International Falls, Minnesota

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International Falls, Minnesota
City
Nickname: 
Icebox of the Nation
Location of International Falls, Minnesota
Location of International Falls, Minnesota
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountyKoochiching
Area
 • Total6.4 sq mi (16.6 km2)
 • Land6.3 sq mi (16.2 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation
1,122 ft (342 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total6,703
 • Density1,069.3/sq mi (412.8/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
56649
Area code218
FIPS code27-31040Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0645435Template:GR

International Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States.Template:GR The population was 6,703 at the 2000 census.

International Falls is located on the Rainy River directly across from Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. The two cities are connected by the Fort Frances-International Falls International Bridge. Tolls are only charged for north (Canadian) bound vehicles, but it is a round-trip toll. Voyageurs National Park lies 11 miles east of International Falls. There is a major U.S. Customs Port of Entry on the International Falls side of the toll bridge, and a Canadian Customs entry point on the north side of the bridge.

History

Although the International Falls area was well known to explorers, missionaries and voyagers as early as the 1600s, it was not until the late 1800s that a small village was founded. This promising community originally was known as Kooching,word meaning "neighboring lake and river." The inhabitants gave the names Rainy Lake and Rainy River to the nearby bodies of water because of the mist-like rain present at the falls where the lake flowed into the river.

In 1901 the village was incorporated and two years later its name was changed to International Falls in recognition of the river's role as a border between the United States and Canada.

Realizing the potential for water power and mills in the area, industrialist E.W. Backus, president of the Minnesota and Ontario Paper Company in the early 1900s, built a dam on the Rainy River to power the company's mills. Purchased by Boise Cascade Corporation in 1965, and sold to an investment group in 2003, the company remains the largest business and employer in the area.

Icebox of the Nation

International Falls long promoted itself as the "Icebox of the Nation", however the trademark for the slogan has been challenged on several occasions by the small town of Fraser, Colorado. Officials from Fraser claimed usage since 1956, International Falls since 1948. The two towns came to an agreement in 1986, when International Falls paid Fraser $2,000 to relinquish its "official" claim. However, in 1996, International Falls inadvertently failed to renew its federal trademark, although it had kept its state trademark up to date. Fraser then filed to gain the federal trademark.[1] International Falls submitted photographic proof that its 1955 Pee Wee hockey team traveled to Boston, Massachusetts with the slogan.[2] After several years of legal battles, the United States Patent and Trademark Office officially registered the slogan with International Falls on January 29, 2008, Registration Number 3375139.[3] Only a few days after announcing its success in the trademark battle, International Falls had a record low temperature of −40°F (−40°C), beating a previous record of −37°F (−38.3°C) in 1967.[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.4 square miles (16.5 km²), of which, 6.3 square miles (16.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (2.03%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,703 people, 2,959 households, and 1,751 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,069.3 people per square mile (412.8/km²). There were 3,264 housing units at an average density of 520.7/sq mi (201.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.30% White, 0.28% African American, 2.58% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 2,959 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,908, and the median income for a family was $41,458. Males had a median income of $41,584 versus $20,053 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,171. About 10.0% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

International Falls is often listed as the coldest city in the continental United States, with an average mean temperature of 36.4 °F (2 °C), however, there are numerous smaller cities and towns that are colder, the lowest being held by Fraser, Colorado at 32.5 °F (pop. 910). Dozens of small cities and towns in Minnesota and the Rocky Mountains actually have lower average annual temperatures; such localities include Embarrass, Minnesota (34.4 °F, pop. 691); Leadville, Colorado (34.9 °F, pop. 2,688); West Yellowstone, Montana (35.0 °F, pop. 1,177); Big Piney, Wyoming (35.1 °F, pop. 408); Silverton, Colorado (35.3 °F, pop. 531); Stanley, Idaho (35.3 °F, pop. 100); Brian Head, Utah (35.5 °F, pop. 118); and Wisdom, Montana (35.5 °F, pop. 114) to name just a few.

International Falls is still called the "Icebox of the Nation" after winning the claim against Fraser in court. [5] One thing that does help or hinder International Falls is that Fraser is located within the Rocky Mountains which would help to depress low temperatures while International Falls is located on relatively flat land which takes longer to cool on warm summer nights.

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Avg high °F (°C) 14 (-10) 23 (-5) 35 (2) 52 (11) 67 (19) 74 (23) 79 (26) 76 (24) 65 (18) 52 (11) 33 (1) 18 (-8)
Avg low temperature °F (°C) -8 (-22) -1 (-18) 12 (-11) 27 (-3) 40 (4) 49 (9) 54 (12) 51 (11) 42 (6) 32 (0) 16 (-9) -1 (-18)

Culture

Transportation

Falls International Airport (IATA: INL, ICAO: KINL) is a public airport located just south of the city. The airport has two runways. It is mostly used for general aviation but is also served by one commercial airline: Northwest Airlines' Airlink, with three daily flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

Reference in pop culture

A Sears Diehard car battery commercial was filmed here in the 1970s, playing on the city's extremely cold winter climate to promote the longevity and effectiveness of the product. Also, the fictional Minnesota small town of Frostbite Falls, which was the hometown of cartoon characters Rocket "Rocky" J. Squirrel and Bullwinkle J. Moose of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, was a spoof of the real-life International Falls. The fictional town was located in Koochiching County as well.

Notable natives and residents

See also

References

  1. ^ Two Towns Feud Over Icebox Title, Associated Press, January 13, 2008.
  2. ^ Curt Brown, International Falls says it loud: We're cold, and we're proud, Star Tribune, February 8, 2008.
  3. ^ Trademark Electronic Search System (TESS), United States Patent and Trademark Office, Accessed February 11, 2008.
  4. ^ Nation's 'Icebox' hits record 40 below zero, Associated Press, February 11, 2008.
  5. ^ Riccardi, Nicholas. "Dueling for ‘Icebox of Nation’." Journal Gazette. March 5, 2007. Retrieved on March 5, 2007.

External links

48°36′6.01″N 93°24′13.25″W / 48.6016694°N 93.4036806°W / 48.6016694; -93.4036806

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