Pine City

Understand

Pine City is your quintessential, American small-town but it surprisingly offers a lot for its size. The rural feel of the community has diminished some giving way to exurbia pushing outward from the Twin Cities. That said, Pine City has held true to its sense of place and community and doesn't at all feel swallowed up by its large metropolitan neighbors to the south. Pine City rests easily in the shadow of Minneapolis-St. Paul, close enough for a quick side trip, distant enough to enjoy a more tranquil existence.

Pine City is like an image that lingers in the American consciousness: An oak-lined courthouse square. Gazebos and band shells. One-chair barber shops. The town café, gossip for breakfast and meatloaf for lunch. It's small-town life as it was and as it remains.

The city's politics are split between liberal and conservative with a slight historical advantage to the liberals. Carhartt is a popular brand worn by local, middle-aged men and it's not uncommon to see fishing hooks attached to many of their hat bills. Another article of clothing commonly seen on men and women is green plaid flannels, a modern style nod to the lumberjack heritage of the town. The typical Pine Citian says "You bet" in place of "yes". Yet, this is a place that mixes the true 'Up North' with a surprising level of sophistication; after all, it's an arts community.

While it's the biggest city around it for miles — from North Branch to Cloquet, and from Mora to Rice Lake, Wisconsin (a very large geographic area) — it's not a pious place and the people aren't pretentious. They show a fine display of "Minnesota Nice" and are eager to assist the tourist. To get a deeper understanding of the city, one has to visit it.

Climate

The weather is definitely not one of the attractions in Pine City. There's a boat load of fun to be had in any season, but it is a place where the climate has to be taken into consideration.

Obscured by Minnesota’s ferocious winters (see Cold weather) are the heat waves of summer. Many days in July and August are hot and humid. Summer nights are more comfortable, though, and you'll get a few degrees' respite along one of the many lakefronts — in the local parlance, that's "cooler by the lake". But then there are those winters. The months from November to March will see very cold temperatures, with even more bitter wind-chill factors. Blizzards and ice storms are a regular occurrence. It's a city that's well-accustomed to these winters, though, so city services and public transportation are highly unlikely to shut down.

Pine City does have a few nice months of weather. May and September are pleasant and mild; April and June are mostly fine, although thunderstorms with heavy winds can also occur suddenly. Even though there may be a chill in the air in October, it rarely calls for more than a light coat.

Read

• Cordes, Jim (1989). Pine County-- and its memories. s.n. ASIN B00071SNAQ.
• Johnson, Nathan (2010). Images of America: Pine City. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0738577405.
• Johnson, Nathan (2014). Legendary Locals of Pine City. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467101196.

Visitor information center

• GayCities Travel Guide for Pine City. Unassuming Pine City sometimes flies under the gay radar but it is blossoming as an LGBTQ destination, an easy day-trip from nearby metro areas and only an hour from the gay mecca of Minneapolis. Nestled among pine forests, its vibe is “live and let live” as it boasts the highest proportion of same-sex couple households anywhere in Greater Minnesota. Some end up here to escape city life. Others, like openly-gay icon Bob Mould (yes, that Bob of ca. 1980s Hüsker Dü), retreat here to fine tune their artistry. It is, after all, an arts community and creative communities tend to be more open and accepting, thus attracting queer people. Much like Hüsker Dü, Pine City is genre-defying—punching above its weight for a rural, small town. This is, after all, also the hometown of the nation’s first-ever rural gay pride. The local queer scene continues to emerge from the woods with a gigantic banner hanging over Main Street each June wishing everyone “Happy Pride!”; town bars hosting drag shows; and ample gender-neutral bathrooms downtown to serve a trans and nonbinary world. Named by Movoto as one of the “7 Best Towns in Minnesota for LGBT Families”, Pine City is worth a look, whether by yourself, with your family of origin, or with your chosen family.

Get in

By bus

Pine City is served by Jefferson Lines with a stop at Speedway near Exit 171. Also, other cities served by Arrowhead Transit can take that bus service into the community. Route 285 out of the Twin Cities only goes as far north as Forest Lake and a transfer to the Heartland Express and then Arrowhead Transit is a logistical tribulation. Best bet is Jefferson Lines, but it's kind of spendy.

