Editing Kinney, Minnesota

{{short description|City in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Kinney
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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|image_skyline            = Aqua garage in Kinney, Minnesota.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Aqua garage in Kinney, Minnesota
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

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|image_map = St._Louis_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Kinney_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of the city of Kinney<br />within [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|Saint Louis County, Minnesota]]
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Minnesota]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Minnesota|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|Saint Louis]]

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|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_27.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 10.68
|area_land_km2            = 10.13
|area_water_km2           = 0.55
|area_total_sq_mi         = 4.13
|area_land_sq_mi          = 3.91
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.21

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 152
|population_density_km2   = 15.01
|population_density_sq_mi = 38.86

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GR3"/>
|elevation_m              = 
|elevation_ft             = 1545
|coordinates              = {{coord|47|30|52|N|92|43|54|W|region:US-MN|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
|postal_code              = 55758
|area_code                = [[Area code 218|218]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 27-33416<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0661645<ref name="GR3">{{GNIS|661645}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
}}
'''Kinney''' is a city in [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|Saint Louis County]], [[Minnesota]], United States. The population was 152 at the time of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kinney, Minnesota |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Kinney%20city,%20Minnesota |access-date=June 1, 2024 |website=Census}}</ref>

== History ==
Kinney gets its name from Hon. O. D. Kinney (Orrin Day Kinney; 1845–1911), who was one of the original European owners of the Merritt site in 1892 along with Judge J.T. Hale, and Capt. Joseph Sellwood. The land was originally occupied by Algonquian-speaking tribes, including the [[Ojibwe]], [[Ottawa tribe|Ottawa]], and [[Potawatomi]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=flM0AQAAMAAJ&q=hon+o.+d.+kinney+mn&pg=PA432 |title = Duluth and St. Louis County, Minnesota; Their Story and People: An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Educational, Civic and Social Development|last1 = Brunt|first1 = Walter Van|year = 1921}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Upham |first=Warren |url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog |title=Minnesota geographic names; their origin and historic significance |date=1920 |publisher=[[Minnesota Historical Society]] |pages=485 |via=[[Archive.org]]}}</ref>

===Republic of Kinney===
Mary P. Anderson (1915–2007) was elected the first female mayor of Kinney (and on the Iron Range) from 1973 to 2002. By 1977, the City of Kinney, with a population of 325 according to the 1970 census, suffered from a failing water system, and was faced with a replacement cost of $186,000. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to secure funding from state and federal agencies due to bureaucratic red tape, agencies such as the [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development]] (HUD), the [[Federal Housing Administration]] (FHA), and the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Commission (IRRRC), the city council was led to believe that it would be easier to receive [[foreign aid]] if Kinney seceded from the union,<ref>{{cite web|last=Tyssen|first=Linda|date=October 29, 2016|title=Range native revisits Kinney's famous history|url=http://www.virginiamn.com/news/local/range-native-revisits-kinney-s-famous-history/article_11465658-4234-11e6-9ed7-8f311e3bd568.html|access-date=October 29, 2016|website=Mesabi Daily News}}</ref> declared war, and lost immediately. [[Mary Anderson (Mayor, Kinney, MN)|Mayor Mary Anderson]] and a supportive Kinney City Council sent a [[secession]] letter to U.S. Secretary of State [[Cyrus Vance]] on July 13, 1977.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kinney Secession: Effective but No Longer Necessary|url=https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/waterline/featurestories/kinney.html|access-date=2021-08-16|website=www.health.state.mn.us}}</ref>

The secession was never officially acknowledged by Vance or the U.S. The news story broke locally in the ''[[Mesabi Daily News]]'' on February 5, 1978, in an article by Ginny Wennen entitled "Move over Monaco, here comes Kinney." The story garnered national and international attention beginning on February 7, 1978, when the story was featured on the ''[[NBC Nightly News]]'' with [[David Brinkley]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 17, 2021|last=Adam|title=The Little Town of Kinney, MN Once Tried to Secede from the U.S.|url=https://mix949.com/the-little-town-of-kinney-mn-once-tried-to-secede-from-the-u-s/|access-date=2021-08-16|website=MIX 94.9|language=en}}</ref>

