The Dakota Indians were the first in the area. With the Ojibwe expansion, the area became a mixture of the two. By the early 19th century, the area became predominantly Ojibwe. They trapped and hunted on the land and traded furs at the nearby trading posts. With the 1837 Treaty of St. Peters, dubbed the "White Pine Treaty", lumbering began in the area, but was limited by access to available waterways.
In the late 19th century, European settlers came to the Pine City area, which was still heavily forested with thick stands of white pine, some of the state's largest. When the railroad arrived in Pine City, a logging expansion began. Pine City prospered and grew to have everything it needed to serve residents, farmers, and the expanding lumber industry. It was platted in 1869[9] and incorporated in 1881.
When Buchanan County merged with Pine County in 1861, the county seat was consolidated to Pine City because it was already well-established. Because of its location on the far southern edge of Pine County, there have been attempts over the years to move the county seat to more central Hinckley or Sandstone.
In 2005, Pine City became the first city in rural America with an annual gay pride event, East-Central Minnesota Pride. A book capturing Pine City's history in vintage photos, part of the Images of America series, was published in 2010.
1939 – Pine City built a yellow brick city hall, later relinquished to the county due to concerns over county seat status, now partly used by the city hall.
1952 – Lightning struck and destroyed the towered Romanesque Revival courthouse of 1886, prompting a new courthouse's construction, integrating the old city hall's architecture.
1954 – Pine County raised funds via bond issuance for a new courthouse, incorporating elements of the former city hall, marked with "Court House" over the north entrance.
1967 – Interstate 35's completion through Pine City enhanced regional connectivity.
2007 – A new courthouse was built on Pine City's northern edge following a failed attempt to split the county.
2009 – Pine City's Horizon Bank failed amid the 2007–2008 financial crisis, with its assets acquired by Stearns Bank.[15]
2010 – Lakeside Medical Center, Pine City's hospital, closed amidst a wave of rural hospital closures across the U.S.[16]
2012 – The Pine City post office was renamed the "Master Sergeant Daniel L. Fedder Post Office" under H.R.3220.[17][18]
2017 – Pine City's boys' basketball team gained national attention in The Wall Street Journal for their innovative three-point shooting strategy.[19]
2019 - Governor Tim Walz hosted the annual deer hunting opener in Pine City, emphasizing the area's role in Minnesota's traditional hunting events.[20]
2024 – Kent Bombard was appointed Pine City's first openly gay mayor, marking a significant moment in the city's political history and becoming the third openly gay mayor in Minnesota's municipal history.[21]
Geography
Winter scene with native pines in the background
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 4.24 square miles (10.98 km2), of which 3.77 square miles (9.76 km2) is land and 0.47 square miles (1.22 km2) is water.[22]
Climate
Below is a table of average high and low temperatures throughout the year in Pine City. Of note, Pine City's early years included historic temperature extremes as it was the site of three record-setting cold temperatures:[23]
March 2, 1897 (-50 °F, March lowest temperature)
November 25, 1945 (-47 °F, November lowest temperature)
December 31, 1898 (-57 °F, December lowest temperature)
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,043 residents, 1,222 households, and 734 families in the city. The population density was 1,076.3 inhabitants per square mile (415.6/km2). There were 1,275 housing units at an average density of 451.0 per square mile (174.1/km2).
The city has continued to grow since it was incorporated. In fact, it is one of only three small towns in Minnesota, along with Mora and Litchfield, to have never lost population.[25] Much of the growth of the area occurs around the lakes in the neighboring townships, in Pokegama, Chengwatana or Pine City Township, and as of the latest census, the Pine City Zip Code (55063) had 9,348 residents.
Other demographics
There were 1,222 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,000 and the median income for a family was $37,000. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,000. About 10.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
Ancestry of Pine City residents is primarily German (36%), Norwegian (17%), Swedish (15%), and Czech (8%).
The 2010 Census showed the Pine City area having some of the most same-sex coupled households of any rural area of the state.[26][27]
Religion
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
While the largest religion in Pine City is none at all, with over half of the community unchurched,[28] it is home to various churches of varying denominations, including:
Left, Pine City Farmers' Market ; Right, W.A Sauser Hardware
MINPACK, Inc. is one of Pine City's largest employers, with 130 employees, and Atscott Manufacturing, with 100; both are headquartered in Pine City.[29] Other large employers in the community include Walmart, Product Fabricators, Inc., Broekema Beltway, ISD 578, Therapeutic Services Agency, Pine County, Community Living Options and Lake Superior Laundry.
Downtown
The Pine City Scrapbooking Company in downtown Pine City was featured in 2017 on CBS News Sunday Morning.[30]
Arts and culture
Left, Historic photo of Pine County Fair; Right, East Central Minnesota Pride
In 2009, Pine Center for the Arts[31] opened. It is a regional arts center offering a variety of educational and performance-based programs relating to theater, music, visual art, literature, and dance. Classes and special events take place throughout the year. Community theater is active in Pine City: the Heritage Players[32] perform semi-annually. The Pine City Arts Council sponsors a variety of annual events, most notably a free Friday night summer concert series held in Robinson Park and an art festival.[33]
Promoted as "Minnesota’s Small-Town LGBTQ+ Pride", East Central Minnesota Pride's "Pride in the Park" celebration is held in Robinson Park.[34] Starting in 2005, it was Minnesota's first small-town Pride celebration.[35][36]
Major annual events
The following community and regional events are held in and around Pine City.
