Mountain Iron, Minnesota

Not to be confused with Iron Mountain, Michigan.

Mountain Iron
City
This city is founded on the taconite iron ore deposits discovered by Leonidas Merritt in the 1880s.
Motto:  Taconite Capital of the World
Location of the city of Mountain Iron within Saint Louis County, Minnesota
Coordinates: 47°31′57″N 92°37′25″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Saint Louis
Founded	1892
Incorporated (village)	November 28, 1892
Incorporated (city)	June 20, 1913
Government
• Mayor	Peggy Anderson
Area
• Total	70.89 sq mi (183.61 km2)
• Land	68.11 sq mi (176.40 km2)
• Water	2.78 sq mi (7.21 km2)
Elevation	1,480 ft (451 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,878
• Estimate  (2022)	2,860
• Density	42.3/sq mi (16.32/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	55768 and 55792
Area code	218
FIPS code	27-44548
GNIS feature ID	0661972
Sales tax	7.375%
Website	mtniron.com

Mountain Iron is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States, in the heart of the Mesabi Range. The population was 2,878 at the 2020 census.

U.S. Highway 169 serves as a main route in Mountain Iron.

The city's motto is "Taconite Capital of the World". The local mine, Minntac, is owned by the United States Steel Corporation (U.S. Steel).

Mountain Iron is part of the Quad Cities, with Virginia, Eveleth, and Gilbert.

History

Mountain Iron was founded in 1892 as a mining village in the former Nichols Township. It was named after the nearby Mountain Iron Mine.

Mountain Iron was incorporated as a city in 1972.

Mountain Iron power plant building and village hall building (2020)

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 71.31 square miles (184.69 km²); 68.52 square miles (177.47 km²) is land and 2.79 square miles (7.23 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	470		—
1910	1,343		185.7%
1920	1,546		15.1%
1930	1,349		−12.7%
1940	1,492		10.6%
1950	1,377		−7.7%
1960	1,808		31.3%
1970	1,698		−6.1%
1980	4,134		143.5%
1990	3,362		−18.7%
2000	2,999		−10.8%
2010	2,869		−4.3%
2020	2,878		0.3%
2022 (est.)	2,860		−0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Mountain Iron had a population of 2,878. The median age was 47.6 years. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.0 males age 18 and over.

65.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 34.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,322 households in Mountain Iron, of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.4% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 1,425 housing units, of which 7.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.4%.

Racial composition as of the 2020 census

Race	Number	Percent
White	2,674	92.9%
Black or African American	17	0.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native	37	1.3%
Asian	14	0.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0	0.0%
Some other race	4	0.1%
Two or more races	132	4.6%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race)	14	0.5%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,869 people, 1,336 households, and 796 families living in the city. The population density was 41.9 inhabitants per square mile (16.2/km²). There were 1,442 housing units at an average density of 21.0 per square mile (8.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.3% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 1,336 households, of which 24.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.4% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.72.

The median age in the city was 45.4 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.8% were from 25 to 44; 33% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,999 people, 1,326 households, and 847 families living in the city. The population density was 60.7 inhabitants per square mile (23.4/km²). There were 1,409 housing units at an average density of 28.5 per square mile (11.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.30% White, 0.77% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.13% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.40% of the population. 27.3% were of Finnish, 11.2% German, 9.8% Italian, 8.8% Norwegian, 6.1% Swedish and 5.1% Slovene ancestry.

There were 1,326 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,163, and the median income for a family was $52,695. Males had a median income of $41,806 versus $22,837 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,761. About 7.8% of families and 10.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Further reading

• Beck, J. Robert. Well, Here We Are! The Hansons and the Becks. Lincoln, Nebraska: iUniverse, 2005. ISBN 0-595-35772-5. A history of a Swedish-Finnish immigrant family in Mountain Iron and the surrounding area.

External links

• City of Mountain Iron—Taconite Capital of the World—The city's official site