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Cambridge
The original Isanti County Courthouse in Cambridge
The original Isanti County Courthouse in Cambridge
Nickname(s): 
"Minnesota's Opportunity Community"
Location of the city of Cambridgewithin Isanti County, Minnesota
Location of the city of Cambridge
within Isanti County, Minnesota
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Isanti
Area
 • Total 7.77 sq mi (20.11 km2)
 • Land 7.49 sq mi (19.40 km2)
 • Water 0.28 sq mi (0.72 km2)
Elevation
961 ft (293 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 8,111
 • Estimate 
(2021)
9,736
 • Density 1,225.10/sq mi (473.04/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
55008
Area code(s) 763
FIPS code 27-09370
GNIS feature ID 0640789
Website www.ci.cambridge.mn.us

Cambridge is a city in Isanti County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Minnesota State Highways 65 and 95. The population was 8,111 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Isanti County. It is located along the Rum River and the BNSF Railway. Cambridge is notable for having the highest percentage of Swedish Americans of any city in the United States with a population of over 5,000 people.

History

The city of Cambridge was established in the late 19th century along the railroad from Minneapolis to Duluth. It was named by, and originally settled by, immigrants from New England. These were "Yankee" settlers, that is to say they were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England during the colonial era. The same population founded and named the town of Princeton nearby. Later on the surrounding area would be heavily populated with Swedish, German, Irish and Norwegian immigrants.

The city of Cambridge was incorporated in 1876.

In the early 20th century, Cambridge had a potato starch factory, a 1,301-barrel flour mill, a wool carding and spinning mill, an electric lighting plant, and local and long-distance telephone systems.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.68 square miles (19.89 km2), of which 7.46 square miles (19.32 km2) is land and 0.22 square miles (0.57 km2) is water.

The Rum River flows north to south through the middle of Cambridge. Camping, canoeing, and fishing are popular attractions of the Rum River.

Major highways

The following routes are located within the city of Cambridge.

  • MN-65.svg Minnesota State Highway 65
  • MN-95.svg Minnesota State Highway 95

Climate

Cambridge has a warm-summer humid continental climate, with the average July temperature being just below the isotherm for the hot-summer subtype. Temperature differences between summer and winters are large, typical of the Upper Midwest. Spring and fall are rather short due to the extreme warming and cooling off depending on daylight hours. Winter is relatively long and cold, but cools off later and heats up earlier than more northerly areas of the state. The warm to hot summers are also typical of central Minnesota and tend to bring more precitipation than during winter. June is the wettest month with 108 millimetres (4.3 in) on average. The dry winter contributes to snowfall on average being limited to 104.7 centimetres (41.2 in).

Climate data for Cambridge
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 11
(52)
14
(57)
26
(79)
33
(91)
41
(106)
40
(104)
43
(109)
39
(102)
36
(97)
30
(86)
23
(73)
16
(61)
43
(109)
Average high °C (°F) −6.9
(19.6)
−3.8
(25.2)
2.8
(37.0)
12.6
(54.7)
20.2
(68.4)
25.1
(77.2)
27.8
(82.0)
26.3
(79.3)
20.7
(69.3)
14.2
(57.6)
3.6
(38.5)
−3.9
(25.0)
11.6
(52.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) −12.4
(9.7)
−9.5
(14.9)
−2.6
(27.3)
6.5
(43.7)
13.7
(56.7)
18.7
(65.7)
21.3
(70.3)
20.0
(68.0)
14.5
(58.1)
8.2
(46.8)
−1.1
(30.0)
−8.8
(16.2)
5.7
(42.3)
Average low °C (°F) −17.9
(−0.2)
−15.2
(4.6)
−8.1
(17.4)
0.4
(32.7)
7.0
(44.6)
12.3
(54.1)
14.9
(58.8)
13.7
(56.7)
8.3
(46.9)
2.3
(36.1)
−5.8
(21.6)
−13.6
(7.5)
−0.2
(31.6)
Record low °C (°F) −41
(−42)
−40
(−40)
−36
(−33)
−18
(0)
−8
(18)
0
(32)
4
(39)
0
(32)
−7
(19)
−13
(9)
−30
(−22)
−40
(−40)
−41
(−42)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 21
(0.8)
16
(0.6)
33
(1.3)
60
(2.4)
88
(3.5)
108
(4.3)
93
(3.7)
98
(3.9)
80
(3.1)
56
(2.2)
39
(1.5)
23
(0.9)
716
(28.2)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 136
1890 258 89.7%
1900 737 185.7%
1910 900 22.1%
1920 1,080 20.0%
1930 1,183 9.5%
1940 1,592 34.6%
1950 1,790 12.4%
1960 2,728 52.4%
1970 2,720 −0.3%
1980 3,287 20.8%
1990 5,094 55.0%
2000 5,520 8.4%
2010 8,111 46.9%
2019 (est.) 9,176 13.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,111 people, 3,137 households, and 1,967 families living in the city. The population density was 1,087.3 inhabitants per square mile (419.8/km2). There were 3,426 housing units at an average density of 459.2 per square mile (177.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.5% White, 1.0% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.

There were 3,137 households, of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age in the city was 34.1 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 19.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.

Economy

Cambridge is a local commercial center. The recently expanded Cambridge Medical Center serves as the regional health care center. It contains several traditional big-box retail stores, including Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl's, Mills FleetFarm and Menard's.

Education

Cambridge-Isanti High School, Cambridge Middle School, Cambridge Intermediate School, and Cambridge Primary School serve the community. Two new schools, Cambridge Middle School and Isanti Intermediate School, were built in the fall of 2006 to house the expanding school population.

Cambridge Christian School, founded in 1978, has new facilities in the city of Cambridge.

Cambridge is also home to the Cambridge campus of Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

Notable people

  • Lynn H. Becklin - politician
  • Robert C. Becklin - politician and businessman
  • Mickey Erickson - professional football player for Chicago Cardinals and Boston Braves
  • Godfrey G. Goodwin - former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
  • Todd Hallowell - film producer
  • Julia Hart - professional wrestler
  • Kerri Hoskins - former glamour model and video game actress
  • Brian Johnson - politician
  • Rhonda Sivarajah - politician
  • Corie Barry - CEO of Best Buy

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Cambridge (Minnesota) para niños

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