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Mankato, Minnesota

Coordinates: 44°10′N 94°0′W / 44.167°N 94.000°W / 44.167; -94.000
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Mankato, Minnesota
City
North Riverfront Drive Commercial District
North Riverfront Drive Commercial District
Nickname: 
Key City
Motto: 
Mankato - Now Playing
Location of the city of Mankato within Blue Earth County in the state of Minnesota
Location of the city of Mankato
within Blue Earth County
in the state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 44°10′N 94°0′W / 44.167°N 94.000°W / 44.167; -94.000
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountiesBlue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur
Founded1852
Government
 • TypeCity Charter
 • MayorEric Anderson
Area
[1]
 • City18.26 sq mi (47.29 km2)
 • Land17.91 sq mi (46.39 km2)
 • Water0.35 sq mi (0.91 km2)
Elevation
794 ft (238 m)
Population
 (2010)[2]
 • City39,309
 • Estimate 
(2015)[3]
41,044
 • Density2,194.8/sq mi (847.4/km2)
 • Metro
99,134 (US: 355th)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes
56001-56003
Area code507
FIPS code27-39878
GNIS feature ID0647438[4]
Websitewww.mankato-mn.gov

Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the State of Minnesota. The population was 41,044 according to 2015 US census estimates,[5] making it the fifth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County,[6] it is located along a large bend of the Minnesota River at its confluence with the Blue Earth River. Mankato is across the Minnesota River from North Mankato. Mankato and North Mankato have a combined population of over 53,000, according to the 2010 census. It completely encompasses the town of Skyline. North of Mankato Regional Airport, a tiny non-contiguous part of the city is located within Le Sueur County. Most of the city of Mankato is located within Blue Earth County.

Mankato is the larger of the two principal cities of the Mankato-North Mankato metropolitan area, which covers Blue Earth and Nicollet counties[7] and had a combined population of 94,149 at the 2010 census. Mankato was designated a Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S. Census Bureau in November 2008.[8]

U.S. Highways 14 and 169 and Minnesota State Highways 22 and 60 are four of the main routes in Mankato.

History

The area was long settled by various cultures of indigenous peoples. After European colonization began on the East Coast, pressure from settlement and other Native American tribes caused different peoples to migrate into the area. By the mid-nineteenth century Dakota language–speaking four divisions of the Dakota Sioux were the primary indigenous group in the territory.

Henry Jackson (1811–1857), one of the pioneers of Mankato, served as the first Justice of the Peace in St. Paul (1843), first Postmaster of St. Paul (1846–49), and a member of the first Territorial Assembly.[9]

Mankato Township was not settled by European Americans until Parsons King Johnson in February 1852, as part of the nineteenth century migration of people from the east across the Midwest. New residents organized the city of Mankato on May 11, 1858. The city was organized by Henry Jackson, Parsons King Johnson, Col. D.A. Robertson, Justus C. Ramsey, and unnamed others. A popular story says that the city was intended to have been named Mahkato, but a typographical error by a clerk established the name as Mankato.[10] According to Upham, quoting historian Thomas Hughes of Mankato, "The honor of christening the new city was accorded to Col. Robertson. He had taken the name from Nicollet's book, in which the French explorer compared the 'Mahkato" or Blue Earth River, with all its tributaries, to the water nymphs and their uncle in the German legend of Undine.'...No more appropriate name could be given the new city, than that of the noble river at whose mouth it is located."[11] While it may or may not be true that the city was intended to be called Mahkato, the Dakota called the river Makato Osa Watapa (meaning "the river where blue earth is gathered." The Anglo settlers adapted that as the Blue Earth River.[11] Notwithstanding the above history of the name for town of Mankato - Dakota word for Blue Earth, according to Frederick Webb Hodge, in his "Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico," Volume 1, page 801, the town was named after the older of the two like-named chiefs of the Mdewakanton division of the Santee Dakota, whose village stood on or near the site of the present town.

Ishtakhaba, also known as Chief Sleepy Eye, of the Sisseton band of Dakota Indians was said to have directed settlers to this location. He said the site at the confluence of the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers was well suited for building and for river traffic, and yet safe from flooding.

Execution of the thirty-eight Sioux Indians at Mankato Minnesota, December 25, 1862

On December 26, 1862, the US Army carried out the largest mass execution in U.S. history at Mankato following the Dakota War of 1862. Thirty-eight Dakota Native Americans were hanged for their parts in the uprising. A military tribunal had sentenced 303 to death. President Lincoln reviewed the record and pardoned 265, believing they had been involved in legitimate defense against military forces. Episcopal Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple had urged leniency in the case, but his position was not politically popular in Minnesota. Lincoln's intervention was not popular at the time. Two commemorative statues are located on the site of the hangings (now home to the Blue Earth County Library and Reconciliation Park).

