Babbitt, Minnesota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Babbitt
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 |
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Location of the city of Babbitt
within Saint Louis County, Minnesota |
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Saint Louis |
| Incorporated | September 12, 1956 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 106.90 sq mi (276.87 km2) |
| • Land | 106.09 sq mi (274.77 km2) |
| • Water | 0.81 sq mi (2.10 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,483 ft (452 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 1,397 |
| • Estimate
(2022)
|
1,383 |
| • Density | 13.99/sq mi (5.40/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code |
55706
|
| Area code(s) | 218 |
| FIPS code | 27-03106 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0660701 |
| Sales tax | 7.375% |
Babbitt is a small city in Minnesota, located in Saint Louis County, United States. In 2020, about 1,397 people lived here. A main road, Saint Louis County Highway 21, helps people get around the city.
Contents
History of Babbitt
Babbitt began as a town built for workers in 1944. It was created because of a new mine. This mine dug up taconite, which is a type of iron ore. Two companies, Armco and Republic Steel, built both the mine and the town.
The town was placed near the eastern part of the Mesabi Iron Range. This area is famous for its iron ore. At the same time, another city called Silver Bay was built 60 miles away. Silver Bay is located on Lake Superior.
A special train line connected Babbitt to Silver Bay. This train carried the iron ore from the mine. The ore was then loaded onto ships on the Great Lakes. From there, the ore could be sent to other cities for use.
Babbitt got its name from Judge Kurnal R. Babbitt. He was a lawyer and director for several mining companies. He passed away in 1920.
Geography and Climate in Babbitt
Babbitt covers an area of about 106.72 square miles. Most of this area is land. A small part of the area is water.
Weather Patterns in Babbitt
Babbitt experiences a wide range of weather throughout the year. Summers are generally warm. Winters, however, are very cold and snowy.
| Climate data for Babbitt, Minnesota (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 45 (7) |
59 (15) |
76 (24) |
82 (28) |
90 (32) |
92 (33) |
97 (36) |
96 (36) |
90 (32) |
80 (27) |
74 (23) |
46 (8) |
97 (36) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 15.5 (−9.2) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
34.4 (1.3) |
48.0 (8.9) |
62.3 (16.8) |
72.1 (22.3) |
77.0 (25.0) |
74.8 (23.8) |
65.3 (18.5) |
49.9 (9.9) |
33.7 (0.9) |
20.5 (−6.4) |
47.9 (8.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 4.1 (−15.5) |
8.1 (−13.3) |
22.0 (−5.6) |
36.4 (2.4) |
50.4 (10.2) |
60.7 (15.9) |
65.2 (18.4) |
62.8 (17.1) |
53.5 (11.9) |
40.3 (4.6) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
11.3 (−11.5) |
36.7 (2.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −7.4 (−21.9) |
−4.8 (−20.4) |
9.7 (−12.4) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
38.5 (3.6) |
49.2 (9.6) |
53.3 (11.8) |
50.8 (10.4) |
41.7 (5.4) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
17.8 (−7.9) |
2.2 (−16.6) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −51 (−46) |
−46 (−43) |
−38 (−39) |
−11 (−24) |
17 (−8) |
27 (−3) |
33 (1) |
29 (−2) |
20 (−7) |
5 (−15) |
−15 (−26) |
−42 (−41) |
−51 (−46) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.21 (31) |
0.85 (22) |
1.04 (26) |
2.42 (61) |
3.93 (100) |
3.76 (96) |
4.35 (110) |
3.56 (90) |
3.27 (83) |
2.66 (68) |
1.64 (42) |
1.14 (29) |
29.76 (756) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 17.4 (44) |
13.5 (34) |
10.1 (26) |
11.8 (30) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
trace | 3.3 (8.4) |
10.3 (26) |
17.0 (43) |
83.9 (213) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Population Changes Over Time
The number of people living in Babbitt has changed over the years. The United States Census Bureau counts the population every ten years. This helps us see how the city has grown or shrunk.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 2,587 | — | |
| 1970 | 3,076 | 18.9% | |
| 1980 | 2,435 | −20.8% | |
| 1990 | 1,562 | −35.9% | |
| 2000 | 1,670 | 6.9% | |
| 2010 | 1,475 | −11.7% | |
| 2020 | 1,397 | −5.3% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 1,383 | −6.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
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In 2010, Babbitt had 1,475 people. There were 707 households, which means 707 groups of people living in their own homes. The average age of people in the city was about 51 years old.
Famous People from Babbitt
Babbitt is the hometown of William "Buzzy" Schneider. He was a famous hockey player. Schneider was part of the United States Olympic hockey teams in 1976 and 1980.
He was known as the "Babbitt Rabbit" because of his speed on the ice. In the 1980 Winter Olympics, he scored the first goal in a very important game. This game was against the Soviet Union. The U.S. team won 4-3 in a huge upset. This victory is famously known as the "Miracle on Ice." Many sports experts say it was one of the biggest upsets in sports history.
