Blaine is a city in Minnesota, United States. It is mostly located in Anoka County, with a small part in Ramsey County. Blaine is considered a suburban city, meaning it's a community near a larger city. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.

Blaine has grown a lot in the past 60 years. It used to be a small farming town. In recent years, many new homes have been built here. In 2020, about 70,222 people lived in Blaine. Major roads like Interstate 35W, U.S. Highway 10, and Minnesota State Highway 65 run through the city.

History of Blaine
Geography of Blaine
- What are Blaine's major landforms?
Population and People
- What is Blaine's population like?
Economy and Jobs
- What are the biggest employers in Blaine?
Sports in Blaine
Parks and Recreation
Education in Blaine
See also

History of Blaine

Who were the first settlers?

The first people to settle in the area that became Blaine arrived in the mid-1800s. Phillip Leddy, from Ireland, was recorded living there in 1857. He settled near a lake now called Laddie Lake. Another early settler was George Townsend from England.

In 1865, Greenberry Chambers became Blaine's first permanent resident. He was a former slave who moved north after the American Civil War. Around 1884, Chambers and his family moved to St. Paul. Other settlers like George Wall and Joseph Gagner arrived in the 1870s, and the area began to grow.

How did Blaine get its name?

In 1877, Blaine officially became its own township, separate from Anoka. The first election was held that year. Moses Ripley was elected as the first Chairman of the Board of Supervisors. Ripley, who came from Maine, convinced the board to name the new township after James G. Blaine. James G. Blaine was a U.S. Senator and a well-known politician from Maine. By 1880, Blaine had a population of 128 people.

How did Blaine grow?

Unlike many other towns in Anoka County, Blaine didn't grow much from farming. Its soil was sandy, and there were many wetlands. This made it a great place for hunting, but not for growing crops. Blaine's population stayed small until after World War II.

After the war, new housing areas started to appear in the southern part of town. Blaine began to change into a suburban community. Its population grew very quickly:

In 1950, there were 1,694 people.
By 1970, it had grown to 20,573 people.
In 2010, the population was 57,186.
By 2020, it reached 70,222.
In 2023, the population was over 72,500.

A special way of developing land, called sand mining, helped Blaine grow even more. This process involved digging out large ponds to get sand. The sand was then used to raise the ground level in other areas. This made it possible to build homes and neighborhoods, especially in areas like The Lakes of Blaine. Many companies, such as Aveda Corporation and Infinite Campus, have also built their offices in Blaine.

Geography of Blaine

Blaine covers about 34 square miles (88 square kilometers). About 33.85 square miles (87.67 square kilometers) is land, and 0.20 square miles (0.52 square kilometers) is water. The city is located about 13 miles (21 km) from Minneapolis and 20 miles (32 km) from St. Paul.

You can reach Blaine using several main roads in the Twin Cities area. These include Minnesota State Highway 65, Interstate 35W, and U.S. Highway 10.

What are Blaine's major landforms?

Long ago, a huge glacier covered the Blaine area. This glacier shaped the land. As the glacier melted, it left behind large chunks of ice. When these ice chunks melted, they formed dips in the ground that filled with water. This created the chain of lakes between Lino Lakes and Circle Pines.

Blaine has four main named bodies of water:

Sunrise Lake: This is the largest, covering 158 acres. It's part of The Lakes housing development and can be up to 40 feet deep.
Laddie Lake: This is the only natural lake in Blaine. It covers 77 acres and is also partly in Spring Lake Park. It's about six feet deep.
Club West Lake: This is a man-made lake in the Club West Housing development. It's 39 acres and up to 25 feet deep.
Loch Ness: This lake is 11 acres and is managed by the city. It has a fishing dock.

Blaine is also working on a large 500-acre open space plan. This plan aims to protect natural areas. Part of this plan includes the 70-acre Kane Meadows Park, which is a central part of the program.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	128	—
1890	205	60.2%
1900	374	82.4%
1910	413	10.4%
1920	550	33.2%
1930	506	−8.0%
1940	921	82.0%
1950	3,604	291.3%
1960	7,570	110.0%
1970	20,573	171.8%
1980	28,558	38.8%
1990	38,975	36.5%
2000	44,942	15.3%
2010	57,186	27.2%
2020	70,222	22.8%
2022 (est.)	71,739	25.4%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

What is Blaine's population like?

In 2010, about 57,186 people lived in Blaine. There were 21,077 households and 15,423 families. The city had about 1,689 people per square mile (652 people per square kilometer).

Most people in Blaine were White (84.0%). Other groups included African American (3.7%), Native American (0.5%), and Asian (7.8%). About 3.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In 2010, about 38.3% of households had children under 18 living there. Most households (57.8%) were married couples. The average household had 2.71 people, and the average family had 3.14 people.

The average age in Blaine was 35.6 years old. About 26.5% of residents were under 18. About 8.5% were 65 years or older. The population was almost evenly split between males (49.1%) and females (50.9%).

Economy and Jobs

What are the biggest employers in Blaine?

Blaine has many businesses that provide jobs. Here are some of the largest employers in the city, based on a 2022 report:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Aveda Corporation	700
2	Cub Foods (four locations)	435
3	Infinite Campus	400
4	Carley Foundry, Inc.	350
5	National Sports Center	325
6	Walmart Stores, Inc.	300
7	Target Corporation	270
8	The Home Depot (two locations)	230
9	City of Blaine	230
10	Lowe's	140

Sports in Blaine

Blaine is a hub for sports, especially soccer.

The 3M Open, a professional golf tournament, is held at TPC Twin Cities.
The National Sports Center is a very important sports complex in Blaine. It was home to Minnesota's professional soccer teams for 23 years.
- From 1990 to 2003 and 2008–2009, the Minnesota Thunder played there.
- After the Thunder, the NSC Minnesota Stars (later Minnesota Stars FC) played there.
- The Minnesota United FC played at the National Sports Center until 2017. They now play at Allianz Field in St. Paul, but they still use the National Sports Center for training.

The National Sports Center is huge! It has:

Victory Links Golf Course.
A stadium with an artificial turf field.
Over 50 full-size soccer fields.
An eight-sheet ice arena, which is the largest of its kind in the world.
An expo center and meeting facilities.

Parks and Recreation

Blaine has many places for outdoor fun. There are 66 parks and hundreds of miles of trails for walking and biking. Some popular parks include Aquartore Park, Happy Acres Park, and Lakeside Commons Park. The Blaine Baseball Complex and Lexington Athletic Complex are great for sports.

The Blaine Wetland Sanctuary is a special protected area of 500 acres. It has a boardwalk and trails where you can explore nature.

Education in Blaine

Students in Blaine attend schools in three different school districts:

The Anoka-Hennepin School District covers most of the city.
The Spring Lake Park School District serves the southern parts of Blaine.
The Centennial School District covers areas in the east and southeast.

There are three high schools in Blaine:

Blaine High School (Anoka-Hennepin School District)
Centennial High School (Centennial School District)
Paladin Career and Technical High School (a public charter school)

Some Blaine students also attend Spring Lake Park High School. For higher education, Rasmussen University, a private school, has a campus in Blaine. It offers bachelor's and associate degrees.

Blaine, Minnesota facts for kids

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