Alexandria, Minnesota

Alexandria
City
Nicknames:  Alex, Alec
Location of the city of Alexandria within Douglas County, Minnesota
Alexandria Location of the city of Alexandria within Douglas County, Minnesota Alexandria Alexandria (the United States) Alexandria Alexandria (North America) Show map of MinnesotaShow map of the United StatesShow map of North AmericaShow all
Coordinates: 45°53′6.84″N 95°22′38″W / 45.8852333°N 95.37722°W / 45.8852333; -95.37722Coordinates: 45°53′6.84″N 95°22′38″W / 45.8852333°N 95.37722°W / 45.8852333; -95.37722
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Douglas
Colonized	1858
Founded	1859
Government
• Mayor	Sara Carlson
Area [1]
• Total	17.90 sq mi (46.35 km2)
• Land	17.18 sq mi (44.50 km2)
• Water	0.71 sq mi (1.85 km2)  4.43%
Elevation	1,404 ft (428 m)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	11,070
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	13,822
• Density	804.49/sq mi (310.61/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	56308
Area code(s)	320
FIPS code	27-00928
GNIS feature ID	0639272[4]
Website	ci.alexandria.mn.us

Alexandria is a city in, and the county seat of, Douglas County, Minnesota, United States.^[5] First settled in 1858, it was named after brothers Alexander and William Kinkead from Maryland. The form of the name alludes to Alexandria, Egypt, a center of learning and civilization.^[6]

The village of Alexandria was incorporated February 20, 1877. Its city charter was adopted in 1908, and it was incorporated as a city in 1909. W. E. Hicks was pivotal to the town's early development. He purchased the townsite in 1868 and established a mill, hotel, newspaper, and store. He donated property for a courthouse, jail, and two churches: Methodist and Congregational.

The population was 11,070 as of the 2010 census.^[7] Alexandria is near I-94, along Minnesota State Highways 27 and 29. It is ten miles south of Lake Carlos State Park. In 2013, Alexandria was named a "Top 10 Best Small Town" by the Livability website.^[8] The city is often abbreviated as "Alex" (pronounced "Alek").^[9]

Economy[]

The city is known as a hot spot for tourism, due to its many lakes and resorts. Tourism events include a Grape Stomp hosted by the Carlos Creek Winery every September, an Apple Fest in October, the Douglas County Fair every August, and Art in the Park every July. The city has a museum housing the Kensington Runestone. Outside the museum stands Big Ole, a 25-foot-tall statue of a Viking built for the 1965 World's Fair in New York City.^[10] Extensive repairs to Big Ole were completed in 2016.^[11] The city hosts the annual Vikingland Band Festival parade marching championship.

Top employers[]

According to the Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission,^[12] the area's top employers are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Alomere Health	950
2	Douglas Machine	700
3	Alexandria Public Schools	606
4	Knute Nelson	493
5	Alexandria Industries	446
6	3M	400
7	Douglas County	324
8	Central Specialties	300
9	Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center	285
10	Brenton Engineering	280

^[13]

Education[]

Most children in Alexandria attend school at Alexandria Public Schools, which consists of six kindergarten–5th grade elementary schools (Lincoln, Voyager, Woodland, Carlos, Miltona, Garfield), one 6th–8th grade junior high school (Discovery Middle School), and one new^[when?] 9th–12th grade senior high school (Alexandria Area High School), which replaced Jefferson High School, which was built in the late 1950s. There are also several independent K–8 Christian schools in the area. Alexandria Technical & Community College offers post-secondary education, including certificate programs, 2-year associate degrees and transferable credits towards 4-year degrees.

Transportation[]

connects Alexandria to Nelson, Osakis and western Minnesota. Minnesota State Highway 29 connects Alexandria to Glenwood and Parkers Prairie. Interstate 94/U.S. Highway 52 passes through the south end of Alexandria, which allows access to Minneapolis-St. Paul and Fargo-Moorhead.

Public transportation in town (and within the surrounding area) is provided by Rainbow Rider.

Airport[]

The Alexandria Municipal Airport, also known as Chandler Field, is a city-owned public-use airport two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of Alexandria's central business district.