Historical marker stating Mankato as having nation's first carp cannery.

In 1880, Mankato ranked fourth in size in the state. The population was 5,500.[12]

Former Vice President Schuyler Colfax died while traveling in Mankato on January 13, 1885.

Cultural references

Mankato served as the basis for the "Deep Valley" of Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series of children's books and novels. The children/young adult wing of the Blue Earth County Library is named in her honor.

In Sinclair Lewis' 1920 novel Main Street, heroine Carol Milford is a former Mankato resident. Lewis describes Mankato as follows: "In its garden-sheltered streets and aisles of elms is white and green New England reborn." (based on its many migrants from New England, who brought their culture with them.) Lewis wrote a substantial portion of the novel while staying at the J.W. Schmidt House at 315 South Broad Street, as now marked by a small plaque in front of the building.[13]

In the Little House on the Prairie television series, Mankato is a trading town that the citizens of Walnut Grove visit. It does not appear in the Laura Ingalls Wilder books.

The 1972 film The New Land, a sequel to The Emigrants (1971), both by Swedish director Jan Troell, depicts the mass execution of the 38 Dakota Indians at the end of the 1862 Dakota War.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.26 square miles (47.29 km2), of which 17.91 square miles (46.39 km2) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.91 km2) is water.[1] The Minnesota, Blue Earth, and Le Sueur Rivers all flow through or near the city.

Climate

Mankato has a humid continental climate, type Dfa (hot summer subtype). Winters are cold, with snow cover (continuous most winter seasons) beginning typically between mid-November and mid-December, ending in March most years. However, Mankato often receives less snow than areas to its north and east. For example, Minneapolis, 75 miles northeast of Mankato, averages over 54 inches of snow per winter season, compared to Mankato's seasonal average of 35 inches. The coldest month, January, has an average monthly temperature around 14 degrees F. A significant hazard during winter is dangerously low wind-chill temperatures, as Arctic air outbreaks rush into the area from Canada, borne on high winds; this can bring ground blizzard conditions, especially in nearly rural areas. Summers are warm, with occasional but usually brief hot, humid periods, often interspersed with pushes of cooler air from Canada, often preceded by showers and thunderstorms. The warmest month, July, has an average monthly temperature around 73 degrees F. Precipitation falls year round, but falls mostly as snow from December to February, sometimes March, and as showers and thunderstorms during the warmer season, from May to September. Mankato's average wettest months are from June to August, with frequent thunderstorm activity. Mankato lies on the northern fringe of the central United States' main tornado belt, with lower risk than in Iowa and Missouri to the south. The highest-risk months for severe thunderstorms and (rarely) tornadoes, are May through July. However, a very unusual early tornado swarm affected areas within 20 miles of Mankato on March 29, 1998, when an F3 tornado hit St. Peter, 13 miles to Mankato's north.

Climate data for Mankato, Minnesota
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 62
(17) 		64
(18) 		84
(29) 		94
(34) 		106
(41) 		105
(41) 		106
(41) 		107
(42) 		100
(38) 		91
(33) 		82
(28) 		66
(19) 		107
(42)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 23
(−5) 		30
(−1) 		41
(5) 		57
(14) 		71
(22) 		80
(27) 		83
(28) 		81
(27) 		73
(23) 		60
(16) 		41
(5) 		27
(−3) 		56
(13)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 6
(−14) 		11
(−12) 		23
(−5) 		36
(2) 		48
(9) 		57
(14) 		62
(17) 		59
(15) 		50
(10) 		37
(3) 		24
(−4) 		11
(−12) 		35
(2)
Record low °F (°C) −38
(−39) 		−33
(−36) 		−27
(−33) 		−3
(−19) 		22
(−6) 		31
(−1) 		39
(4) 		34
(1) 		20
(−7) 		−1
(−18) 		−18
(−28) 		−32
(−36) 		−38
(−39)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.96
(24) 		0.78
(20) 		1.94
(49) 		2.88
(73) 		4.13
(105) 		5.02
(128) 		4.88
(124) 		5.31
(135) 		3.18
(81) 		2.49
(63) 		1.80
(46) 		1.05
(27) 		34.42
(875)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 7.5
(19) 		6.2
(16) 		7.9
(20) 		1.6
(4.1) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		4.5
(11) 		7.4
(19) 		35.3
(89.6)
Source: National Climatic Data Center[14]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18703,482—
18805,55059.4%
18908,83859.2%
190010,59919.9%
191010,365−2.2%
192012,46920.3%
193014,03912.6%
194015,65411.5%
195018,80920.2%
196023,79726.5%
197030,89529.8%
198028,651−7.3%
199031,4779.9%
200032,4273.0%
201039,30921.2%
2015 (est.)41,044[15]4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[16]
2015 Estimate[3]

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 39,309 people, 14,851 households, and 7,093 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,194.8 inhabitants per square mile (847.4/km2). There were 15,784 housing units at an average density of 881.3 per square mile (340.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.9% White, 4.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.9% of the population.

