Iron Range
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The Iron Range and Arrowhead regions make up the northeastern section of Minnesota in the United States. The range is a region with multiple distinct bands of iron ore, of which the Mesabi Range is by far the largest. The far eastern area, along the shore of Lake Superior, and the far northern area, along the Canadian border, of the region are not associated with iron ore mining, and are collectively referred to as the Arrowhead region of the state.
The area consists of seven counties: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis.
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The Iron Range and its Economy
From a geological perspective, the Iron Range includes:
- Mesabi Range, largely within Itasca and St. Louis counties;
- Vermilion Range, northeast of the Mesabi, in St. Louis and Lake counties;
- Gunflint Range is in the extreme northern portion of Cook County and extends into Canada; and
- Cuyuna Range, southwest of the Mesabi, largely within Crow Wing County.
The size of the Mesabi Range leads many Minnesotans to equate it directly with the Iron Range, in exclusion of the other, smaller ranges.
The Iron Range Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Board (IRRRB), sometimes known simply as Iron Range Resources (http://ironrangeresources.org/), is an economic development agency funded partly by taxes levied by the state on taconite-producing companies and charged with creating jobs. Detractors consider it an example of pork barrel politics.
Geography
The area contains a mixture of deciduous forest populated by maple, oak, poplar, and birch, as well as areas of coniferous forest that include red, white, and jack pine, and various species of spruce. The Arrowhead region is quite rugged and dotted with hundreds of lakes, and is home to Voyageurs National Park, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and the Lake Superior Hiking Trail, which lie amidst the Lake Superior National Forest.
Important cities
The Iron Range does not contain any large cities; some of the larger communities in the region include Hibbing and Virginia. However, Duluth is located in St. Louis County and, as the world's furthest inland seaport, is an essential part of the economy of the Iron Range.
Culture
The area has a recognizably Scandinavian heritage, like most of northern Minnesota. A strong "Minnesota accent", said to be of Nordic origin, is present in the area, especially among the older part of the populace, hence the popular nickname, "Da Range".
Politics
Although the area is mostly white and rural, conditions favoring the Republican Party, it has remained a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party stronghold. In 2004, John Kerry carried many of the counties in the region.
Climate
The region is known for unrelentingly harsh winters, and pleasant, albeit mosquito-infested summers. The average year-round temperature is in the 30's °F (between about 2 °C and 4 °C). Temperatures below -40 °F/°C occur somewhere in the region during most winters. For example, statistics from the Midwestern Regional Climate Center climate summaries (http://mcc.sws.uiuc.edu/html/MWclimate_data_summaries.htm/), record that Virginia has an mean annual temperature of 38 °F, with an average January low temperature of -6.2 °F (about -21 °C) and July high of 77.4 °F (25 °C). Precipitation there averages 27 in (690 mm) annually and snowfall 53.2 in (135 cm). Near Lake Superior, the temperature differences are somewhat less extreme.
External links
- Iron Range Beginnings (http://events.mnhs.org/Timepieces/Preview.cfm?EventID=598) with a map
- Mining Communities in Northeastern Minnesota (http://www.rb-29.net/graa/wowork/exhibit/chart4.html) with a map
