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Anoka County
<br />MINNESOTA
<br />Respectful, Innovative, Fiscally Responsible
<br />Anoka County 2019
<br />Multi -Jurisdictional
<br />All Hazards Mitigation Plan
<br />(from Coon Creek to the North, along the new railroad line) were to be named Andover, Cedar,
<br />Bethel, Isanti, Cambridge, Stanchfield, Braham, Grasston, Cornell, and Brook Park. On July 4,
<br />1899, the first train passed through the Andover Station.
<br />Andover Village was established in 1972 and then became the City of Andover, a city of the
<br />fourth class, in 1974. Today the City of Andover's population exceeds 31,000, classifying it as a
<br />third-class city.
<br />Andover's governing body consists of a Mayor and four City Council members. The Andover
<br />City Center Complex is located at 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW (at the intersection of
<br />Crosstown Boulevard and Hanson Boulevard) and is home to the City Offices, Public Works
<br />Department, Community Center, and the Senior Center. Andover is served by a full-time Police
<br />Department through a contract with the Anoka County Sheriffs Department. A professional
<br />paid on call Fire Department also serves the community.
<br />Andover is part of two of the finest school districts in the state. St. Francis School District #15
<br />covers the northern section of the City, while Anoka -Hennepin School District #11 serves the
<br />south four -fifths of the City. Crooked Lake Elementary, Andover Elementary, Rum River
<br />Elementary, Oak View Middle School and Andover High School are all located within the City of
<br />Andover and are part of School District #11. A private institution, Meadow Creek Christian
<br />School, is also located in the City.
<br />The City of Andover is an exciting place to live, do business, and enjoy the scenic rural
<br />atmosphere. With a population exceeding 31,000, Andover is no longer the best -kept secret of
<br />Anoka County. Predominantly a residential community, Andover also has abundant parks, trails
<br />and recreational areas. The City has more than 500 acres of community and neighborhood
<br />parks. Kelsey Round Lake Park is a 136-acre nature area for hiking, skiing and environmental
<br />observation. Other recreational facilities include more than 400 acres of the Anoka County
<br />Bunker Hills Regional Park (which is home to the Bunker Beach Waterpark), hiking / biking
<br />trails, cross-country skiing trails, camping and other outdoor activities. The Rum River Central
<br />Regional Park is located immediately north of Andover on County Road 7. The annual Andover
<br />Family Fun Fest is held in July.
<br />City of Anoka
<br />Anoka is 20 miles from Minneapolis at Latitude 45.21 N and Longitude —93.39 W, with a land
<br />area of 7.13 square miles and an elevation of 870 feet. Two rivers, the Rum and Mississippi,
<br />played an integral part in Anoka's settlement. Father Lewis Hennepin first visited this area in
<br />1680 and settlers came to stay in 1844. Prior to the 1800's, the Dakota Indians claimed the area
<br />surrounding Anoka, but later the Ojibwa tribes pushed the Dakota westward across the
<br />Mississippi. The territory of Anoka then became a neutral ground between the two tribes. The
<br />name Anoka was derived from two Indian words, the Dakota word A-NO-KA-TAN-HAN meaning
<br />on both sides of the river, and the Ojibwa word ON-O-KAY, meaning working waters.
<br />The first settler in the Anoka area was Joseph Belanger who built a log cabin on the east side of
<br />the Rum River near its mouth. The logs were floated down the Rum River to the Mississippi
<br />River to the sawmill in St. Anthony. In 1853, the first dam was constructed on the Rum River at
<br />its present location and in 1854 the first sawmill began operation. Other saw mills, woodworking
<br />plants, and copper shops quickly sprang up along the banks of the Rum River using water as
<br />their source of power. For the next twenty years milling was an important industry in Anoka.
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