Alexandria Minnesota is the biggest small town
you've ever seen! Our hometown atmosphere, friendly people and sincere
hospitality are sure to make your stay with us more enjoyable and memorable!
Alexandria is located in West Central Minnesota, where the prairie meets the
forest and over 375 glacier formed, pristine lakes are nestled in the trees
& rolling hills just waiting for you!
Alexandria
marked a frontier of settlement in Minnesota when two brothers
first established themselves here in 1859. The older
brother, Alexander Kinkead, became the town's namesake by
becoming the first postmaster and operating out of his log
cabin. The settlers fled in 1862 after receiving word that
natives had declared war. Following that exodus,
Alexandria served as a government post until 1864 when it
was abandoned. A few years later, settlers returned, lured
by the free land offered by President Lincoln's Homestead Act.
Alexandria
is celebrated as "the birthplace of America" due to
the discovery of the Runestone in 1898. A swedish farmer
discovered a centuries-old stone tablet incised with Viking
runes indicating that an expedition of Northmen visited the area
long before Columbus. The Kensington Runestone has led
researchers from around the world and across the centuries on an
exhaustive quest to explain how a runic artifact, dated 1362,
could show up in North America
Today, Alexandria
is kept active as a result of the city serving as a regional
center for manufacturing, retail, service businesses, education,
medicine and the arts. Alexandria
is
located in the heart of West Central Minnesota along the
Interstate 94 transportation corridor. Alexandria
is close to Fargo-Moorhead and the Twin Cities, and has a
well-educated labor force encouraging businesses to arrive and
allowing established businesses to flourish.
CURRENT
STATS ON DOUGLAS COUNTY
Douglas County
Douglas County
contains 20 townships and 11 cities as well as a number of
smaller villages. Alexandria continues to be the county
seat. Population in the county was set at 32,821 in the
2000 census. This is a 14.5% increase from 1990, giving
the county an average of 51.8 persons per square mile.
There are 16,694 housing units within the county lines and a
77.2% homeownership rate was reported in 2000. Median
household income based on 1997 values is approximately $34,500
annually. Federal statistics from 1999 reflect a civilian
labor force of 16,410 with an estimated unemployment rate of
3.3%.
BIG
OLE
Douglas
County's oldest claim to fame is the legendary Kensington
Runestone. Scholars and scientists have spent numerous
hours studying the large flat rock's runic inscriptions.
Many are convinced the Runestone is a genuine record of a visit
by Viking explorers to the area in the 14th century, more than
100 years before Columbus set sail for America. Others
claim is it a fake. The Runestone was discovered in a
farmer's field in the late 1800's near the town of Kensington.
The 200-pound stone is on display at the Runestone Museum in
Alexandria. Directly outside the museum stands the statue
"Big Ole". The 28-foot tall, 4-ton statue was
originally designed to be displayed near a Kensington Runestone
exhibit at the World's Fair in New York in 1965. The theme
of the exhibit was "Minnesota, Birthplace of America".
After the fair ended, Big Ole was transported to Alexandria and
has stood at the north end of Broadway since December of 1965.
He holds his spear in his left hand and his shield in his right
and greets residents and visitors traveling north down the main
street of Alexandria.
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