[[Jeno Paulucci]], a businessman based in [[Duluth, Minnesota|Duluth]], [[Minnesota]], was the first to acknowledge the new republic and offer 'foreign aid' in the form of a dark brown 1974 Ford LTD police squad car and 10 cases of Jenos Sausage Pizza Mix on February 13, 1978. The squad car was painted with a Republic of Kinney shield on the driver's side that read "Commander in Chief, Republic of Kinney," and "Chief of Police, Kinney, Mn." on the passenger side.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The time Kinney, MN seceded|url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/07/26/the-time-kinney-mn-seceded|access-date=2021-08-16|website=MPR News}}</ref>

In November 1978, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) approved $198,000 grant, allocated in three payments of $66,000 per year from the Taconite Area Environmental Protection Fund, to repair the existing water system, construct cement runoff basins, and install additional fire hydrants.

The Republic of Kinney went on to create and sell over 1,600 passports between March and April 1978 at $1.00 apiece. Later the republic created buttons and sold T-shirts, and had a summer festival called 'Secession Days', which was first held during the weekend of August 1–2, 1987.

The city celebrated the 30th anniversary of its "independence" as the Republic of Kinney during the weekend of July 13–15, 2007. In conjunction with the 30th anniversary of the Kinney secession, the city published a book titled ''Republic of Kinney''.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|4.83|sqmi|sqkm|2}}; {{convert|4.62|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.21|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2012-11-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120702145235/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=2012-07-02 }}</ref> [[U.S. Route 169 in Minnesota|U.S. Highway 169]] serves as a main route in the area.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1920= 1200
|1930= 737
|1940= 462
|1950= 336
|1960= 240
|1970= 325
|1980= 447
|1990= 257
|2000= 199
|2010= 169
|2020= 152
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-13}}</ref> of 2010, there were 169 people, 70 households, and 43 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|36.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 83 housing units at an average density of {{convert|18.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 97.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], and 1.2% from two or more races.

There were 70 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 40.1 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 33.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.1% male and 47.9% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States Census|census of 2000]],<ref name="GR2" /> there were 199 people, 82 households, and 61 families living in the city. The population density was {{convert|43.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 88 housing units at an average density of {{convert|19.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 94.47% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.01% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], and 3.52% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.02% of the population. 25.3% were of [[finns|Finnish]], 19.2% [[germans|German]], 8.9% [[Irish people|Irish]], 8.2% [[norwegians|Norwegian]], 6.8% [[swedish people|Swedish]], 6.2% [[French Canadian]] and 6.2% [[italians|Italian]] ancestry.

There were 82 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 3.5% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $33,125. Males had a median income of $31,667 versus $17,361 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $14,756. About 9.4% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 29.4% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.{{coord|47|30|51|N|92|43|51|W|type:city_region:US-MN|display=title}}

==External links==
*{{cite book |last=Kuzma |first=Scott|title=Republic of Kinney<ref>Republic of Kinney (2007), by Scott Kuzma. Available: https://search.worldcat.org/title/163585287</ref> |year=2007 |publisher=Forum Communications Printing|location=Fargo, ND|isbn=978-0-9796706-0-2}} 
*{{cite news |last=Kuzma |first=Scott|title=Rural Revolution : A Retrospective on the Kinney Secession |url=http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/62/v62i01p018-028.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160906203737/http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/62/v62i01p018-028.pdf |archive-date=2016-09-06 |url-status=live |journal=Minnesota History|year=2010 |publisher=Minnesota History Magazine (Vol 62 No 1, Spring 2010, pages 18-28) |location=St Paul MN|issn=0026-5497}}.
*{{cite news|last1=Polanen  |first1= Simone|title= Small Town Secession.|url= https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fez4pP7BoPbtvDaEsbj82?si=bnHHMPx1RsqyhqJj6YSgfw&dl_branch=1 |publisher=Not Past It. Gimlet Media|date=July 14, 2021}}
*{{cite news|last1=Wurzer|first1=Kathy|last2=Brown|first2=Gretchen|title=Kinney, Minn. secedes from the U.S.: On this day in history|url=https://www.mprnews.org/episode/2022/07/13/kinney-minn-secedes-from-the-us-on-this-day-in-history|publisher=MPRNews|date=July 13, 2022}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{St. Louis County, Minnesota}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in St. Louis County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Separatism in the United States]]
[[Category:Secessionist towns and cities]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Minnesota]]