SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              WASHINGTON, DC 20549






                                    FORM 8-K
                                 CURRENT REPORT






     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934






     DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED) - JULY 19, 2002







                                  ALLETE, INC.


                             A Minnesota Corporation
                           Commission File No. 1-3548
                   IRS Employer Identification No. 41-0418150
                             30 West Superior Street
                          Duluth, Minnesota 55802-2093
                           Telephone - (218) 279-5000







ITEM 7.  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

The following exhibit of ALLETE,  Inc. is filed herewith in accordance with Item
601 of Regulation S-K:

 Exhibit
 Number
 -------

   99     -     ALLETE News Release dated July 19, 2002.







                      ALLETE Form 8-K dated July 19, 2002                      1



                              SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
           UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

In  connection  with  the  safe  harbor  provisions  of the  Private  Securities
Litigation  Reform Act of 1995,  ALLETE is hereby filing  cautionary  statements
identifying important factors that could cause ALLETE's actual results to differ
materially from those projected in  forward-looking  statements (as such term is
defined in the Private  Securities  Litigation Reform Act of 1995) made by or on
behalf of ALLETE in this Form 8-K, in presentations, in response to questions or
otherwise.   Any  statements  that  express,   or  involve  discussions  as  to,
expectations,  beliefs,  plans,  objectives,  assumptions  or  future  events or
performance (often, but not always,  through the use of words or phrases such as
"anticipates,"   "believes,"   "estimates,"   "expects,"   "intends,"   "plans,"
"projects,"  "will likely result," "will continue" or similar  expressions)  are
not statements of historical facts and may be forward-looking.

Forward-looking   statements   involve   estimates,   assumptions,   risks   and
uncertainties  and are  qualified  in their  entirety by  reference  to, and are
accompanied by, the following important factors, which are difficult to predict,
contain  uncertainties,  are beyond the  control of ALLETE and may cause  actual
results or outcomes to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking
statements:

 -  war and acts of terrorism;
 -  prevailing governmental  policies and regulatory actions, including those of
    the  United  States  Congress,   state  legislatures,   the  Federal  Energy
    Regulatory  Commission,  the  Minnesota  Public  Utilities  Commission,  the
    Florida Public Service Commission,  the North Carolina Utilities Commission,
    the Public Service  Commission of Wisconsin and various  county  regulators,
    about  allowed  rates of return,  financings,  industry and rate  structure,
    acquisition   and  disposal  of  assets  and   facilities,   operation   and
    construction  of plant  facilities,  recovery of purchased power and capital
    investments,  and present or  prospective  wholesale and retail  competition
    (including  but not  limited  to  transmission  costs)  as  well as  general
    vehicle-related laws, including vehicle brokerage and auction laws;
 -  unanticipated impacts of restructuring initiatives in the electric industry;
 -  economic and geographic factors, including political and economic risks;
 -  changes in and compliance with environmental and safety laws and policies;
 -  weather conditions;
 -  population growth rates and demographic patterns;
 -  the  effects  of  competition, including  the  competition  for  retail  and
    wholesale customers, as well as suppliers and purchasers of vehicles;
 -  pricing and transportation of commodities;
 -  market demand, including structural market changes;
 -  changes in tax rates or policies or in rates of inflation;
 -  unanticipated project delays or changes in project costs;
 -  unanticipated changes in operating expenses and capital expenditures;
 -  capital market conditions;
 -  competition for economic expansion or development opportunities;
 -  our ability to manage expansion and integrate recent acquisitions; and
 -  legal and  administrative  proceedings   (whether  civil  or  criminal)  and
    settlements that affect the business and profitability of ALLETE.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which that statement
is made,  and ALLETE  undertakes  no  obligation  to update any  forward-looking
statement  to  reflect  events or  circumstances  after  the date on which  that
statement is made or to reflect the  occurrence  of  unanticipated  events.  New
factors  emerge  from  time to time and it is not  possible  for  management  to
predict  all of those  factors,  nor can it assess  the  impact of each of those
factors  on the  businesses  of ALLETE or the  extent  to which any  factor,  or
combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those
contained in any forward-looking statement.


2                     ALLETE Form 8-K dated July 19, 2002


                                   SIGNATURES


Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.





                                                    ALLETE, Inc.





July 19, 2002                                      James K. Vizanko
                                      ------------------------------------------
                                                   James K. Vizanko
                                        Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
                                                     and Treasurer



                      ALLETE Form 8-K dated July 19, 2002                      3



                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit
Number
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    99            ALLETE News Release dated July 19, 2002











                      ALLETE Form 8-K dated July 19, 2002