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The Bemidji Region
Springtime in Downtown Bemidji
Bemidji is the focal point of a growing and economically-diversifed broad region in north central Minnesota with an area population of over 40,000. It is the urban heart for educational services, advanced health care, retail shopping, transportation, finance and governmental services. The quality of life it presents its citizens is unmatched in Greater Minnesota. Being located in the heart of the lakes and pines country of northern Minnesota it offers unique lifestyle opportunites for area citizens. They can enjoy living close to the great outdoors and at the same time have all the advantages of living in a micropolitan community with a multitude of services including advanced fiber-optics telecommunications, state-of-the-art healthcare and unlimited educational opportunities. Even with all the recent developments, Bemidji still has a strong and viable downtown business environment that gives it a genuine hometown feel.
Bemidji was incorporated in 1896 and serves as the county seat of Beltrami County. Although indigenous peoples have occupied the site of Bemidji along the western shores of Mississippi River for over seven thousand years, it began as an organized community when the Carson brothers started a small trading post on the southern shores of Lake Bemidji. That post was located next to the camp of Shaw-now-ish-kung (Chief Bemidji), a Chippewa Indian, who had re-located his home to the south shore of Lake Bemidji a few years earlier. The Carson brothers began supplying goods to the logging camps locating in the surrounding area that were harvesting the large uncut stands of red and white pine.
Today, the greater Bemidji area serves as a growing regional center for all of Northern Minnesota. The City supports a population of just over 12,000. The greater Bemidji area, which includes much of southern Beltrami County and northern Hubbard County, has a combined population of 40,000. It serves a retail market population in northern Minnesota of 90,000. Some of the larger retailers found in the Bemidji include Target, Wal*Mart, Gander Mountain, Home Depot, Big K-Mart, JC Penney's and Herbergers. Menard's began construction of their Bemidji retail store on the first of June, 2010.
The City of Bemidji website
 
Historic County Courthouse New County Judicial Center
Beltrami County is situated in the heart of the lakes and pines in northern Minnesota. It was incorporated in 1897 and is one of the largest counties in Minnesota containing some 2,501 square miles. The 2000 US Census reported that 39,650 people lived in Beltrami County. From 1990 to the year 2000, the county saw its population increase by 16%. The most recent population estimates from the State Demographer's Office for the county (2007) shows a population of 43,320.
The Beltrami County website |
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