City of Nowthen

Welcome to the City of Nowthen

Nowthen, the newest city in the state of Minnesota, began in 1876 when local resident Jim Hare wrote to Washington requesting a post office in Burns Township. Because there was already a Burnstown post office in Minnesota, the department asked for other suggestions for a new name. Hare, who prefaced everything he said with the word "nowthen", included the word "Nowthen" at the end of the suggested list of names.  The post office department approved that name for the post office.  Although the post office closed in 1894, the name stayed.

On December 23, 2007, the Burns Town board voted to become a city and filed a petition requesting the incorporation of Burns Township.  On July 8, 2008 we officially became the City of Nowthen.

With a population of approximately 4,367 residents, Nowthen has a land size of 36 square miles and is located in the northwest corner of Anoka County, bordered by the communities of Elk River, Ramsey, Oak Grove and St. Francis. Nowthen students are served by three school districts-Anoka-Hennepin, Elk River, and St. Francis.  The city has twenty-two residential and two commercial developments.  As  a fledgling city Nowthen has both new and long-term businesses.  Greenberg Implement has been in existence since 1938, and the city has also attracted new businesses to the area, among them a bank, two restaurants, two nurseries, an off-sale liquor store, an auto repair shop, body shop, swimming pool maintenance, asphalt, a welding and crane business, and cabinet shop, and others.  Two churches, Nowthen Alliance, and St. John Church and school serve the Nowthen community.

In June of 2008 the first city council was elected. Bill Schulz was elected mayor, along with four city council members: Orval Leistico, Jeff Pilon, Harlan Meyer and Laurie Olmon.  Following state statutes,  the mayor and two city council persons were reelected in November.  Nowthen has three advisory committees that make recommendations to the council and aid in the decision-making process.  The committees are Planning and Zoning, Park and Recreation, and Road and Bridge.  Each meets monthly and consists of volunteers from the community.  Community input is welcomed in all areas.  People who are interested in volunteering for these committees should call city hall at 763.441.1347 for more information.

Nowthen has been a farming community for many years and the only two remaining dairy farms in Anoka County are located within our city limits. We are a community with many people that have and love horses, and our larger lot sizes can accommodate families with a regulated number of all kinds of farm animals. We still retain our ruralatmosphere.

Nowthen publishes a quarterly newsletter and in September Nowthen celebrates our Heritage Day Festival, with a carnival and many activities.  The activities are at city hall and Nowthen Park, 8588 199th Avenue North West, Nowthen Minnesota 55330.  For more information go to the city web site at www.nowthenmn.govoffice2.com

Nowthen began as a farming community, and our citizens appreciate our rural atmosphere.  We have a unique place in the seven county metropolitan area, and we want to continue as a rural community as we grow.