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 16.70 square miles (43.25 km²), of which 15.96 square miles (41.34 km²) is land and 0.74 square miles (1.92 km²) is water.^[14] Many of the people who live in Alexandria are not calculated into the population because they are spread out of the city and live on and around the many lakes.^{[citation needed]}

Climate[]

Alexandria has a dry winter humid continental climate (Köppen Dwb),^[15] with cold, snowy winters and warm (sometimes hot and humid) summers. The autumn and spring are generally pleasant. Average annual precipitation (both snow and rain) is about 25 inches.

Lakes[]

Demographics[]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	1,355		—
1890	2,118		56.3%
1900	2,681		26.6%
1910	3,001		11.9%
1920	3,388		12.9%
1930	3,876		14.4%
1940	5,051		30.3%
1950	6,319		25.1%
1960	6,713		6.2%
1970	6,973		3.9%
1980	7,608		9.1%
1990	7,838		3.0%
2000	8,820		12.5%
2010	11,070		25.5%
2019 (est.)	13,822	[2]	24.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[19] 2018 Estimate[20]>

2010 census[]

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 11,070 people, 5,298 households, and 2,552 families living in the city. The population density was 693.6 inhabitants per square mile (267.8/km²). There were 5,821 housing units at an average density of 364.7 per square mile (140.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 0.8% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 5,298 households, of which 21.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 51.8% were non-families. 41.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.74.

The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 22.1% were from 45 to 64; and 22% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census[]

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,820 people. The census listed 4,047 households and 2,011 families living in the city. The population density was 992.5 people per square mile (383.1/km²). There were 4,311 housing units at an average density of 485.1 per square mile (187.2/km²). The city's racial makeup was 97.94% White, 0.42% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.

There were 4,047 households, of which 23.7% had children under 18 living with them, 36.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.3% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who 65 or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under 18, 15.7% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% over 66. The median age was 37. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 83.7 males.

The median income for a household was $26,851, and the median income for a family was $38,245. Males had a median income of $27,871 versus $20,254 for females. The per capita income was $16,085. About 7.8% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.2% of those under 18 and 15.7% of those 65 or older.

Media[]

Newspaper[]

Alexandria Echo Press is Alexandria's twice-weekly newspaper, owned by the Forum Communications Company.^[21]

Television[]

From 1958 until 2012, Alexandria had at least one local television station, either KCCO or KSAX, and both are still satellites of Minneapolis, MN television stations. KCCO had a presence, first as KCMT, in 1958, as an NBC and ABC affiliate. It switched to CBS affiliation in 1982. Five years later, KSAX regained ABC's presence as a semi-satellite of KSTP-TV. In that same year, KCCO was bought out and became a semi-satellite of WCCO-TV. In 1992, KCCO became a CBS O&O when CBS acquired WCCO and its two satellites.

During KCCO and KSAX's time as semi-satellites, they broadcast local news, weather, and sports through ten-minute cut-in segments during their parent station's newscast. In 2002, KCCO removed its local presence and became a full satellite of WCCO. In June 2012, cost-cutting measures at KSAX resulted in the layoff of all but two employees and the ending of local cut-in broadcasts by any Alexandria television station.^[22]

The Alexandria area is also served by Selective TV, Inc., a non-profit, viewer-supported organization which transmits several cable channels free-to-air over standard UHF television frequencies, viewable in any area home without subscription. Selective TV operates under low power television rules of the FCC and as such was not subject to the analog to digital conversion in 2009. Residents still need a converter box to view KCCO and KSAX on the digital band, though KSAX is still rebroadcast via Selective TV.

Broadcast[]

