Twig | Vermilion Dam | Wakemup | Whiteface | Wolf | Zim Ghost towns Costin Village | Spina

Coordinates: 47°31′24″N 92°32′12″W / 47.52333°N 92.53667°W / 47.52333; -92.53667