The city has 12 city parks, including one undeveloped park (Fawn Meadows Park); two passive parks, manicured but lacking recreational equipment (Meadow Ridge Park, Thomas Park); and eight active parks, with playgrounds and/or sports facilities, including:
a community garden and a public fishing pier (Challeen Park)
four ballfields (City Ballfields)
three ice rinks (Hilltop Park)
a public boat landing (Riverside Park)
a performing stage (Robinson Park)
a disc golf course (Voyageur Park)
a skate park and a public beach (West Side Park)
a Gulf War veteran memorial (Woodpecker Ridge Park)
Pine City Country Club, a nine-hole public course that opened in 1971
The Pine City Pirates compete in town team baseball in the Eastern Minny (now North) League, part of the Minnesota Baseball Association. Amateur baseball has been part of Pine City culture for years. The Pirates have had several state appearances, including 1950, 1952 B 2nd, 1953 B 3rd, 1961, and 1962. The team was defunct for a period before being revived in 2017.
A new courthouse and county offices were relocated from downtown to the north end of town in 2007. The former courthouse was renamed Pine Government Center in 2010 and now houses city government and other community organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce.
2023 Mayor and City Council
Mayor
Kent Bombard
Term: 2024
At-large
David Hill
Term: 2026
At-large
Gina Pettie
Term: 2026
At-large
Mary Kay Sloan
Term: 2024
At-large
Kyle Palmer
Term: 2024
City government
Pine City has a mayor-council government. Mayoral elections occur every two years. City council seats are contested every four years. Not all of the council members are elected in the same year, as the elections are staggered throughout odd-numbered years. The council consists of five members elected to represent the city as a whole (that is, at-large). Pine City's longest-serving mayor, and first woman mayor, was Jane Robbins.[38]
Education
800-seat auditorium at Pine City High School
Pine City Public Schools (Independent School District #578) serve more than 1,600 students through one PK–6 elementary school (Pine City Elementary), a 7–12 Junior/Senior High School, and the Pine City Area Learning Center. Pine City is also home to St. Mary's School (Catholic), which serves preschool and K–6 students.
The Pine City Public Library is part of the East Central Regional Library. The ECRL holds nearly 400,000 volumes and serves over 65,000 cardholders in the region. Pine City is also home to the George E. Sausen Memorial Law Library, inside the Pine County Courthouse.
The major weekly newspaper in the area is the Pine City Pioneer, with a circulation of over 3,000. The Pioneer is owned by Kanabec Publishing and edited by Traci LeBrun. Papers from the Twin Cities are also commonly read.
WCMP (AM) and WCMP-FM are the two local Pine City stations. The rest are "fringe" stations from surrounding areas. Pine City also receives radio stations from the Twin Cities, St. Cloud, and western Wisconsin areas.
The Rush Line Corridor task force is studying the feasibility of rail service to serve area commuters. The Northern Lights Express passenger line has been funded and, once built, will serve area residents as well as those traveling between the Twin Cities and Twin Ports. For travel within the city, there is local taxi service.
Bus
Pine City is served by the Arrowhead Transit intra-county system. An intercity bus service, Jefferson Lines, runs from Pine City to St. Paul or Duluth twice daily.
Major highways
Main Street, formerly U.S. Route 61, now part of the I-35 Business Loop
Pine City is along Interstate 35 between the Twin Cities and Duluth. The St. Croix Scenic Byway also passes through Pine City. The major highways include:
There is a planned, non-motorized trail connecting the Twin Cities-to-Twin Ports areas called the James L. Oberstar State Trail,[41] awarded federal and state funding to connect the Sunrise Prairie Trail, near North Branch with the Willard Munger State Trail, near Hinckley.
Health and utilities
Downtown Pine City street scene with a 500,000-gallon water tower in the background, one of two in the city
Welia Health System has a clinic in Pine City. Welia provides a variety of health care services, including family medicine, obstetrics, orthopedics, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, pediatric therapies, cardiac rehabilitation, and Urgency Services. Its facility encompasses 13,500 square feet (1,250 m2), and a freestanding emergency facility opened in 2015.[42] Pine City also has three chiropractic clinics and More Than Sprouts, a local market featuring organic and health foods.
Utilities
Utility providers are regulated monopolies. East Central Energy provides electrical utilities to the community and is a co-op member of Great River Energy. Minnesota Energy supplies gas and US Cable provides cable television. The city treats and distributes water and several local businesses provide garbage removal and recycling services.
Law enforcement
The city's law enforcement agency is the Pine County Sheriff's Office, through contract,[43] with 39 full-time staff including 23 sworn officers. The sheriff's office has three K-9s.[44] Besides performing routine patrol duties, the sheriff's office performs water, ATV, and snowmobile patrol, and search and rescue functions.
Notable people
The following list includes those who were either born in, or who have resided (or presently reside) in Pine City:
Jon Rydberg – four time United States Paralympic athlete, formerly ranked #1 among US players. NCAA wheelchair basketball national champion with the University of Texas-Arlington Movin' Mavs.
Craig Wright, writer of HBO's Six Feet Under, set a series of plays in fictitious "Pine City, Minnesota." These have been performed across the United States: The Pavilion, Orange Flower Water, Molly's Delicious, Melissa Arctic and Grace, which takes place in Florida, but is about people who come from Pine City.[52][53][54]
Dean L. Hovey wrote a series of seven fictional mysteries set in the Pine City area: Where Evil Hides, Hooker, Unforgettable, Undeveloped, The Deacon's Demise, and Family Trees. Family Trees: A Pine County Mystery won the 2018 Northeastern Minnesota Book Award (NEMBA) for fiction for its depiction of the region's values, settings, and social issues.[55][56]
In Drop Dead Gorgeous, starring Kirsten Dunst, there was a fictitious "Miss Pine City" character, portrayed by an actual Pine Citian, Amy Olson.[57]
