Mora, Minnesota

Mora
City
Union Street in downtown Mora in May 2007
Motto:  "A City For All Seasons"
Location of Mora within Kanabec County and state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 45°52′26″N 93°17′32″W / 45.87389°N 93.29222°W / 45.87389; -93.29222
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Kanabec
Named for	Mora, Sweden
Government
• Type	Mayor-council Government
• Mayor	Jake Mathison
• Mayor-Protem	Jody Anderson
Area [1]
• Total	5.42 sq mi (14.04 km2)
• Land	5.16 sq mi (13.38 km2)
• Water	0.26 sq mi (0.66 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,011 ft (308 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,665
• Density	709.72/sq mi (274.01/km2)
• Demonym	Moran
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	55051
Area code	320
FIPS code	27-44044[3]
GNIS feature ID	2395396[2]
Website	ci.mora.mn.us

Mora is a city and the county seat of Kanabec County, Minnesota^[4] It is located at the junction of Minnesota highways 23 and 65 and is along the Snake River. The population was 3,665 at the 2020 Census.^[5]

Mora was platted in 1882^[6] by Myron Kent.^[7] The city was named after Mora, Sweden. when Israel Israelson suggested the name of his hometown in Dalarna County, Sweden.^[7][6] The post office opened February, 27th, 1883 with Kent being the first postmaster of Mora.^[7][8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.27 square miles (13.65 km²), of which 5.00 square miles (12.95 km²) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.70 km²) is water.^[9]

Mora is located 72 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul at the intersection of Minnesota highways 23 and 65. It is also 52 miles northeast of St. Cloud and 91 miles southwest of Duluth.

Mora is along the Snake River.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	785		—
1910	892		13.6%
1920	1,006		12.8%
1930	1,014		0.8%
1940	1,494		47.3%
1950	2,018		35.1%
1960	2,329		15.4%
1970	2,582		10.9%
1980	2,890		11.9%
1990	2,905		0.5%
2000	3,139		8.1%
2010	3,571		13.8%
2020	3,665		2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2020, there were 3,665 people, and 1,481 households.^[10]

As of the census^[11] of 2010, there were 3,571 people, 1,513 households, and 857 families living in the city. The population density was 714.2 inhabitants per square mile (275.8/km²). There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of 336.8 per square mile (130.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.3% Native American 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 1,513 households, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.6% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.87.

The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 23.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23% were from 25 to 44; 23.3% were from 45 to 64; and 21.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 3,139 people, 1,381 households, and 814 families living in the city. The population density in the year 2000 was 781.2 per square mile (301.4/km²). There were 1,471 housing units at an average density of 359.9 per square mile (139.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.71% White, 0.28% African American, 1.28% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. 1.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,381 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.0% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,566, and the median income for a family was $40,577. Males had a median income of $32,222 versus $21,797 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,949. 9.0% of the population and 6.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 7.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

On October 27, 1882 the first train to arrive in Mora was a construction train pulled by a wood burner locomotive, eventually the town would be linked to the Hinckley branch of the Minneapolis- St. Cloud line.^[12]

Mora is served by the Mora Municipal Airport,^[13] and Timber Trails Transit, a bus service in Kanabec and Mille Lacs counties.

The following routes are located within the city of Mora.

• Minnesota State Highway 23
• Minnesota State Highway 65

The following county roads also serve as important routes in the city of Mora.

• Kanabec County Road 1
• Kanabec County Road 6
• Kanabec County Road 27

Mora is the home of a gigantic Dala horse, and a Mora clock commemorating the town's Swedish roots. Mora's sister city and namesake is Mora, Sweden, known for being the ending point of the Swedish Vasaloppet. They became sister cities in 1972 when the Dala horse was dedicated.^[14]

The city of Mora also plays host each February to the Vasaloppet USA, the largest cross-country skiing event in Minnesota, as well as the Snake River Canoe Race, the Mora Half-Marathon, and the Mora Bicycle Tour.

According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR),^[15] the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Welia Health	589
2	Mora Public Schools	354
3	Commercial Plastics	254
4	Kanabec County	217
5	St. Clare Living Community	125
6	Coborns, Inc.	121
7	Lakes & Pines Community Action Council	109
8	Recovering Hope Treatment Center	82
9	OlymPak	76
10	RJ Mechanical	76

• Roger Crawford, state representative
• Bill Diessner, state senator and physician
• Alice Frost, actress
• Gladys Nordenstrom, contemporary classical composer
• Henry Rines, Minnesota state treasurer and speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
• Judy Soderstrom, state representative and businesswoman
• Dan Stevens, state senator^[18]

• Media related to Mora, Minnesota at Wikimedia Commons
• City of Mora – Official Website
• dala.mn – Mora's community portal
• (in Swedish) Mora, Sweden, about Mora Minnesota