Kinney, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kinney
City
Aqua garage in Kinney, Minnesota
Location of the city of Kinney within Saint Louis County, Minnesota
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Saint Louis
Area
• Total	4.13 sq mi (10.68 km2)
• Land	3.91 sq mi (10.13 km2)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.55 km2)
Elevation	1,545 ft (471 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	152
• Density	38.86/sq mi (15.01/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	55758
Area code(s)	218
FIPS code	27-33416
GNIS feature ID	0661645

Kinney is a small city located in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, in the United States. In 2020, about 152 people lived there.

History of Kinney

Kinney was named after O. D. Kinney, who was one of the first European owners of the Merritt site in 1892. Before that, the land was home to Native American tribes. These included the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi peoples. They all spoke languages from the Algonquian family.

The Republic of Kinney

Mary P. Anderson was a very important person in Kinney's history. She became the first female mayor of Kinney in 1973. She was also the first female mayor in the entire Iron Range area. She served as mayor until 2002.

In 1977, Kinney had a big problem with its water system. It was old and needed to be replaced. The cost was about $186,000, which was a lot of money for a small city. Kinney tried to get money from state and federal groups, but it was very difficult. There was a lot of paperwork and rules.

The city council and Mayor Anderson thought of a funny idea. They believed it might be easier to get money from other countries if Kinney was its own nation. So, on July 13, 1977, Mayor Anderson sent a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State. In the letter, Kinney declared it was leaving the United States! This act is called secession.

The U.S. government never officially said anything about Kinney's declaration. But the news story became very popular. It first appeared in a local newspaper in February 1978. Then, on February 7, 1978, the story was shown on the NBC Nightly News. This made Kinney famous all over the country and even around the world.

A businessman named Jeno Paulucci, from Duluth, was the first to offer "foreign aid" to the new "Republic of Kinney." On February 13, 1978, he sent a police car and 10 cases of pizza mix! The police car was even painted with a special shield for the Republic of Kinney.

In November 1978, Kinney finally got a grant of $198,000. This money helped them fix their water system and add more fire hydrants.

The Republic of Kinney also had some fun ways to raise money. Between March and April 1978, they sold over 1,600 "passports" for $1.00 each. They also sold buttons and T-shirts. They even started a summer festival called 'Secession Days'. The first festival was held in August 1987.

In 2007, Kinney celebrated the 30th anniversary of its "independence." They even published a book about the Republic of Kinney.

Geography

Kinney covers a total area of about 4.83 square miles (12.51 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, about 4.62 square miles (11.97 square kilometers). The rest is water. U.S. Highway 169 is a major road that goes through the area.

Population Information

2010 Census Details

In 2010, the city of Kinney had 169 people living there. There were 70 households, and 43 of these were families. The population was spread out, with about 36.6 people per square mile.

Most of the people living in Kinney were White (97.6%). A small number were Native American (1.2%) or from two or more races (1.2%).

About 32.9% of households had children under 18. Many households (45.7%) were married couples living together. The average household had about 2.41 people. The average family had about 2.88 people.

The average age of people in Kinney was 40.1 years old. About 22.5% of residents were under 18. About 11.2% were 65 years or older. There were slightly more males (52.1%) than females (47.9%) in the city.

See also

In Spanish: Kinney (Minnesota) para niños