Rockford, Minnesota
Rockford is a city of 4,597 people in Hennepin County, Minnesota, founded in 1856.
Why visit Rockford
Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 5 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Ames-Florida House, Ames–Florida-Stork House and Lake Rebecca Park Reserve.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 83°F; January lows average 4°F, and about 45 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Rockford
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Rockford
Rockford is a city in Wright and Hennepin Counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 4,500 at the 2020 census. Rockford is mainly in Wright County, with a small part of the city extending into Hennepin County. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan statistical area.
From the Wikipedia article Rockford, Minnesota (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks2
Ames-Florida House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
House
Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes5
Where to stay1
History
Evidence of indigenous settlement in what is today Rockford can be found in burial mounds ranging from 500 to 1500 years old, as well as a trail that runs under the Bridge Street Bridge on the Hennepin County side. The area was a natural borderland between the Ojibwe and Dakota, with both tribes using it for hunting and wintering. The space was primarily used by the Dakota, but there was also an Objibwe village near modern-day Dayton, on the Crow River.
As colonial settlement widened in Wisconsin, the Ho-Chunk were pushed west and forced to resettle near Rockford. Though the creation of a reservation at the site was proposed, concern was raised about the proximity of an indigenous reservation so close to Minneapolis, a rapidly developing economic center at the time.
After the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851, the land was opened to white settlers; after surveying was completed in 1854, plots became available for purchase to homesteaders.
In 1855, brothers-in-law George F. Ames and Joel Florida of Illinois came up the Crow River with carpenter Guildford D. George in hopes of starting a mill town. Eventually the town had multiple thriving mills: a lumber, a flour, and a saw mill. In 1859, the first US troops called to Minnesota were dispatched to Rockford in response to the so-called Wright County War, a period of rioting in the area.
From the History section of Rockford, Minnesota on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship2
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries9
Map of Rockford
28 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23°F | 4°F | 0.7 in | 7.9 in |
| Feb | 28°F | 7°F | 0.8 in | 9.9 in |
| Mar | 40°F | 20°F | 1.5 in | 6.8 in |
| Apr | 56°F | 33°F | 2.7 in | 4.4 in |
| May | 68°F | 46°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 78°F | 57°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 83°F | 62°F | 3.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 80°F | 59°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 72°F | 50°F | 3.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 58°F | 37°F | 2.5 in | 0.2 in |
| Nov | 41°F | 24°F | 1.6 in | 6.2 in |
| Dec | 28°F | 12°F | 1.0 in | 9.7 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Delano (3 mi away), rain and snow from Rockford, NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Hennepin County has had 10 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for floods.
- 2020-04-07: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2016-11-02: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2014-07-21: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides (Flood)
- 2013-07-25: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2011-06-07: Severe Storms And Tornadoes (Severe Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Maple Lake Municipal Airport (MGG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 16 miles away.
- Greenfield 3 mi east, about 4 min by car
- Delano 4 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Independence 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Hanover 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
- Maple Plain 7 mi southeast, about 11 min by car
- St. Michael 8 mi north, about 13 min by car
- Buffalo 8 mi northwest, about 14 min by car
- Corcoran 8 mi east, about 13 min by car
- Montrose 9 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Medina 9 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Rockford MN, McGhiever, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Rockford, Minnesota-01, Myotus, CC BY 4.0
- Rockford, Minnesota-08, Myotus, CC BY 4.0
- Crow River at Rockford, Minnesota, Jerry Huddleston, CC BY 2.0
- Ames-Florida-Stork House, McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ames-Florida House 4, Elkman, CC BY-SA 4.0
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