Mountain Iron, Minnesota

Mountain Iron is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States; in the heart of the Mesabi Range. The population was 2,869 at the 2010 census.

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

The city's motto is the "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 of 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total 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

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,869 people, 1,336 households, and 796 families residing 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.