Editing Rockford, Minnesota

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

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Rockford MN.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Rockford's Main Street, with city hall on the left
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map = Wright_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Rockford_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of the city of Rockford<br />within [[Wright County, Minnesota|Wright]] and [[Hennepin County, Minnesota|Hennepin]] Counties<br />in the state of [[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|Counties]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Wright County, Minnesota|Wright]], [[Hennepin County, Minnesota|Hennepin]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Renee Hafften <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cityofrockford.org/city-departments/city-council/ | title=City Council }}</ref>
|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           = 6.73
|area_land_km2            = 6.54
|area_water_km2           = 0.18
|area_total_sq_mi         = 2.60
|area_land_sq_mi          = 2.53
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.07

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 4500
|population_density_km2   = 687.79
|population_density_sq_mi = 1781.47

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = 
|elevation_m              = 279
|elevation_ft             = 915
|coordinates              = {{coord|45|5|26|N|93|44|20|W|region:US-MN|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 55373
|area_code                = [[Area code 763|763]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 27-55006<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              = 0650206<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
|website                  = [http://www.cityofrockford.org/ www.cityofrockford.org]
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
}}
'''Rockford''' is a city in [[Wright County, Minnesota|Wright]] and [[Hennepin County, Minnesota|Hennepin]] counties in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Minnesota]].  The population was 4,316 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="2010 Census">{{cite web|title=2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table|work=American FactFinder|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census|access-date=23 April 2011}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> While Rockford is mainly located within Wright County, a small part of the city extends into Hennepin County. It is part of the [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul]] metropolitan statistical area.  [[Minnesota State Highway 55]] serves as a main route in the city.

==History==

Evidence of indigenous settlement in what is today Rockford can be found in burial mounds ranging from 500 to 1500 years old, as well as a trail which runs under the Bridge Street Bridge on the [[Hennepin County, Minnesota|Hennepin County]] side. 
The area was a natural border land between the [[Ojibwe]] and [[Dakota people|Dakota]], with both tribes utilizing the space for hunting and wintering. Though the space was primarily utilized by the Dakota, there also existed an Objibwe village near modern-day [[Dayton, Minnesota|Dayton]], on the [[Crow River (Minnesota)|Crow River]].

As colonial settlement widened in [[Wisconsin]], the [[Ho-Chunk]] were pushed west and forced to resettle near Rockford. Though the creation of a reservation at the site was proposed, concerns were raised about the proximity of an indigenous reservation so close to [[Minneapolis]], a rapidly-developing economic center at the time. 
After the [[Treaty of Traverse des Sioux|Treaty Traverse de Sioux]] in 1851, the land was opened to white settlers; after surveying was completed in 1854, plots became available for purchase to homesteaders.

In 1855,  brothers-in-law George F. Ames and Joel Florida of Illinois came up the Crow River with carpenter Guildford D. George with hopes of starting a mill town. Eventually the town would boast multiple thriving mills: a lumber, a flour, and a saw mill. Four years later, in 1859, the first US troops called to [[Minnesota]] were dispatched to Rockford in response to the so-called Wright County War, a period of rioting in the area.

A stockade was built in town during the [[Dakota War of 1862|Dakota Uprising]] of 1862, and again in 1863.

Rockford was incorporated in 1881, with a railroad running through the town being completed in 1886.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.67|sqmi|sqkm|2}}; {{convert|2.61|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.06|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/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|archive-date=2012-01-25}}</ref>

The [[Crow River (Minnesota)|Crow River]] is formed at Rockford by the confluence of its North and South Forks.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 159
|1900= 340
|1910= 287
|1920= 324
|1930= 287
|1940= 270
|1950= 369
|1960= 533
|1970= 730
|1980= 2408
|1990= 2665
|2000= 3484
|2010= 4316
|2020= 4500
|align-fn=center
|footnote=[https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]
}}

===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 4,316 people, 1,622 households, and 1,147 families living in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1653.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 1,693 housing units at an average density of {{convert|648.7|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 94.1% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.0% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.5% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.3% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 1,622 households, of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.3% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13.

The median age in the city was 34.7 years. 28.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.3% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 6.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[2000 United States Census|census of 2000]],<ref name="GR2" /> there were 3,484 people, 1,296 households, and 929 families living in the city.  The population density was {{convert|2,021.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,333 housing units at an average density of {{convert|773.3|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 97.56% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.40% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.52% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.46% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.09% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.14% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.83% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.00% of the population. 38.1% were of [[Germans|German]], 15.0% [[Norwegian people|Norwegian]], 8.4% [[Irish people|Irish]] and 6.1% [[Swedish people|Swedish]] ancestry.

There were 1,296 households, out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 39.0% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.8% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,349, and the median income for a family was $56,607. Males had a median income of $37,112 versus $29,395 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $20,675.  About 6.5% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 8.8% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The main school district is Rockford Public Schools.  They include an elementary school (grades preschool to 4th grade) a middle school (grades 5 through 8) and a high school (9th through 12th). The elementary focuses mainly on an arts program, while the middle and high schools put more of an emphasis on technology.<ref>http://www.rockford.k12.mn.us/se3bin/clientschool.cgi?schoolname=school247{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  The high school has, for the past four years, scored higher than the state average in mathematics.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.schooldigger.com/go/MN/schools/3207001368/school.aspx?entity=42&grade=11 | title=Rockford Secondary }}</ref> Originally, the Rockford School District was established by the Wright county commissioners on September 6, 1856 and the first school house was constructed by 1860. During the 1960s the school underwent redistricting that gave its current designation as Independent School District # 883.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mnschools.com/school-finder/school-districts/rockford-883/ |title=Rockford – District 883 - Minnesota Schools |access-date=2015-02-03 |archive-date=2015-02-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203160459/http://www.mnschools.com/school-finder/school-districts/rockford-883/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Notable people==
*[[Joel McKinnon Miller]], an American actor born in Rockford

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://cityofrockford.org/ City of Rockford – Official Website]

{{Hennepin County, Minnesota}}
{{Wright County, Minnesota}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Hennepin County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Wright County, Minnesota]]