The 77-acre rectangle that contains the city of Hilltop was once the site, at various times, of a dairy farm, a riding academy, a golf course, and most recently, several trailer parks. The city limits, which lie entirely inside Columbia Heights, are the west side of Central Ave on the east, Monroe Street on the west, 49th Avenue NE on the north and 45th Avenue NE on the south. The city, the highest point in southern Anoka County, chose its name from a drive-in theater on the Columbia Heights side of Central.
The story of Hilltop is part of the story of the scramble for affordable housing in post-World War II America. During the Great Depression, enclosed car trailers that had been toys for well-to-do campers became makeshift homes for the poor and unemployed. Demand for housing for defense workers grew rapidly when the war began, with the War Department initiating the production of standardized trailers; at one point one out of eight wartime workers lived in trailers.
When the war ended, the return of veterans and their families increased the demand for cheap and readily-available housing. Trailer living, considered sketchy and the retreat of the poor before the war, gained some respectability as parks sprang up across the country. As acceptance and numbers grew, so did the size of the trailers, which began to be called “mobile homes.” A typical trailer size in 1946 was about 215 square feet of living space; ten years later that size doubled, and doubled again. The wider homes became too large to haul behind a car, and most of the newer models went to parks on what would become permanent stays.
This is where an unincorporated patch of land in Fridley Township came into play. It was the site of the first trailer park in the area, called Trailer City, and was bought in 1947 by Les and Mary Ann Johnson. It filled up quickly, and in 1955, Sunnyside Trailer Park opened to Trailer City’s north. During that time, the two parks were hemmed in by increased single-home development, and in 1956 Les Johnson and other Trailer City residents petitioned Columbia Heights to allow them to be a part of that fast-growing first-ring suburb.
The Heights city fathers said no; the primary reason they gave was that mobile homes didn’t meet the city’s building codes and ordinances. Trailer City residents could be forgiven if they suspected that other reasons played a part: a general prejudice against trailer park dwellers and the suspicion (borne out, as it happened) that a separate enclave with its own liquor outlets might pose competition for Columbia Heights’ municipal liquor monopoly.
Undeterred, Johnson and his supporters proposed a vote to establish a separate 80-acre village, including the drive-in theater on the east side of Central Ave (during deliberations, the theater owners pulled out, reducing the area to 77 acres). It was felt that the move would protect trailer park dwellers from stricter regulations and higher taxes. May 1, 1956 was the date set for an incorporation vote; a week before that day came, Columbia Heights cut off water and sewer services to the parks. Park residents went ahead and voted overwhelmingly to incorporate. Three days later, Hilltop was a village. By that time, two more trailer parks had made the area their home.
For more than a decade after Hilltop’s incorporation, both Anoka County and Columbia Heights threatened to interfere with little city’s charter. In 1960, the Metropolitan Municipalities Commission requested then-Attorney General Walter Mondale to contest the charter to the Minnesota Supreme Court. But Hilltop prevailed.
The town grew slowly but steadily, gaining a strip mall, Central Plaza, with a dozen businesses. Businesses currently along Central Avenue include a Walgreens, Pooja Grocers, the Flameburger, Kim Nybo Insurance, the Starlite Motel and the new Public Storage building. The city is also the home of Valley View Elementary School and Columbia Academy. The city’s peak population came around 1970 at 1080, then declined. However, the 2020 census data shows a 28% increase in residents, from 744 to 958, over the past ten years.
There are 275 “manufactured” homes (the current term) and about 15 permanent homes, along with three multiple-occupancy buildings with 110 units. The four mobile home parks have been at capacity for several decades, although a number of homeowners have bought new homes and had them placed on their existing lots. In 1965, the city got its own water tower, breaking ties to that Columbia Heights utility. It also has its own public works department. Police, fire and rescue services are contracted to Hilltop by Columbia Heights.
City Council member Linda Johnson said, “Homes hardly ever leave any of the parks because this area is a very sought-after location. I personally have lived in Hilltop for over 50 years. The family I married into bought the original Trailer City Park back in 1947. Les Johnson, my-father-in law, expanded that park along with his son-in-law, Bruce Hay, who he sold that section to what was later called Hilltop Mobile Home Park and built another section called Trailer City. Presently there are four generations of Les Jonson’s family living and thriving in Hilltop.”
The city has a mayor and four city council members – Johnson, James Shear, Casey Gunter and Betty Risdahl — all of whom serve four-year terms. The only fulltime city staffer is City Clerk-treasurer Ruth Nelson.
Mayor Terry Wiggin has been a Hilltop resident since 1984. After several years of living at the apartments, he had an opportunity to buy his first home in the Hilltop Mobile Home Community Park. He bought a new home in 1999 and had it set up on the same lot. Asked what he likes about the city, he said, “I was originally drawn to Hilltop because of the affordable housing, but I soon found that it had a small town feel and was centrally located within the Metro area.” He added that he is proud to serve on the City Council, “as a part of a team of really great staff and council members who care deeply for our city.”
Below: Sinclair gas station and grocery store next to trailer homes and parked cars on Central Avenue in Hilltop, July 8, 1952. The store was owned by Leslie and Mary Ann Johnson, who bought a small trailer park from Dr. Good in 1948. They made their home on the second floor of this building with the offices and store below. The photo was taken in 1952 as a part of a court case when the county wanted to widen Central Avenue. The county wanted to take a part of the Johnson’s land and pay them the value as if it were empty land growing potatoes. The Johnson fought it in court (to little avail) and took a series of photos of their trailer park to show that they had a viable business on the land, it was not empty and certainly worth more than potato field land. Central Avenue is in front of the building and can be seen as single lane and paved, but with no curb or gutter. (Photo by Norton & Peel, courtesy Anoka County Historical Society)
Hilltop trailer homes and trees behind a small pond, July 8, 1952. The lake in front of the trailers was at the bottom of the hill, more of a stormwater runoff pond, but the local people called it a lake. It was filled in as people around the area dug basements and put the excess dirt into the “lake” after it dried up from lack of rain. Additional dirt came from the hole dug on Central Avenue a couple blocks south where construction of a retail site was developed. (Photo by Norton & Peel, courtesy Anoka County Historical Society)
All of Hilltop’s mobile home residents own their homes, and many spend time and effort to express themselves with decorations. Most homes have been modified with porches and other additions. Because parking is in short supply on the parks’ narrow streets, most owners have adjoining concrete aprons for their cars. (Photos by Mark Peterson)