Jump to content

Austin, Minnesota

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ClueBot NG (talk | contribs) at 21:16, 31 January 2013 (Reverting possible vandalism by Mookman209 to version by Gtwfan52. False positive? Report it. Thanks, ClueBot NG. (1479135) (Bot)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

City of Austin
City
Nickname(s): 
Spamtown, USA
Location of Austin within Mower County, Minnesota
Location of Austin within Mower County, Minnesota
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountyMower
Established1853
Incorporated1856
Government
 • MayorTom Stiehm
Area
[1]
 • Total
11.90 sq mi (30.82 km2)
 • Land11.79 sq mi (30.54 km2)
 • Water0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2)
Elevation
1,184 ft (360 m)
Population
 (2010)[2]
 • Total
24,718
 • Estimate 
(2011[3])
24,834
 • Density2,096.5/sq mi (809.5/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
55912
Area code507
FIPS code27-02908Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0639531Template:GR
Websitewww.ci.austin.mn.us
Interstate Hwy. 90 Business Loop (Oakland Avenue) runs through the center of Austin.
Hormel Spam Museum.

Austin is a city in Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 24,718 at the 2010 census.[4] It is the county seat of Mower County.Template:GR The southern part of the city is in Austin Township while the northern part is in Lansing Township; the city is politically independent of both. Austin is located at the intersection of Interstate Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 218 in the southeastern part of the state.

The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and it has two man-made lakes called East Side Lake and Mill pond. The town was named for Austin R. Nichols, the first settler in the area.

Hormel Foods Corporation is the largest employer in Austin, where its factory makes most of North America's Spam tinned meat. The Austin Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors an annual Independence Day Freedom Fest. Austin is sometimes called "Spam Town USA", as it is home to Hormel's headquarters and is home to the Spam Museum. Austin is also home to the Austin Bruins which are a junior hockey team in the NAHL.

History

The city was named for Austin Nichols, an early settler,[5] who arrived in 1853. At that time there were "about twenty families in the area."[6] More settlers began to arrive by wagon train in 1855, and by 1856, enough people were present to organize a county, Mower County.[6]"The first newspaper, the Mower County Mirror, was started in 1858."[6]

In the 1930s, Austin Acres was built with funding from the Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Department of the Interior.[7]

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.90 square miles (30.82 km2), of which, 11.79 square miles (30.54 km2) is land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2) is water.[1] Its elevation is approximately 1,200 ft (370 m).

Major Tornadoes

August 20, 1928

F-2 size. Touchdown on Winona Street (1st Ave.) damage path ran from the southern edge of Austin High School to the Milwaukee Road railyards on the city's east side. Buildings ruined or damaged: St. Olaf Lutheran church, Carnegie Library, main street, spire on the old courthouse, Grand Theatre, (replaced in 1929 with the Publix Theatre which is now called the Paramount Theatre), Austin Utilities, Lincoln school, damage to boxcars at Milwaukee yards before it dissipated. Austin residents noticed debris raining out of the sky, such as straw and laundry.

August 1961

F-2 Touchdown in backyard at 808 18th St. S.W. (Sucha residence) Gained strength as F-3, when it hit block at 17th St. S.W. and blew up a garage. Lifted and touched down in fairgrounds and hit the grandstand roof, tearing off parts and damaging beams.

June 27, 1998

Disputed tornado or straight line winds took down massive amounts of branches and trees, uprooting smaller trees and knocking large branches across streets. In the northwest quarter of the city, the storm had the effect of blocking several side streets, 8th Ave Northwest near Sumner Elementary School, and 14th St. Northwest between I-90 and 8th Ave. The event caused disruption in Sunday church services the next morning as many congregations organized clean up activities instead of regularly scheduled events

Summer 1984

Tornado destroyed Echo Lanes Bowling Alley as it swept through the S.E. part of Austin. Neighboring Bo-Dee Campers had suffered considerable damage, as well. The tornado also destroyed Schmidt TV and Schmidt Family residence. Three members of the Schmidt family, dad Roger, Daughters Allison (10) and Suzanne (7) were inside home and survived.

