01/08/2007 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Anoka County Multi- Jurisdictional All Hazards Mitigation Plan education, nurseries, educational and recreational activities; and the commercial facilities and services would be owned cooperatively, as would the municipal utilities. The people who settled into Circle Pines in the late 1940's honed a "cooperative lifestyle." A group of people joined together to form a company to provide for their own needs rather than buying what is needed from private enterprise. The idea was that if you bought a house in Circle Pines, you would have a stake in the businesses that serve the community. The symbol for cooperatives was a pine tree with a circle around it. Thus, the name Circle Pines was born. After only three years, the cooperative lifestyle was abandoned, in part because of problems in securing financing and rifts among leaders. On April 8, 1950, the area, former territory in Blaine and Centerville townships, was incorporated as a village. In 1974, Circle Pines received city status. City of Columbia Heights The City of Columbia Heights is located at the Southern tip of Anoka County on the northern border of the City of Minneapolis (Hennepin County). Ramsey County borders on the East, with the City of Fridley (Anoka County) on the West border. The city is 3.4 square miles in size with a Latitude of 45.04 N and Longitude of —93.26 W and an elevation of 922 feet. Columbia Heights is a hilly community as the Mississippi River is only 1/4 mile west of town limits. The Village of Columbia Heights was formed on March 14, 1898 when it separated from Fridley Township. With 1696 acres, 100 citizens and 20 houses, paths became roads, traffic patterns emerged and a city began. On July 21, 1921 the Charter of the City of Columbia Heights was adopted and the city was formed. City parks of Prestemon, Gauvitte and McKenna were all named for members of this first city council. Ava Ostrander, first woman elected to the council in 1924 also has a park named for her. Columbia Heights is an older community with structures dating back to the early 1900's. Approximately 2/3 of the community was built right after WWII between the early 1950's thru the mid 1960's. 86% of our community is residential with the other 14% as commercial or industrial etc. Many buildings in the "downtown" area are 50 to 80 years old. The City of Hilltop located in the center of our community is entirely surrounded by Columbia Heights. Population from the 2000 census was 18,520, which is down approximately 5,000 from its high in the 1970's. The city is a fully developed, urban community that is beginning to see areas of redevelopment. By the time parks were considered, most of the high ground was taken, leaving low -lying areas for parks. These areas were filled in and parks developed. Huset Park was the first Columbia Heights Park and was originally called City Park. It was renamed for a Lutheran minister, Elmer Huset of First Lutheran Church and City Manager for a time. The Jefferson pavilion building was constructed in 1959 on the eastern portion of Huset Park. Columbia School was built in 1894 at 41st and Central. In 1911, the south portion of the school was built. This building was razed in 1967. Oakwood School was built in 1915 and closed as a • public school in 1974. It is now the home of Oak Hill Baptist Church. Silver Lake School built in 1922, closed in 1981 and became the new home of First Lutheran Church. In December of