Hibbing (pop. 16,214) is a city in northeastern Minnesota. It is often called the Iron Ore Capital of the World. Hibbing is the chief community on the rich Mesabi iron range. Hibbing is about 70 miles (115 kilometers) northwest of Duluth.
Hibbing was founded in 1893. In 1919, it was moved about 2 miles (3 kilometers) south of its original location because of the expansion of the Hull-Rust open-pit mine. This huge mine, covering about 2,300 acres (930 hectares), produces millions of tons of taconite ore each year. Taconite is a rock that contains iron. When the steel industry of the United States declined in the 1980’s, the city’s economy suffered and its population declined nearly 15 percent. Hibbing hosts the annual St. Louis County Fair. The Greyhound Bus Lines originated in Hibbing in 1914.
