BlockBefore

Anoka, Minnesota

19 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Anoka City. It lies in ZIP code area 55303. It stands on Rum River. The Survey maps it on the Anoka quadrangle. 17,921 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 879 feet above sea level.

Anoka within Anoka County

On record in Anoka

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 10 records

Population over time

2 figures

Anoka grew from 17,142 to 17,921 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201017,142
202017,921+779 (+5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 19 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

35,570 words on this township

With the Colors from Anoka County, published 1919 names this settlement in its chapter on Anoka City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Captain Arthur L. Reed, Company "A" of Anoka, was directed to call his company for active duty and to get eight light trucks somewhere. He secured ten, had a local garage opened, filled up the machines with gas and oil, and, in an hour and a half was on the way to Moose Lake. The trip was indeed a strenuous one. The night was cold, the roads were rough and the air was so saturated with fog and smoke that cars were not visible ten or fifteen feet apart. The company traveled all night and well into the next morning, arriving at Moose Lake in time to be, by several hours, the first motor unit in the state to reach the scene of the disaster. Untiring press agents of other units have sought to claim the credit for having been first on the scene of disaster and have gained a great deal of publicity for their organizations. However, the above are the facts presented for the information of those who prefer the facts.

Passage source: With the Colors from Anoka County, published 1919.

The generous people of Anoka could be depended upon not to overlook this opportunity to aid the suft'ering refugees. Mayor Berry requested George D. Hilliard to take up a collection. He did so and the money was sent to Governor Burnquist for relief work. Anoka was again the first on the job in this matter, and a Duluth paper found its way into the fire district and told the people there that Anoka had extended the hand of sympathy with more than a thousand dollars for them. If the givers of this money could have been at the little Village of Automba a few days after, where every sign of human habitation had been destroyed, and heard some of the refugees who had lost their all, thank an Anoka officer of the Home Guard for what they had just read about Anoka's generositj^ they would have felt well repaid for their kindly impulse.

Passage source: With the Colors from Anoka County, published 1919.

At this time there were forty-eight Junior Red Cross auxiliaries in Anoka County. They were busy making an allotment of three hundred property ba^'s for soldiers in hospitals. Miss Anna Brezler was the county chairman for this energetic organization.

Passage source: With the Colors from Anoka County, published 1919.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Anoka City - it names this place 69 more 69 times.

Fires near this place

49 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 49 fires within 5 miles of Anoka between 1998 and 2019, burning about 670 acres in total. None started naturally. 15 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Arson/incendiarism15
Railroad operations and maintenance13
Missing data/not specified/undetermined7
Debris and open burning5
Equipment and vehicle use4
Recreation and ceremony3
Fireworks1
Smoking1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
28 July 2006Debris and open burning2.5 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
3 June 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
7 May 2018Recreation and ceremony10 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
31 May 2009Arson/incendiarism77 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
3 May 2004Arson/incendiarism20 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
3 May 2000Arson/incendiarism2.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
3 May 1999Railroad operations and maintenance1.0 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named
3 May 1999Railroad operations and maintenance11 acresMinnesota Department of Natural Resourcesnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Anoka County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Anoka: 1 occurrence, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Limestone, General, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Anoka County Marl Beds No 2Limestone, GeneralOccurrence
Anoka PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Anoka County

Storms near this place

33 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Anoka in 33 storm reports between 1995 and 2024: 18 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2006HailAnoka$20,000,000Numerous car windows were smashed out, along with damaged building roofs. One State Farm claims adjuster said she processed "58 claims in 45 minutes". An Anoka County Sheriff said three city vehicles were put out of commission. As reported by the Pioneer Press newspaper. All vehicles parked on the top level of the government center ramp were damaged. There was one unofficial report of 3.0 inch hail at 1255 CST near Sunny Acres Park in Anoka. Damage total includes all storm reports from August 24 in Anoka County.
August 1995Thunderstorm WindAnoka$60,000Multiple roofs damaged. Polebarn destroyed.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindAnoka$50,000Several trees were blown down between Anoka, Coon Rapids, Andover and Blaine. In addition to the trees, several power lines and street signs were damaged. There were also reports of minor tree damage around Lino Lakes, Fridley, Oak Grove and Lexington.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindAnoka$10,000A railroad gate crossing was damaged on Main Street, east of Anoka, Minnesota.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindAnoka-A storm survey was performed and drone video from the Sheriff's Office was viewed to determine that this part of Anoka was hit by a downburst. Over 100 trees were broken or uprooted, some of which fell on houses, sheds, and vehicles.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindAnoka-Report via social media of multiple large trees uprooted in the Cutter's Grove area near Hwy 10.
May 2012Heavy RainAnoka-A local observer measured 3.00 inches in the last 24 hours.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindAnoka-A large tree was blown down near Round Lake Blvd, and 143rd Street in Andover.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindAnoka-A few large 12-18 foot diameter trees were toppled on the west side of the city.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindAnoka-A 12 inch diameter tree limb was blown down north of Anoka, Minnesota.
May 2008HailAnoka-Coon Rapids Blvd. and Main St.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindAnoka-Four inch diameter branches severed.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindAnoka-A cottonwood tree was felled onto a ride at the fairgrounds. The time was estimated.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindAnoka-Trees blown down. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindAnoka-Thousands of trees uprooted and power poles blown down . Headstones blown over in cemetary. Roof ripped off apartment building. Estimated windspeed.
May 2022HailAnoka-no account filed
August 2019HailAnoka-no account filed
August 2019HailAnoka-no account filed
July 2019HailAnoka-no account filed
July 2019HailAnoka-no account filed
August 2013HailAnoka-no account filed
May 2011HailAnoka-no account filed
May 2008HailAnoka-no account filed
September 2007HailAnoka-no account filed
July 2005HailAnoka-no account filed
September 2005HailAnoka-no account filed
September 2002HailAnoka-no account filed
May 2001HailAnoka-no account filed
May 2001HailAnoka-no account filed
July 2000HailAnoka-no account filed
July 1999HailAnoka-no account filed
August 1998Thunderstorm WindAnoka-no account filed
August 1996Thunderstorm WindAnoka-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Anoka County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Thompson Heights2.8 miles20
Thompson Riverview Terrace4.0 miles20
Ramsey5.5 miles16
Coon Creek5.6 miles20
Andover5.6 miles20
Northdale5.8 miles20
Constance6.7 miles16
Oak Park6.8 miles20

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on AnokaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q567530The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 639396. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.