Channel	Callsign	Affiliation	Branding	Subchannels		Owner
(Virtual)				Channel	Programming
4.1	K33DB-D (WCCO Translator)	CBS	WCCO 4	4.2 4.3	Start TV Dabl	Selective TV, Inc.
5.2	K16CO-D (KSTC Translator)	Ind.	45 TV	5.3 5.4 5.6	Me-TV Antenna TV This TV	Selective TV, Inc.
9.2	K30AF-D (WFTC Translator)	Ind.	FOX 9 Plus	9.3 9.1	Movies! FOX	Selective TV, Inc.
9.9	K32EB-D (KMSP Translator)	FOX	FOX 9	9.4 9.5 9.6	Buzzr Light TV Decades	Selective TV, Inc.
10.1	K27KN-D (KWCM Translator)	PBS	Pioneer Public TV	10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5	Create Minnesota Channel World PBS Kids	Selective TV, Inc.
11.1	K26CL-D (KARE Translator)	NBC	KARE 11	11.2 11.3 11.4	Court TV True Crime Network Quest	Selective TV, Inc.
17.1	K17NW-D	NASA TV				Selective TV, Inc.
18.1	K18DG-D (KSAX Translator)	ABC	5 Eyewitness News			Selective TV, Inc.
20.1	K20AC-D	Escape		20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5	Newsmax TV C-SPAN MSNBC Bounce TV	Selective TV, Inc.
21.1	K21GN-D	KOOL-TV		21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5	Reelz-TV Grit LALA-TV Laff	Selective TV, Inc.
22.1	K36KH-D (KAWB Translator)	PBS	Lakeland PBS	22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6	First Nations Experience PBS Kids Create PBS Encore Minnesota Channel	Selective TV, Inc.
23.1	K14LZ-D (WUCW Translator)	CW	CW 23	23.2 23.3 23.4	Comet Charge! TBD	Selective TV, Inc.
41.1	K34AF-D (KPXM Translator)	ION	ION	41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6	Bounce TV Grit Court TV Mystery QVC HSN	Selective TV, Inc.
42.1	KSAX (KSTP/KSTC Satellite)	ABC	5 Eyewitness News	42.2 42.3	45TV MeTV	Hubbard Broadcasting
44.1	K44GH-D	3ABN		44.2 44.4 44.5 44.6 44.7	3ABN Proclaim 3ABN Spanish 3ABN Radio 3ABN Radio Spanish Radio 74	Edge Spectrum, Inc.

Radio[]

AM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner
1490	KXRA		News/Talk	Paradis Broadcasting Inc.

FM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner
90.9	K215BL (KSJR Translator)	Classical MPR	Classical	Minnesota Public Radio
91.7	K219FA (WJFM Translator)	SonLife Radio	Christian	Jimmy Swaggart Ministries
92.3	KXRA	KX92	Classic rock	Paradis Broadcasting Inc.
94.3	KULO	Cool 94.3	Oldies	Hubbard Broadcasting
97.3	KRVY	97.3 The River	Adult Contemporary	Iowa City Broadcasting Company, Inc.
98.5	KLKX	K-Lakes 98.5	Adult Standards	Alexandria Community Radio Educational Organization, Inc.
99.3	KXRZ	Z-99	Hot AC	Paradis Broadcasting Inc.
100.3	K262AT (KXRA-AM Translator)		News/Talk	Paradis Broadcasting Inc.
100.7	KIKV	KIK FM 100.7	Country	Hubbard Broadcasting

Other forms[]

The city's unofficial mascot "Big Ole" is featured on the cover of the debut album of the National Beekeepers Society.

Culture[]

In the 2000s, Justine Harman, an employee of Glamour and the host of the Broken Harts podcast, which covered the Hart family murders, said, "It was a bit more progressive than rural South Dakota, but it wasn't exactly the most tolerant of places, either" in regard to LGBT people.^[23]

A 2018 article in The Oregonian described Alexandria as "conservative-leaning".^[24]

Sports[]

The Alexandria Blizzard is a Tier III junior ice hockey team in the North American 3 Hockey League and play out of the Runestone Community Center. From 2006 to 2012, the organization had a Tier II team in the North American Hockey League. The NAHL franchise relocated to Brookings, South Dakota and the current NA3HL franchise took its place.

Viking Speedway hosts weekly Saturday night dirt track racing from April–September and also periodic special, weekend events throughout the year. Five WISSOTA classes run there: Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Super Stocks, Modifieds, and Late Models. Viking Speedway was awarded WISSOTA's "2005 Track of the Year".

One night per summer, a Northwoods League baseball game is held at Knute Nelson Memorial Park. The Willmar Stingers become the Alexandria Beetles to pay homage to the time when Alexandria had its own team. The Beetles were in operation from 2001 to 2012 and were renamed the Alexandria Blue Anchors in 2013. The team folded after the 2015 season.

Notable people[]

See also[]

• Alexandria Lakes AVA

References[]

External links[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Alexandria (Minnesota).

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexandria, Minnesota.

• City of Alexandria Official Website
• Alexandria Independent School District
• Alexandria Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce
• Alexandria Hotel & Hospitality, Convention & Visitor's Bureau
• Alexandria Tourism Official Website
• Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission Website
• Alexandria, Minnesota Real Estate
• Alexandria, Minnesota Police Department