May 1, 2001

Touchdown in Glenville, with twister gaining strength before it turned into a F-3 headed for Austin. Dissipated before hitting town. Notable damage path in Glenville, and damage in Austin.

June 17, 2009

An EF2 tornado touched down outside of Austin and moved across the northwest and northern parts of the city, gradually weakening as it moved east. The worst damage in Austin was about 3 miles north of downtown. There were a few minor injuries. [1]

Major Floods

1983

Red Cedar River rose and flooded much of Austin, Lansing, and surrounding areas. Many dollars worth of damage was the result. Heavy rains that were proceeded by a drought were to blame.

September 2004

A huge rainstorm that dropped 12 inches of rain north of Austin caused a major flood throughout Austin and surrounding areas. The flood was responsible for two lives lost. Many businesses were flooded. Citizens of Austin worked together to fix up the city and pass a 0.5% sales tax that was used to build flood protection (dikes) along the Cedar River.

September 2010

Major flooding occurred after a few days of heavy rain.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1860200—
18702,039919.5%
18802,30513.0%
18903,90169.2%
19005,47440.3%
19106,96027.1%
192010,11845.4%
193012,27621.3%
194018,30749.1%
195023,10026.2%
196027,90820.8%
197025,074−10.2%
198023,020−8.2%
199021,907−4.8%
200023,3146.4%
201024,7186.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 24,718 people, 10,131 households, and 6,114 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,096.5 inhabitants per square mile (809.5/km2). There were 10,870 housing units at an average density of 922.0 per square mile (356.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.8% White, 3.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 4.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.4% of the population.

There were 10,131 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.05.

The median age in the city was 37 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 23,314 people, 9,897 households, and 6,076 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,168.2 people per square mile (837.4/km²). There were 10,261 housing units at an average density of 954.3 per square mile (368.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.6% White, 0.81% African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.09% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 6.12% of the population.

There were 9,897 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18, 48.6% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29; the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $42,691. Males had a median income of $31,787 versus $23,158 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,651. About 7.5% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

With Hormel's corporate headquarters and main production facility located in Austin, food processing plays a dominant role in the city's economy. Hormel and Quality Pork Processors, a contract food processing firm serving Hormel, are by far the largest private employers in Austin.[8]

The government, education, hospitality, and retail sectors comprise much of the remainder of Austin's employment base.

Austin area businesses and community leaders continue to support the application to participate as a test community in the Google Fiber project, started in 2010.[9]

Government

  • Tom Stiehm - Mayor
  • City Council
    • Janet Anderson - Council Member-At-Large
    • Brian McAlister - Council Member, First Ward
    • Jeffrey Austin - Council Member, First Ward
    • Roger Boughton - Council Member Second Ward
    • Steve King - Council Member Second Ward
    • Marian J. Clennon - Council Member Third Ward
    • Judy Enright - Council Member Third Ward

Austin is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Mankato educator Tim Walz, a Democrat.

Education

Sports Teams

The Austin Bruins are a North American Hockey League team that began play during the 2010-11 season. Austin previously was represented in Junior hockey by the Austin Mavericks, a team that first participated in the Midwest Junior Hockey League from 1974–1977 and following a league merger competed in the United States Hockey League from 1977-1985.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-01-03. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Profile for Austin, Minnesota". ePodunk. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  6. ^ a b c "City of Austin City Council, History". Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  7. ^ "A return to Austin Acres". The Austin Daily Herald. Austin, MN. 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  8. ^ Major Employers & Workforce
  9. ^ Austin High Rallies for Google Fiber
  10. ^ Vezner, Tad (April 5, 2011). "Young Austin, Minn., author finds fame — and fortune — publishing her work online". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  11. ^ "John Madden". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  12. ^ "Rep. Jeanne Poppe". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved October 8, 2012.

Further reading

  • Mill on the Willow: A History of Mower County, Minnesota by various authors. Library of Congress No. 84-062356
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Austin, Minnesota.
Retrieved from "http://en.wiki.x.io/w/index.php?title=Austin,_Minnesota&oldid=535919258"