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is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after Alexander and William Kinkead. The 2007 estimated population of Alexandria was 11,187
The city has a museum housing the controversial Kensington Runestone, which is thought by some to indicate that Vikings had visited the area in the 14th century. Outside the museum stands Big Ole, a 25-foot-tall statue of a Viking originally built for the
World's Fair in New York 1964.
The city hosts the annual Vikingland Band Festival parade marching championship.
Alexandria is located near Interstate 94 (concurrent with U.S. Route 52 in this part of the state), along Minnesota State Highways 27 and 29. Lake Carlos State Park is ten miles north of Alexandria.
Major employers in Alexandria include Douglas Machine Corporation, 3M, Sun Opta, Alexandria Extrusion, Tastefully Simple and the Douglas County Hospital. Alexandria is also the hometown of Continental Bridge, a producer of park bridges.