By car

Interstate 35 links Pine City with Duluth to the north and the Twin Cities to the south. Pine City is about an hour drive north of downtown Minneapolis and of downtown St. Paul. A driver approaching Pine City on I-35 from the Twin Cities will be rewarded by a spectacular view of native pines and thick groves of trees. After a period of relatively flat and urbane scenery, the view is a treat, especially during peak fall colors. Exit 169 is the recommended exit for most downtown attractions. Coming from Duluth, Pine City looks like the first major city with the newly expanding freeway interchange at Exit 171, with the Pine County courthouse visible to passersby. Either way you come, take the I-35 Business Loop through Pine City.

Or, you can get to Pine City on the St. Croix Scenic Byway, which is also Old US Highway 61.

There are EV-charging stations at Family Pathways, 800 Main Street S., two fast-charging ports and a Level 2 charger, as well as at Robinson Park in the town square.

By plane

• Rush City Regional Airport (KROS), 7.5 miles south of Pine City.
• Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP). Most travelers will arrive this way via Terminal 1-Lindbergh. Terminal 2-Humphrey has been rebuilt and serves primarily charter and low-cost carriers. The Lindbergh terminal (Charles Lindbergh was a Minnesotan, and one of his transatlantic planes is suspended above the ticketing area) receives the bulk of renovation fees, however, and it is an attractive, modern, convenient, and well-designed terminal. The Humphrey terminal is also quite attractive; the terminals share the same runways, have long- and short-term parking set between them, and are equally convenient for transportation. Savvy travelers might check the terminal of their arrival or departure to communicate their location to friends, relatives, or other transport.

By thumb

It's not uncommon to see hitchhiking along the Interstate 35 corridor.

Get around

By bus

By taxi

By car

Driving is probably the best option for getting around Pine City. The city generally does not have any traffic problems, although it can get congested before and after school hours. Pine County Highway 61 runs north-south and the Snake River runs east-west dividing the city into quadrants as such. The majority of the city is laid out in a grid based on the Snake River shoreline, dividing the city into north and south. Main Street/County 61 is considered to be the dividing line between east and west.

Stay safe

Pine City is perhaps one of the safest and most benign communities that you will ever visit -with non-existent levels of violent crime and a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is exciting and refreshing. The most significant threat to public safety comes from the high level of deer that are native to the surrounding forests. It is not uncommon to have a nighttime drive interrupted by a shocking jolt of adrenaline due to these impish mammals suddenly appearing on the side of darkened road. Constant vigilance is strongly suggested during the night in order to avoid a costly accident.

Emergency

Hospitals and clinics

Stay healthy

Go next

Nearby

Rush City

• Rush City Aquatic Center - A pool for all ages.
• Historic Grant House- Said to be haunted, and previously investigated.
• Chucker's Bowl & Lounge - Get your bowl on. Strike!

Hinckley

• Grand Casino Hinckley Open 24 hours a day. Come join droves of other vagabonds and lose your mortgage payment while drinking all the free pop or coffee your bladder can handle. Enjoy Grand Casinos' best-kept secret: Play high stakes and get fed too.
• Grand Cinema To watch the cinema on the cheap, it’s recommended going “dutch", as paying for two could drain your checking account. Now hiring exchange students, emo lifestyle required.
• Bike the Willard Munger Trail (over 100 km, 70 miles between Hinckley and Duluth)

North Branch

• Shop the Shops at Gateway North.

Grantsburg, Wisconsin

Twin Cities metro

It's an easy one-hour drive, give or take, on I-35 to most destinations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including:

• Mall of America is in Bloomington. Remember, Minnesota has no sales tax on clothing.
• Valleyfair is a 125-acre amusement park that's in the southwest suburb of Shakopee.
• Minnesota Zoo is in the southern suburb of Apple Valley.

Up north

• Drive up the North Shore of Lake Superior along 'Scenic 61'
• Set off for a camping/canoe trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area