Pine City is a city in and the county seat of Pine County, in east central Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,130 at the 2020 census. Part of the city is on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. Founded as a railway town, it soon became a logging community and the surrounding lakes made it a resort town. Today, it is in part a commuter town for people working in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.
History
The Dakota Indians were the first in the area. With the Ojibwe expansion, the area became a mixture of the two. By the early 19th century, the area became predominantly Ojibwe. They trapped and hunted on the land and traded furs at the nearby trading posts. With the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters, dubbed the "White Pine Treaty", lumbering began in the area, but was limited by access to available waterways.
In the late 19th century, European settlers came to the Pine City area, which was still heavily forested with thick stands of white pine, some of the state's largest. When the railroad arrived in Pine City, a logging expansion began. Pine City prospered and grew to have everything it needed to serve residents, farmers, and the expanding lumber industry. It was platted in 1869 and incorporated in 1881.
When Buchanan County merged with Pine County in 1861, the county seat was consolidated to Pine City because it was already well-established. Because of its location on the far southern edge of Pine County, there have been attempts over the years to move the county seat to more central Hinckley or Sandstone.
In 2005, Pine City became the first city in rural America with an annual gay pride event, East-Central Minnesota Pride. A book capturing Pine City's history in vintage photos, part of the Images of America series, was published in 2010.
Timeline
1804 – European settlers arrived. 1837 – The Treaty of St. Peters, known as the “White Pine Treaty", initiated lumbering in the area. 1848 – The Ojibwe community of Chengwatana formally established as a village. 1856 – Chengwatana became Pine County's county seat. 1872 – Pine City became the county seat following a fire at the Chengwatana courthouse, prompting a new courthouse construction. 1881 – Pine City incorporated as a village west of Chengwatana due to the railroad's location, leading to Chengwatana's decline. 1894 – Robinson Park in Pine City served as a central staging area for relief efforts during the Great Hinckley Fire. 1903 – James Adam Bede delivered a notable speech at the Associated Press annual dinner in New York City. 1914 – A Minnesota Naval Militia Armory opened in Pine City with Governor Eberhart delivering a speech at the dedication ceremony in November. 1939 – Pine City built a yellow brick city hall, later relinquished to the county due to concerns over county seat status, now partly used by the city hall. 1952 – Lightning struck and destroyed the towered Romanesque Revival courthouse of 1886, prompting a new courthouse's construction, integrating the old city hall's architecture. 1954 – Pine County raised funds via bond issuance for a new courthouse, incorporating elements of the former city hall, marked with "Court House" over the north entrance. 1967 – Interstate 35's completion through Pine City enhanced regional connectivity. 1978 – The inaugural International Polkafest was hosted in Pine City. 1980 – Pine City's Jean Lindig Kessler was crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way. 1992 – A 30-foot tall voyageur statue was erected on the north shore of the Snake River, near downtown Pine City. 2005 – Pine City hosted the first annual East-Central Minnesota Pride event, promoting community inclusivity. 2007 – A new courthouse was built on Pine City's northern edge following a failed attempt to split the county. 2009 – Pine City's Horizon Bank failed amid the 2008 financial crisis, with its assets acquired by Stearns Bank. 2010 – Lakeside Medical Center, Pine City's hospital, closed amidst a wave of rural hospital closures across the U.S. 2012 – The Pine City post office was renamed the "Master Sergeant Daniel L. Fedder Post Office" under H.R.3220. 2017 – Pine City's boys' basketball team gained national attention in the Wall Street Journal for their innovative three-point shooting strategy. 2019 - Governor Tim Walz hosted the annual deer hunting opener in Pine City, emphasizing the area's role in Minnesota's traditional hunting events. 2024 – Kent Bombard was appointed Pine City's first openly gay mayor, marking a significant moment in the city's political history and becoming the third openly gay mayor in Minnesota's municipal history.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate Below is a table of average high and low temperatures throughout the year in Pine City. Of note, Pine City's early years included historic temperature extremes as it was the site of three record-setting cold temperatures: March 2, 1897 (-50 °F, March lowest temperature) November 25, 1945 (-47 °F, November lowest temperature) December 31, 1898 (-57 °F, December lowest temperature)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecAvg high °F (°C) 21 (−6) 27 (−3) 38 (3) 54 (12) 67 (19) 75 (24) 80 (27) 78 (26) 69 (21) 55 (13) 39 (4) 25 (−4)Avg low temperature °F (°C) 4 (−16) 17 (−8) 30 (−1) 40 (4) 51 (11) 56 (13) 56 (13) 53 (12) 43 (6) 32 (0) 21 (−6) 6 (−14)
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Pine City had a population of 3,130. The median age was 41.5 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.4% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
There were 1,383 households in Pine City, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 35.1% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 34.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 1,512 housing units, of which 8.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 3.4%.
