Walker, Minnesota
| Walker, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
 |
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| Coordinates: 47°5′59″N 94°34′52″W / 47.09972°N 94.58111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Cass |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2) |
| • Land | 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,316 ft (401 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 941 |
| • Density | 627.3/sq mi (247.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56484 |
| Area code(s) | 218 |
| FIPS code | 27-67792[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0658881[3] |
Walker is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 941 at the 2010 census.[1] It is the county seat of Cass County[4].
Walker is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Minnesota State Highways 34, 200, and 371 are three of the main arterial routes in the city.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Walker is located on the southwest corner of Leech Lake, the third largest lake in Minnesota. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), all of it land. Nearby cities and towns include Hackensack, Akeley, Whipholt, Laporte, Bemidji, and Onigum. The latter is one of eleven communities that make up the Leech Lake Indian Reservation.
[edit] Schools
Walker is home to Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School, and Immanuel Lutheran School.
[edit] History
The area was inhabited for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples. Before European settlement, the Ojibwe moved into the area from the Great Lakes, pushing out the historic Dakota peoples, such as the Assiniboine and Hidatsa. European American settlers followed the early fur traders and trappers, and encroached on Native American territories.
Following the construction of the railroad to the area, Patrick McGarry founded Walker in 1896. He named the settlement after the logging giant Thomas B. Walker, in hopes of luring construction of a sawmill. Thomas B. Walker instead chose to found and set up operations nearby in Akeley, Minnesota, because of his wife's moral objection to the bars and brothels in Walker, a rough frontier town. Walker developed with business, jobs and other services generated by four other logging companies.
Tourism later grew as a service industry. In the twentieth century, people from urban areas came to more rural areas for recreation associated with lakes, fishing, hunting and water sports. The city reached its peak of population in 1950.
In 1907, Walker became the home of Ah-Gwa-Ching, first constructed as a residential facility for tuberculosis (TB) patients, who at the time could be treated only with good nutrition and rest.[5] By 1927 it had 300 patients. The large facility had its own farm and dairy herd, the patients and staff put on skits and produced a newspaper, and it had its own railroad depot at one time. During the Great Depression, it was a site for display of art produced by artists paid by the Works Progress Administration, and has the largest WPA art collection in the state. In 1962 the facility was adapted as a state nursing home for psychiatric patients. The complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 500 |
|
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| 1910 | 917 | 83.4% | |
| 1920 | 785 | −14.4% | |
| 1930 | 618 | −21.3% | |
| 1940 | 939 | 51.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,192 | 26.9% | |
| 1960 | 1,180 | −1.0% | |
| 1970 | 1,073 | −9.1% | |
| 1980 | 970 | −9.6% | |
| 1990 | 950 | −2.1% | |
| 2000 | 1,069 | 12.5% | |
| 2010 | 941 | −12.0% | |
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As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,069 people, 449 households, and 258 families residing in the city. The population density was 734.3 people per square mile (282.7/km²). There were 517 housing units at an average density of 355.1 per square mile (136.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.59% White, 0.09% African American, 8.98% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.
There were 449 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.5% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 22.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.86.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,125, and the median income for a family was $44,063. Males had a median income of $31,324 versus $25,435 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,079. About 8.0% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Walker, Minnesota | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 17 (−8) |
24 (−4) |
33 (1) |
51 (11) |
64 (18) |
73 (23) |
78 (26) |
75 (24) |
66 (19) |
53 (12) |
35 (2) |
23 (−5) |
48 (9) |
| Average low °F (°C) | −2 (−19) |
3 (−16) |
15 (−9) |
30 (−1) |
41 (5) |
51 (11) |
57 (14) |
55 (13) |
44 (7) |
35 (2) |
21 (−6) |
5 (−15) |
30 (−1) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.7 (18) |
0.6 (15) |
1.2 (30) |
2 (51) |
2.9 (74) |
4 (102) |
3.7 (94) |
3.4 (86) |
2.7 (69) |
2 (51) |
1.2 (30) |
0.8 (20) |
25.3 (643) |
| Source: weatherbase.com[6] | |||||||||||||
[edit] TV Stations
Walker is part of the Minneapolis / St Paul television market.
KCCW-TV is a full power station on channel 12. It does not originate programing but rebroadcasts WCCO-TV with no local input.
Cable and satellite television signals are also available.
[edit] Radio stations
- FM radio
- 88.5 Minnesota Public Radio (MPR)
- 92.5 KXKK
- 94.7 KSKK
- 97.5 KDKK
- 99.1 KLLZ Z99 Classic Rock
- 101.9 KQKK
- 102.5 KKWB-FM
- 104.3 KLKS
- AM radio
[edit] References
- ^ a b "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ a b Andris Straumanis, "Ah-Gwa-Ching", Minnesota Public Radio, 26 July 2004, accessed 8 March 2012
- ^ "Historical weather for Walker, Minnesota USA". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=727551. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
[edit] External links
- WalkerMN.com
- Leech Lake Area Chamber of Commerce
- Ancient Stone Tools Found; May Be Among Americas' Oldest. Stefan Lovgren for National Geographic News. February 15, 2007
- History of Walker and Leech Lake
- Leech Lake Ojibwe
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Coordinates: 47°06′05″N 94°35′14″W / 47.10139°N 94.58722°W
