View source for Biwabik, Minnesota

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Short description|City in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Biwabik
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 =
|motto                    =
<!-- Images --------------->
|image_skyline            = City of Biwabik Public Works Garage, Minnesota (35637418010).jpg
|imagesize                =
|image_caption            = City of Biwabik Public Works Garage
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =
<!-- Maps ----------------->
|image_map                = St._Louis_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Biwabik_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of the city of Biwabik<br/>within [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|Saint Louis County, Minnesota]]
|image_map1               =
|mapsize1                 =
|map_caption1             =
<!-- Location ------------->
|subdivision_type         = 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]]
<!-- Government ----------->
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Jim Weikum
|leader_title1            =
|leader_name1             =
|established_title        = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date         = November 10, 1892
<!-- 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           = 25.72
|area_land_km2            = 22.69
|area_water_km2           = 3.03
|area_total_sq_mi         = 9.93
|area_land_sq_mi          = 8.76
|area_water_sq_mi         = 1.17
<!-- Population ----------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 963
|pop_est_as_of            = 2022
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2022"/>
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
|population_total         = 961
|population_density_km2   = 42.36
|population_density_sq_mi = 109.70
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name="GR3"/>
|elevation_m              = 442
|elevation_ft             = 1450
|coordinates              = {{coord|47|32|0|N|92|20|32|W|region:US-MN|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 55708
|area_code                = [[Area code 218|218]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 27-06148<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0660819<ref name="GR3">{{GNIS|660819}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://www.cityofbiwabik.com/|cityofbiwabik.com}}
|footnotes                =
}}
[[File:Biwabik moose.jpg|thumb|alt=photo of town square on a sunny day with a life-sized moose and a gazebo|Biwabik town center with statue of Honk the Moose]]
'''Biwabik''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|aɪ|w|ə|b|ɪ|k}} {{respell|BY|wə|bik}})<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://highwayhighlights.com/2014/08/5-more-minnesota-towns-youre-pronouncing-wrong/|title=5 More Minnesota Towns You're Pronouncing Wrong}}</ref> is a city in [[St. Louis County, Minnesota|Saint Louis County]], [[Minnesota]], United States. The population was 961 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Biwabik_city,_Minnesota?g=160XX00US2706148 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 22, 2023}}</ref>
[[Minnesota State Highway 135|State Highway 135 (MN 135)]] and [[County roads in St. Louis County, Minnesota#4|Vermilion Trail (County 4)]] are two of the main routes in Biwabik.
Its name is derived from the [[Ojibwe language|Ojibwe]] word for 'iron', {{Lang|oj-latn|biiwaabik}}.  Biwabik is the gateway to the East Range on the [[Mesabi Iron Range]].
Biwabik is a [[Bavarians|Bavarian]]-themed town that greets visitors to Giants Ridge Resort with two golf courses and a ski area, as well as trails, lakes, lodging and dining. The Mesabi Trail connects the community to Giants Ridge and Vermilion Trail Campground on Embarrass Lake, making the city a year-round destination. Events include the Calithumpian Fourth of July parade; Honktoberfest in September, an Oktoberfest which honors Honk the Moose; and Weihnachtsfest held on the first Saturday in December, with fireworks, music and food, and lights.<ref>{{Cite web|last=irt_admin|date=November 21, 2019|title=East Range {{!}}|url=https://ironrange.org/east-range/,%20https://ironrange.org/east-range/|access-date=January 1, 2022|website=ironrange.org|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Recreation==
Biwabik is the home of [[Giants Ridge|Giants Ridge Golf and Ski Resort]].  ''Golf Digest'' ranked Giants Ridge as an "Editors Choice" in 2019 as one of "The Best Golf Resorts in the Midwest." ''Golf Digest'' has also ranked the Quarry the #1 public course in the state and #4 overall. The Legend has ranked as the #4 public course in the state and #14 overall.<ref>{{Cite web|last=sandrakingadmin|title=Giants Ridge Golf Course Reviews {{!}} Jeffrey D. Brauer/GolfScapes, Inc.|url=https://jeffreydbrauer.com/golf-course-renovations/giants-ridge-golf-course-reviews/|access-date=January 1, 2022|language=en-US}}</ref>
The Giants Ridge Bike Park features 10 lift-served gravity (downhill) mountain bike trails featuring berms, jumps, rollers and rock gardens. The downhill trail system is designed for riders of all ability levels and embraces the scenic but rugged terrain of Giants Ridge.  There are {{Convert|9.2|mi|abbr=on}} of purpose-built cross country mountain bike trail winding through the [[Superior National Forest]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Giants Ridge on Trailforks|url=https://www.trailforks.com/region/giants-ridge/|access-date=January 1, 2022|website=Trailforks|language=en}}</ref>
Biwabik also hosts road cycling, mountain biking, golf, skiing, tubing, snowshoeing, boating, fishing, hunting, ATVing and snowmobiling. The [[Mesabi Trail]] and the East Range Multi Use Trail are in Biwabik, with several connection opportunities.
