Hilltop, Minnesota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hilltop
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Hilltop City Hall
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| Motto(s):
"Little City With A Big Heart"
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| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Anoka |
| Incorporated | May 4, 1956 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2) |
| • Land | 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 935 ft (285 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 958 |
| • Estimate
(2022)
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952 |
| • Density | 8,050.42/sq mi (3,101.93/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
55421
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| Area code(s) | 763 |
| FIPS code | 27-29258 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2394389 |
| Sales tax | 8.125% |
Hilltop is a small city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. In 2020, about 958 people lived there.
This city is quite unique because it is completely surrounded by the city of Columbia Heights. It is like a small island within another city. Hilltop is made up of 16 city blocks. A main road, Minnesota State Highway 65, runs along its eastern side.
Most of the people in Hilltop live in mobile homes. There are 263 mobile homes spread across four parks in the city. Hilltop is one of only two cities in Minnesota that are mostly made up of manufactured homes. The other city is Landfall, which is also near the Twin Cities.
Contents
Hilltop's Location and Size
Hilltop is a very small city. It covers an area of about 0.31 square kilometers (0.12 square miles). All of this area is land.
As mentioned, Hilltop is an enclave. This means it is entirely surrounded by the city of Columbia Heights.
The Story of Hilltop's Beginning
The land where Hilltop is located was once part of Fridley Township. This area had a dairy farm and later became a riding academy. The first mobile home park, called Trailer City, opened here in the 1940s. Another park, Sunnyside, soon followed.
People living in these mobile home parks became worried. They heard that the township might want to remove their homes. So, in 1956, the owner of Trailer City Park, Les Johnson, led an effort. They asked Columbia Heights to make their area part of that city.
However, Columbia Heights said no. So, Les Johnson started a petition to let the residents vote on becoming their own city. The vote passed easily, with 137 people voting yes and 34 voting no. This is how Hilltop officially became a city.
Early Challenges and Growth
After Hilltop became its own city, Columbia Heights began to annex all the land around it. This meant Hilltop was completely surrounded. There were some disagreements between the two cities. For example, Columbia Heights once threatened to stop Hilltop's water and sewer services.
Another issue was Hilltop's plan to sell liquor licenses. Columbia Heights had its own city-run liquor store, which brought in a lot of money. Hilltop decided to get its fire protection from Fridley instead of Columbia Heights. It also started its own police department. They hired a retired highway patrolman as police chief and three part-time officers.
By 1959, the disagreements grew. The Metropolitan Municipalities Commission, a group that helped cities in the Twin Cities area, even asked the State Attorney General, Walter Mondale, to look into Hilltop's city charter.
Hilltop's first mayor was William Wychor. He created rules to keep the city safe and orderly. These rules aimed to prevent certain activities that were considered dishonest or harmful.
Hilltop's Development and Changes
By 1961, Hilltop was growing. More people were moving in, and the city was earning more money from taxes. A new shopping area was built, which included a supermarket, a drugstore, and a liquor store. A bowling alley and a motel also opened.
In the mid-1960s, Hilltop built its own water tower. This allowed the city to get water directly from Minneapolis. This helped end some of the disagreements with Columbia Heights. By 1967, Hilltop's population had doubled to 1,039 people.
Tensions between Hilltop and Columbia Heights started to lessen in 1968. The mayors and city councils of both cities met to talk about their shared issues.
In 1972, Hilltop's police department closed. This happened after the city's only squad car was damaged. Since they couldn't afford a new one, the police department was disbanded. Hilltop then started paying the Columbia Heights Police Department for their services. Rescue services were also provided by Columbia Heights.
During the 1970s, Hilltop's population decreased. It went from 1,015 people to 817 by 1980. Because of its small size and unique setup with mobile home parks, even small events sometimes made big news in the area.
In 1991, the city faced a big financial problem. A city official misused a large amount of city money. This nearly caused the city to go bankrupt. However, insurance helped save the city from this crisis.
Who Lives in Hilltop?
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 607 | — | |
| 1970 | 1,015 | 67.2% | |
| 1980 | 817 | −19.5% | |
| 1990 | 749 | −8.3% | |
| 2000 | 766 | 2.3% | |
| 2010 | 744 | −2.9% | |
| 2020 | 958 | 28.8% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 952 | 28.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
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Population Details from 2010
In 2010, there were 744 people living in Hilltop. These people lived in 380 households, with 151 of them being families. The city had about 6,200 people per square mile.
Most of the people in Hilltop were White (71.0%). There were also people who identified as African American (11.3%), Native American (1.6%), and Asian (2.7%). About 16.9% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 25% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had 1.96 people, and the average family had 2.82 people.
The average age of people in Hilltop was 42.7 years old. About 20.3% of residents were under 18, and 10.6% were 65 or older. The city had slightly more males (53.2%) than females (46.8%).
