Blaine

BLAINE

Blaine was named in honor of former senator and presidential candidate James G. Blaine.

Blaine City bustles with business activities due to its ideal location in Anoka County in Minnesota. It can be accessed from the east via Interstate 35W and Highway 65 which runs through the center. The new access point is State Highway 10 which connects to the north metro, the south and the west.

It may be one of the biggest cities in Minnesota in terms of population but it offers both the serenity of a small town and the comforts of a big city. Those moving into Blaine City will find a perfect balance of living a healthy life while building a career and enjoying life’s little joys. Just like most of the cities within the area of Twin Cities North, Blaine enjoys a low crime rate and high quality of education. It is an ideal place for those thinking of corporate relocation, employee relocation or residential relocation as it offers affordable housing and quality healthcare.

Population profile

People flock to Blaine because it offers the rustic and suburban lifestyle of a small town and yet it is easily accessible to the downtown areas of St. Paul (30km) and Minneapolis (21 km). It started with a small population of only 1,694 sometime in the 1950s and grew to 20,640 in the 1970s. As of the 2000 census, Blaine’s population has ballooned to 44,942 consisting of 15,898 households that are occupying 16,169 housing units. There are estimates that the population count as of 2003 is already 50,425.

Majority or 93.46% of the population are Whites followed by Asians (2.54%) and Hispanics or Latinos (1.72%). The rest of the population is a mix of other races, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and African Americans. The population is remarkably young with a media age of 33 years.

Considering its population, Blaine claims to have only 3% of the total population living below the poverty line. The average income for each household is also relatively big at $59,219 while the average income per family is also considered significant at $63,831.

Blaine is the hometown of NHL player Brandon Bochenski, Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams and Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Bryan Cupito.

History

Despite its rapid growth, Blaine has managed to preserve much of its history. It became an independent city only after 1877 but before that, Blaine was just a part of Anoka. The first known settler in the city is an Irish by the name of Philip Laddy, after whom the Laddie Lake was named. However, the record of being Blaine’s first permanent goes to Green Chambers.

Blaine was not a good agricultural area considering its sandy soils and vast wetlands. This, farmers shied away from the city and this led to the slow growth of Blaine. It was the development of the State Highway 65, Interstate 35-W and Route 10 which increased the city’s potential for growth and respectively for commercial and housing development.

Business in Blaine is very promising, with over 200 industries located in the area. It is the location of 11 industrial parks as well as the headquarters of big companies like Dayton Rogers Manufacturing Co., Arrow Cyrogenics, Inc., Aveda Bermo, Inc. and General Pattern. Blaine’s competitive advantage over the other cities includes its accessibility, the competitive cost of land in the area, a thriving industrial base and a pool of skilled labor.