==Events==
The Biwabik Area Civic Association hosts several events each year:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Biwabik Area Civic Association {{!}}|url=https://biwabik.org/|access-date=January 1, 2022|language=en-US}}</ref>
* Music in the park – Thursday nights in the summer
* City-wide rummage sale – spring and fall
* Honktoberfest – last weekend of September
* Weihnachtsfest – first weekend of December
Other events include:
*Pepsi Challenge ski race, which takes place at Giants Ridge in March.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pepsi Challenge Main Page|url=https://www.pepsichallengeskirace.com/pepsi.php|access-date=January 1, 2022|website=www.pepsichallengeskirace.com}}</ref>
*The [[Minnesota State High School League]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Minnesota State High School League {{!}} Education and Leadership for a Lifetime|url=https://www.mshsl.org/|access-date=January 1, 2022|website=Minnesota State High School League|language=en}}</ref> state alpine and nordic ski meets at Giants Ridge in February.
==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|10.15|sqmi|sqkm|2}}; {{convert|8.97|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|1.18|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=November 13, 2012 |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=January 25, 2012}}</ref>
Unique to Biwabik is the Mary Ellen Jasper. The [[jasper]] variety was first discovered in Minnesota in the early 1900s. Mary Ellen Jasper contains 1.88-billion-year-old [[stromatolite]] [[fossil]]s. It is fossilized algae, so the stromatolite is what makes the Mary Ellen unique.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 19, 2021|title=Gems of the Iron Range: Mary Ellen Jasper|url=https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/breaking-the-news/finding-gems-of-the-iron-range/89-2b67a62f-cedf-4bad-893b-c6986c181dbf|access-date=January 1, 2022|website=khou.com|language=en-US}}</ref>
==History==
[[Daniel R. Curtin]], Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman, at one time owned the town site of Biwabik, Minnesota. For 10 years, Curtin was in the lumber and mining business.
Biwabik is a town full of firsts. Biwabik was the first to incorporate as a village on the Iron Range in September 1892. It was also the first Iron Range town to be served by two railroads, the [[Duluth and Iron Range Railroad|Duluth and Iron Range]] and the [[Duluth, Missabe and Northern Railway]]. Biwabik had the first large mine on the Mesabi and it was the first on the Iron Range with a steam shovel to mine.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Project |first=The Federal Writers' |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5mvHrc_axisC |title=Wpa Guide to the Minnesota Arrowhead |date=October 14, 2008 |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society |isbn=978-0-87351-709-6 |language=en}}</ref>
An F3 [[tornado]] destroyed homes in the northern and northwestern parts of Biwabik on October 6, 1900, killing ten people in and near the city and injuring 70; six deaths were in one family.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grazulis |first1=Thomas P. |title=Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events |date=1993 |publisher=Environmental Films |location=St. Johnsbury, Vermont |isbn=1-879362-03-1 |page=692}}</ref>
In 1915, a moose visited the town regularly and in the book, ''Honk, the Moose'', the residents named him "Honk" after the noise he made. This children's book ''[[Honk, the Moose]]'', was written by famed author, [[Phil Stong]] and illustrated by [[Kurt Wiese|Kurt Weise]]. Stong was a teacher and coach at the Biwabik school in the 1919–1920 school year. He featured people from Biwabik as characters. The book is a [[Newbery Medal|Newbery Honor]] and on Cattermole's 100 Best Children's Books of the 20th Century. A statue of Honk resides in the city park on Main Street.
[[Peter X. Fugina]] (1908–1994), educator and Minnesota state legislator was born in Biwabik.<ref>'Former state representative Peter X. Fugina, 84, dies,' David Chasen, '''Minneapolis Star Tribune (Minnesota),''' March 31, 1994, pg. 6B</ref>
==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 1299
|1910= 1690
|1920= 2024
|1930= 1383
|1940= 1304
|1950= 1245
|1960= 1836
|1970= 1483
|1980= 1428
|1990= 1097
|2000= 954
|2010= 969
|2020= 961
|estyear=2022
|estimate=963
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |date=November 22, 2023|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=November 22, 2023}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|author=United States Census Bureau|author-link=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
}}
===2020 census===
At the 2020 [[census]], there were 961 people and 323 households in the city.
The racial makeup of the city was 887 [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 13 [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1 [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0 [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], and 55 from two or more races.  19.4% [[Germans|German]],  10.2% [[Irish people|Irish]], 9.4% Norwegian, 7% English, 6.5% Polish, 6.4% French, 5.5% Italian and .5% Scottish, according to the 2020 Census.
There were 323 households, of which 14.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 31% we male household, no spouse present. 21.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average family size was 2.5.
14.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 85.6% from 18 and over, with 21.4 who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.5 years.
The [[median household income]] was $41,719 and the median family income was $74,593. About 15.9% of people were below the [[poverty line]], including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
==See also==
* ''[[Honk, the Moose]]'', a children's novel based on a story taking place in Biwabik.  Written by [[Phil Stong]], illustrated by [[Kurt Wiese|Kurt Weise]].
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://www.cityofbiwabik.com/ City of Biwabik official website]
* [http://biwabik.org Biwabik Area Civic Association official website]
* [http://biwabikmn.com/ Biwabik history and information]
{{St. Louis County, Minnesota}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|47|31|59|N|92|20|25|W|type:city_region:US-MN|display=title}}
[[Category:Cities in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in St. Louis County, Minnesota]]
[[Category:Mining communities in Minnesota]]