Coon Rapids is a northern suburb of Minneapolis, and is the second-largest city by population in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States.

In 1835, the Red River Ox Cart Trail was laid to establish military and trade connections between Minneapolis and Anoka.

The first industries of Coon Rapids sprung up around the road, including the prominent Anoka Pressed Brick and Terra Cotta Company, founded by Dr. D.C. Dunham in 1881.

Today, the vital Red River Ox Cart Trail is known as Coon Rapids Boulevard and remains an important commercial corridor for the city.

[8] In 1912, construction began on the Coon Rapids Dam and the influx of laborers and engineers increased the city's population to over 1,000 for the first time.

Completed in 1914, the dam functioned as a regional power source for the Northern States Power Company until it was sold to the Hennepin County Park Board in 1969 and incorporated into the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park.

While commercial traffic on the Mississippi River once passed through Coon Rapids - steamboats could reach as far north as St.

Cloud under certain conditions [10] the completion of the Coon Rapids Dam in 1914 established the city as the northernmost navigable point of the Mississippi river.

[12] The Burlington Northern/Santa Fe mainline railroad from Seattle to Chicago travels directly through Coon Rapids, and the commuter rail runs on these tracks.

Coon Rapids is home to the headquarters of medical device manufacturer RMS Company, healthcare and housing provider, Mary T, Inc., furniture retailer HOM Furniture, and printers/publishers John Roberts Company and ECM Publishers.

Coon Rapids is in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Kelly Morrison.

The Catholic Church of the Epiphany also has a private school that teaches K-8th grade[17] within the city.