There were 14,851 households out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 25.4 years. 16.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 32.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 16.6% were from 45 to 64; and 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,427 people, 12,367 households, and 6,059 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,132.5 people per square mile (823.2/km²). There were 12,759 housing units at an average density of 839.1 per square mile (323.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.55% White, 1.90% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.81% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22% of the population.

There were 12,367 households out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.0% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city, the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 32.5% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,956, and the median income for a family was $47,297. Males had a median income of $30,889 versus $22,081 for females. The per capita income for the city in 2010 was $25,772.[17] About 8.5% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over. In 2010, the Unemployment Rate was 5.7%.[17]

Politics

Mankato is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Mankato high school teacher Tim Walz (DFL). Mankato is located in Minnesota Senate district 19, represented by Kathleen Sheran (DFL), and Minnesota House district 19B, represented by Jack Considine (DFL).

Media

The major daily newspaper in the area is the Mankato Free Press.

Television

Channel Callsign Affiliation Branding Subchannels Owner
(Virtual) Channel Programming
12.1 KEYC CBS KEYC 12 12.2 FOX United Communications Corporation

Radio

FM

FM radio stations
Frequency Call sign Name Format Owner
89.1 FM K206DI
(WJRF Translator)		 Refuge Radio Contemporary Christian Refuge Media Group
89.7 FM KMSU The Maverick College Minnesota State University, Mankato
90.5 FM KNGA MPR News NPR Minnesota Public Radio
91.5 FM KGAC Classical MPR Classical Minnesota Public Radio
93.1 FM KATO Country Linder Radio Group
94.1 FM KXLP Classic rock Linder Radio Group
94.9 FM K235BH
(KTIS-FM Translator)		 Life 98.5 Christian University of Northwestern - St. Paul
95.3 FM K235BH
(KCMP Translator)		 89.3 The Current Adult Album Alternative Minnesota Public Radio
95.7 FM KMKO 95.7 The Blaze Active Rock Digity, LLC
96.7 FM KDOG Hot 96.7 Top 40 Linder Radio Group
99.1 FM KEEZ Z99 Top 40 Alpha Media
100.5 FM KXAC Oldies 100.5 Oldies Linder Radio Group
101.7 FM K269EC
(KMKO Translator)		 95.7 The Blaze Active Rock Digity, LLC
102.7 FM K247AL
(KTOE-AM Translator)		 News/Talk Linder Radio Group
103.1 FM K276EH
(KFSP-AM Translator)		 1230 The Fan Sport Talk Linder Radio Group
103.5 FM KYSM Country 103 Country Digity, LLC
104.5 FM KJLY Christian Mid-Iowa Christian Broadcasting
105.1 FM K286AW
(KCMP Translator)		 89.3 The Current Adult Album Alternative Minnesota Public Radio
105.5 FM KRBI 105.5 The River Adult contemporary Digity, LLC
107.1 FM K296ER
(KJLY Translator)		 Christian Mid-Iowa Christian Broadcasting

AM radio

AM radio stations
Frequency Call sign Name Format Owner
860 KNUJ News/Talk James Ingstad
1230 KFSP The Fan Sports/Sports Talk Linder Radio Group
1420 KTOE News/Talk Linder Radio Group

Economy

Top employers

According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[17] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Mayo Clinic Health System 2,200
2 Minnesota State University 1,700
3 Independent School District 77 1,400
4 MRCI WorkSource 1,240
5 Mankato Clinic 682
6 The Thro Company 656
7 Verizon Wireless 540
8 County of Blue Earth 415
9 MTU Onsite Energy 342
10 City of Mankato 600

Education

Old Main, Bethany Lutheran College

The Mankato Area Public Schools are consolidated to include the cities of Mankato, North Mankato, Eagle Lake, and Madison Lake. There are ten elementary schools (Franklin, Eagle Lake, Kennedy, Washington, Roosevelt, Jefferson, Monroe, Hoover, Rosa Parks, and Bridges); two middle schools (Dakota Meadows Middle School and Prairie Winds Junior High); and two high schools (Mankato West High School and Mankato East High School).

