Anoka County is named for the Dakota word “anoka” which means “on both sides” as the City of Anoka was laid out on both sides of the Rum River.
Surrounding County Courthouses:
N – Isanti County
E – Chisago County and Washington County
S – Ramsey County and Hennepin County
W – Hennepin County and Sherburne County
Created: May 23, 1857 
County Seat:
Anoka 1857 – present
County Courthouse – Anoka
Location: 325 East Main Street / North 3rd Avenue
Built: 1960 – 1961
Style: Modern
Architect: Patch, Erickson, Madson of Minneapolis
Contractor: Bor-Son Construction Company of Minneapolis
Description: The building faces south and is a three story rectangular red colored brick, cream colored native limestone and concrete structure. The building is located in the center of Anoka. The building is faced with brick on the first story and aluminum-ribbed enamel panels and glass on the second and third stories. The roof line is flat. The building houses the County District Court of the 10th Judicial District. In 1972, the third story was added. The building is connected to the east and west wings which were constructed later. In 1966 the east wing was constructed. From 1976 to 1980, a four story red colored brick west wing was constructed. The architect was Patch, Erickson, Madson of Minneapolis and the contractor was Adolphson & Peterson Construction. The building was renovated in 2015 to 2017. The architect was Wold Architects and Engineers of Saint Paul and the contractor was ICS Consulting Services of Minneapolis.
See: The 10th Judicial District includes Chisago County, Isanti County, Kanabec County, Pine County, Sherburne County, Washington County and Wright County.
History: The county was created in 1857 and Fridley was selected as the county seat which was incorporated into Anoka County in 1869. The first courthouse was built in 1858 in Fridley. In 1869, the county seat was moved to Anoka. The second courthouse was designed by B A Bergsma and built in Anoka in 1878. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1960 to 1961 at a cost of $1,500,000. The building was renovated in 2015 to 2017 at a cost of $8,500,000.
County Government Center - Anoka
Location: 2100 North 3rd Avenue / Jackson Street
Built: 1990 – 1992
Style: Modern
Architect: Buetow Associates
Contractor: M A Mortenson Company
Description: The building faces west and is a six story red colored brick, concrete and glass structure. The building is located in the center of Anoka. The first story has vertical concrete pillars with glass walls. The windows are horizontal. The roof line is flat. The building is connected to the courthouse on the south and east sides.
County Courthouse – Anoka
County Government Center – Anoka
Photos taken 2008 and 2010