Center City, Minnesota

The Village of Centre City was established in 1851 by Anders Swenson, who came from Smaland, Sweden, and platted in 1857. Center City was the first permanent Swedish settlement in the State of Minnesota. Center City is the “Sister City” to Hassela, Sweden.  A post office was established as Centre City in 1858, and the name was changed to Center City in 1893. Center City is the county seat of Chisago County, and has been since 1875.

Center City was the setting of Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg’s epic novels The Emigrants, written and published in four volumes between 1949 and 1959, and made into two feature films in 1972 and 1974.

Its small-town charm made Center City the ideal location for the wedding scene in the movie Grumpy Old Men, which was filmed at Chisago Lake Lutheran Church in Center City.