- Anoka (/əˈnoʊkə/ ə-NOH-kə) is a city in and the county seat of Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 17,142 at the 2010 census. Anoka is the “Halloween Capital of the World” because it hosted one of the first Halloween parades in 1920. It continues to celebrate the holiday each year with several parades. Anoka is a northern suburb of the Twin Cities. U.S. Highways 10 / 169 and State Highway 47 are three of Anoka’s main routes, and it has a station on the Northstar Commuter Rail line to Minneapolis.