This Minnesota ‘Capital’ City Was Ignored By HGTV In New List

Minnesota is home to several 'capital' cities. There's the Kolacky Capital in Montgomery, the Fourth of July Capital in Forest Lake, the Pie Capital in Braham, and, of course, what kind of state would it be if we didn't also offer up the Halloween Capital of the World? Apparently, one television brand didn't get the memo in their recent rankings of the best 'small' towns for celebrating Halloween.

Anoka, The Halloween Capital Of The World

If you didn't know, Anoka is the Halloween Capital of the World. It earned that moniker back in 1920, when businesses and residents came together to distract area youth from their previous destructive Halloween behavior.

Rather than having to clean up after rambunctious teens who would soap windows, tip outhouses, and put livestock on Main Street, local businesses got together to hand out candy to kids, have a massive bonfire, and of course, put on a big parade.

It must have worked, as the City of Anoka has been hosting Halloween celebrations since.

Get our free mobile app

However, HGTV must not have gotten the memo.

Anoka Left Off HGTV Halloween Cities List

HGTV put out a list earlier in September that highlighted the 20+ best small towns for Halloween in the US. When I saw the headline, I thought, JACKPOT- where did Anoka land on the national list?

I kept scrolling, and scrolling, and when I got to the end of the article I was pretty disappointed that Anoka didn't make the list; however, there were other larger cities on the list.

Places like Macon, Georgia; Providence, Rhode Island; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Columbus, Ohio.

Also making the list were obligatory Halloween towns like Sleepy Hollow, New York, and Salem, Massachusetts.

Still Time To Make It Right HGTV

While I doubt the fine folks at HGTV will notice this, there is still time to right your wrong and add Anoka to the list; they are, after all, the Halloween Capital of the World.

READ MORE FROM PAUL SHEA