Mankato has four parochial schools: Loyola Catholic School, serving grades K-12 with Good Counsel and Edmund Fitzgerald campuses, Immanuel Lutheran Grade School and High School (K-12), Mount Olive Lutheran School (K-8) and Risen Savior Lutheran School (K-8). There is also one public charter schools: Kato Public Charter School.

Another option available to the community with regards to education is an alternative school: Central High which is located on Fulton St. in Mankato.

It is served by the Blue Earth County Library part of the Traverse des Sioux Library System, which is based in the city.

Higher education institutions

  • Minnesota State University - The City of Mankato is home to Minnesota State University. Ranking as the 2nd or 3rd largest university in the state of Minnesota, it is a growing institution that was founded as the second state normal school in 1868. With an annual operating budget of over $200 million, Minnesota State provides a net economic benefit of over $452 million annually. For this reason, it is also one of the largest employers in the region.
  • South Central College
  • Bethany Lutheran College
  • Rasmussen College

Major events

  • Minnesota State University has been home to the Minnesota Vikings summer training camp for the past 50 years.[18]

Places of interest

The original Happy Chef Restaurant and corporate offices on U.S. Highway 169
Latrine building built by the Works Progress Administration in 1939 in Minneopa State Park
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Notable people

Rankings and ratings

  • Bizjournals.com, 2006

Mankato/North Mankato was ranked 16th in the nation in a survey of 577 cities nationwide. The survey rates the country's "micropolitan" areas in multiple quality of life criteria.

  • America's Promise, 2005

This national youth advocacy group, founded by Gen. Colin Powell and dedicated to making children and youth a priority, named Mankato one of the top 100 communities in the nation for kids. Criteria included the presence of caring adults, transportation for children, presence of places to learn and grow, education opportunities, and opportunities for children to volunteer.

  • Rolling Stone College Guide, 2005

Rolling Stone magazine named Mankato/St. Peter one of the top 50 college towns in the country because of its rich and diverse music scene.

  • Site Selection Magazine, 2002, 2003 and 2004

For three consecutive years, Mankato/North Mankato ranked in the top 25 small cities nationwide for new and expanded corporate facility projects. The community ranked 16th in 2002(the Minnesota community to make the list), 13th in 2003, and 23rd in 2004.

  • Bizdemographics awarded Mankato an "A" in terms of business climate, a sign of excellent economic health. The study considered characteristics such as population growth, per capita income, job growth, and local educational levels.
  • Demographics Daily, September, 2000

Mankato and North Mankato placed in the top 50 U.S. cities classified as "dreamtowns". Cities were ranked according to quality of life indicators such as vitality, supply of good jobs, freedom from stress, connection to cultural mainstream, support for schools, access to health care, low cost of living, and small town character.

  • The New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities, January, 1998

The City of Mankato was named the 14th most livable micropolitan in America and number one in Minnesota.

  • In 2004 Mankato was rated as the funniest city in America by Hallmark Cards.

Transportation

Public transportation in Mankato is provided by the Mankato Transit System. The city is served by Mankato Regional Airport which has no commercial flights. Under MnDOT's 2015 State Rail Plan, Mankato is listed as a Tier 1 Corridor for regional rail service from Minneapolis and/or St. Paul.

Major highways

The following routes are located within the city of Mankato.

References

  1. ^ a b "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  3. ^ a b "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  4. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  7. ^ MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS AND COMPONENTS, Office of Management and Budget, 2007-05-11. Retrieved 2008-07-27.
  8. ^ Mankato Free Press
  9. ^ Henry Jackson of St. Paul and Mankato. First Justice of the Peace in St. Paul (1843), first Postmaster of St. Paul (1846-1849), member of the first Territorial Assembly and pioneer settler of Mankato., Visual Resources Database, Minnesota Historical Society, accessed December 6, 2010.
  10. ^ Blue Earth County, Minnesota : About Blue Earth County
  11. ^ a b Upham, Warren (2001). Minnesota Place Names, A Geographical Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society. p. 65. ISBN 0-87351-396-7.
  12. ^ Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia, Minnesota Historical Society website. http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/index.cfm
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ "Monthly and Season Total SnowFall Amount". NCDC. 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  15. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  16. ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  17. ^ a b c City of Mankato CAFR
  18. ^ "Mankato readies for Vikings training camp". The Washington Times. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  19. ^ Linehan, Dan (25 June 2007). "Civic Center to be Alltel Center". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
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