Baxter, Minnesota
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Baxter is a city located in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 5,555.
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Geography
MNMap-doton-Baxter.png
Location of Baxter, Minnesota
Baxter is located just north of the geographical center of Minnesota, in a terminal moraine area created by the Superior Lobe of the Labradorian ice sheet. The city is home to numerous lakes and ponds.
Baxter is bordered on the west by Cass County and on the east by Brainerd. The Mississippi River marks the current southern border but expansion both north and south is possible.
Along with the rest of Crow Wing County and parts of the adjoining counties, Baxter is part of the so-called Brainerd Lakes Area. Many residents of Baxter work in Brainerd or consider themselves Brainerd residents.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 50.9 km² (19.7 mi²). 44.9 km² (17.3 mi²) of it is land and 6.1 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 11.95% water.
History
A suburb of nearby Brainerd, Baxter owes its existence to the Northern Pacific Railroad, which operated a large tie-treating plant, since closed, in the area during the 1920s. Farming was also an important early industry.
Baxter was incorporated on May 25, 1939. The town is named after Luther Baxter, an attorney for the railroad who served in the Minnesota state legislature and as a colonel in the Civil War.
Tourism and various service industries have become Baxter's biggest employers, and numerous housing subdivisions have been developed in the wooded area west of Highway 371, which passes through the town. Owing to the amount of unused land in the area, commercial development along the highway itself has also increased in recent years, though it has tended to conform to the pattern of urban sprawl.
The increasing development of Baxter has helped make Brainerd and Baxter industiguishable along Baxter's eastern border, prompting some to call for a merger of the two communities into "Braxter."
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 5,555 people, 1,921 households, and 1,586 families residing in the city. The population density is 123.8/km² (320.7/mi²). There are 1,979 housing units at an average density of 44.1/km² (114.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 98.63% White, 0.02% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.09% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,921 households out of which 45.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.4% are married couples living together, 8.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% are non-families. 14.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.87 and the average family size is 3.17.
In the city the population is spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $52,289, and the median income for a family is $55,838. Males have a median income of $38,375 versus $26,667 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,772. 5.0% of the population and 2.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.9% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Baxter official website (http://www.ci.baxter.mn.us/)
- Braxter article (http://www.brainerddispatch.com/stories/072699/opi_0726990002.shtml)
- Explore Minnesota Baxter page (http://www.explorebrainerdlakes.com/community/city/baxter/index.htm)