0.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 2,867 91.6% Black or African American 28 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native 33 1.1% Asian 23 0.7% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 1 0.0% Some other race 22 0.7% Two or more races 156 5.0% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 68 2.2%
2010 census The 2010 Census showed the Pine City area having some of the most same-sex coupled households of any rural area of the state.
2000 census As of the 2000 census, there were 3,043 residents, 1,222 households, and 734 families in the city. The population density was . There were 1,275 housing units at an average density of .
There were 1,222 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,000 and the median income for a family was $37,000. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,000. About 10.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
Religion
While the largest religion in Pine City is none at all, with over half of the community unchurched, it is home to various churches of varying denominations, including: +Pine City churches and their denominations Church Denomination Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints First Presbyterian Church Presbyterian Church (USA) Grace Baptist Church Baptists Hustletown Community Church Nondenominational Christianity Immaculate Conception Catholic Church Catholic Journey North Church Gospel, Evangelicalism Kingdom Hall – Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses Living Hope Christian Center Assemblies of God Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Pine City Evangelical Free Church Evangelical Free Church of America Hands for Pine City Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ South Pine Baptist Church Baptists Zion Lutheran Church Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Economy
MINPACK, Inc. is one of Pine City's largest employers, with 130 employees, and Atscott Manufacturing, with 100; both are headquartered in Pine City. Other large employers in the community include Walmart, Product Fabricators, Inc., Broekema Beltway, ISD 578, Therapeutic Services Agency, Pine County, Community Living Options and Lake Superior Laundry.
Downtown The Pine City Scrapbooking Company in downtown Pine City was featured in 2017 on CBS News Sunday Morning.
Arts and culture
In 2009, Pine Center for the Arts opened. It is a regional arts center offering a variety of educational and performance-based programs relating to theater, music, visual art, literature, and dance. Classes and special events take place throughout the year. Community theater is active in Pine City: the Heritage Players perform semi-annually. The Pine City Arts Council sponsors a variety of annual events, most notably a free Friday night summer concert series held in Robinson Park and an art festival.
Promoted as "Minnesota’s Small-Town LGBTQ+ Pride", East Central Minnesota Pride's "Pride in the Park" celebration is held in Robinson Park. Starting in 2005, it was Minnesota's first small-town Pride celebration.
Major annual events The following community and regional events are held in and around Pine City.
Spring, summer, and fall
Highway 61 Film Festival International Polkafest Memorial Day Parade East-Central Minnesota Pride Art Fest in Robinson Park Pine County Fair Czech Booyah Festival, at Sokol Camp Pine City PRCA Championship Rodeo, Labor Day Weekend
Winter BB32 hockey tournament Ice fishing contests on area lakes Pine Technical and Community College Shooter's Association Gun Show
Places of interest
Pine Center for the Arts Rural School Dist. 69 Museum Snake River Fur Post Voyageur Statue, in Voyageur Park
Parks and recreation The city has 12 city parks, including one undeveloped park (Fawn Meadows Park); two passive parks, manicured but lacking recreational equipment (Meadow Ridge Park, Thomas Park); and eight active parks, with playgrounds and/or sports facilities, including:
a community garden and a public fishing pier (Challeen Park) four ballfields (City Ballfields) three ice rinks (Hilltop Park) a public boat landing (Riverside Park) a performing stage (Robinson Park) a disc golf course (Voyageur Park) a skate park and a public beach (West Side Park) a Gulf War veteran memorial (Woodpecker Ridge Park) Pine City Country Club, a nine-hole public course that opened in 1971
Sports