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Bemidji (pronounced /b?'m?d?i?/) is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was estimated at 13,419 in 2007.[3] It is the county seat of Beltrami County.[4] Bemidji lies on the southwest shore of Lake Bemidji, the northernmost lake feeding the Mississippi River and, as such, is deemed "the first city on the Mississippi."
Its name derives from the Ojibwe Bay-may-ji-ga-maug (Double-Vowel orthography: bemijigamaag)[5], meaning "lake that traverses another body of water". On occasion, in Ojibwe, the city of Bemidji is called Wabigamaang ("at the lake channel/narrows"), because part of the city is situated on the Lakes Bemidji/Irving narrows, located on the south end of Lake Bemidji, and extends to the eastern shore of Lake Irving.
Bemidji is home to Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College, and Oak Hills Christian College. It's also headquarters of Bemidji Woolen Mills. The statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, well-known landmarks, are downtown on the lakefront. Lake Bemidji State Park offers year-round recreation.
It is also the home to one of five flight bases in the state for North Memorial Medical Center, (a Level 1 Trauma Center located in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area), MeritCare Clinic (which operates five facilities in Bemidji), and North Country Health Services.
Paul Bunyan Broadcasting, a group of sixteen radio stations across northern Minnesota, has its headquarters here.
NFL Pro Football Hall of Famer Dave Casper was born in Bemidji, as was actress Jane Russell.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33.5 kmē), of which, 11.8 square miles (30.5 kmē) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 kmē) of it (9.11%) is water.
Four-lane U.S. Route 2, U.S. Route 71, and Minnesota State Highway 197 are three of the main routes in the city. Minnesota State Highways 89 and 371 are nearby.
The largest earthquake on record for the Bemidji area was recorded on September 3, 1917. It is claimed that it shook houses down in Bemidji and across northern Minnesota. (Little Falls Daily Transcript, September 4, 1917) The epicenter was about 95 miles away in Staples, Minnesota. It affected an area of 48,000 kmē, and was rated a magnitude 4.4 with a maximum intensity of VI to VII. The closest and most recent quake occurred in Walker, MN on September 27, 1982 with a magnitude of 2.0.[1]
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%ą |
| 1900 |
2,183 |
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|
| 1910 |
5,099 |
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133.6% |
| 1920 |
7,086 |
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39% |
| 1930 |
7,202 |
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1.6% |
| 1940 |
9,427 |
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30.9% |
| 1950 |
10,001 |
|
6.1% |
| 1960 |
9,958 |
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-0.4% |
| 1970 |
11,490 |
|
15.4% |
| 1980 |
10,949 |
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-4.7% |
| 1990 |
11,245 |
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2.7% |
| 2000 |
11,917 |
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6% |
| Est. 2007 |
13,419 |
[3] |
12.6% |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 11,917 people, 4,669 households, and 2,427 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,011.8 people per square mile (390.6/kmē). There were 4,948 housing units at an average density of 420.1/sq mi (162.2/kmē). The racial makeup of the city was 84.31% White American, 0.76% African American, 11.52% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.
There were 4,669 households out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.0% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 24.9% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,072, and the median income for a family was $37,250. Males had a median income of $28,312 versus $20,694 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,264. About 13.2% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
Bemidji is a college town with strong art influences. The city's streets are lined with small shops and art sculptures. The community puts high importance on religion. The city offers a quaint, laidback feel and lifestyle.
The Concordia Language Villages are located near Bemidji and this has, perhaps, been influential in the existence of several language conversational groups (including French, Norwegian, Spanish, Italian, and German) that meet weekly in local coffee houses.
During the summer the Paul Bunyan Playhouse operates a non-equity, summer stock theater.
The city is well known to fans of the sport of curling. Both men's and women's rinks from the Bemidji Curling Club won the right to represent the United States in the 2005 World Curling Championship and the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Pete Fenson, the skip of the U.S. curling team that took the bronze medal at the 2006 Olympics, is a native of Bemidji.
A city referendum for a Bemidji Regional Events Center passed by a slim majority of 43 votes out of 4583 votes cast in November 2006. The center is expected to cost $50 million. While the major tenant for the center is expected to be the Bemidji State University (BSU) hockey team, the current status of the men's hockey team is uncertain as it attempts to enter the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Information on this project can be found at Bemidji Events.
Media
[] Newspapers
TV stations
Most of Bemidji's TV stations primarily rebroadcast the television stations of Minneapolis.
[17II17II[[KBSU-TV 17
* Digital channel has been assigned by the FCC, but will not be on the air until after February 17, 2009.
Radio stations
[] FM
AM
Magazine
- Best of Bemidji Quarterly Magazine - direct mailed magazine to every home in the greater Bemidji area, BOB features ads from local businesses with no editorial copy. Most ads are coupons. www.bestofbemidji.com
- Northwoods Woman - Bimonthly glossy magazine launched July 1, 2008 includes articles about women who live and work in northern Minnesota. Also available in Walker, Park Rapids and surrounding areas. www.northwoodswoman.com
Gallery
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Lake Bemidji In The Spring
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References
External links
Coordinates: 47°28'25?N 94°52'49?W? / ?47.47361, -94.88028
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