Sartell, Minnesota

Sartell, Minnesota
City
Seal
Location in the state of Minnesota.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Stearns, Benton
Incorporated	1907
Government
• Mayor	Tim O'Driscoll
Area
• Total	6.1 sq mi (15.9 km2)
• Land	5.9 sq mi (15.3 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	1,030 ft (314 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	9,641
• Density	1,633.9/sq mi (630.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	56377
Area code	320
FIPS code	27-58612Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0651225Template:GR
Website	www.sartellmn.com

Sartell is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 9,641 at the 2000 census. More recent numbers show the population to be 1300012398791203472082735062304723940326104527398156329847230984723,917. Sartell is partially located in both Stearns County and Benton County.

History

Sartell's paper mill, as viewed from the air in 1946.

Sartell got its start as a small town on the Mississippi River, relying on lumber and a paper company for its existence. The present site of the city was originally dubbed "The Third Rapids" as it was the third set of rough waters that French fur traders encountered as they traveled north from Saint Anthony Falls in Minneapolis.

One of the first people to settle in the fledgling town was Joseph B. Sartell who arrived in 1854 and worked as a millwright at a local sawmill. In 1877, he opened a flour mill at the nearby Watab River, and in 1884 he started the Sartell Brothers Lumber Company with his sons.

In 1905, construction was begun on both the Watab Pulp and Paper Company as well as on the Sartell Dam across the Mississippi near the "third rapids". Both projects were completed in 1907 with the dam having claimed the lives of seven workers. Watab Pulp and Paper would be rebuilt and expanded through the years, passing through multiple ownerships and eventually emerging as Verso Paper's Sartell mill, the city's largest employer.

It was in 1907 that residents of the town decided it was time to incorporate. Several influential people felt the town ought to be named "Wengert" after a local businessman. Another man lobbied to have the town named "Oberly" after himself. However, because of his many relatives and generous contributions to the community, the town was incorporated as "The Village of Sartell" in honor of Joseph B. Sartell. From 1907 until 1973 there was a Sartell on nearly every City Council, the most prominent being Ripley B. "Rip" Sartell who was mayor for 31 years.

The town continued to grow slowly and developed a number of businesses and a "downtown" on the east side of the Mississippi along U.S. Highway 10. In the 1960s the highway was re-routed, greatly contributing to the demise of the downtown area. The later construction of the current Sartell Bridge over the Mississippi in the early 1980’s replaced the remaining businesses. This and Sartell’s nearby location to St. Cloud, Minnesota’s major retail center account for Sartell's lack of a traditional "downtown".

Independent School District # 748, Sartell-St. Stephen, was created in 1969 because residents wanted to educate their children locally. Despite not having a downtown the city continued to grow and the pace of the growth increased in the 1970s. From 1970 to the present, the city’s population has grown from 700 to over 10,000.

Economy

Sartell's largest employers are Verso Paper, which operates a paper mill in the city, and DeZurik Water Controls, whose valve production plant is located in Sartell. The city also plays host to a number of small businesses including gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and salons among others.

Law and government

Sartell's city council consists of a mayor and four council members elected at-large to represent the community and legislate citywide policy. As of January 2007, Sartell's mayor is Tim O'Driscoll and its four council members are Steve Hennes, Pat Lynch, Joe Perske, and David Peterson. They possess the authority to pass and enforce ordinances, establish public and administrative policies, create advisory boards and commissions, and manage the city's financial operations including preparing a budget, auditing expenditures, and transacting other city business as required by law. The City Council also appoints a City Administrator who oversees the day-to-day operations of the city and implements the policies of the Council.

Recreation

Teens enjoying water sports on the Mississippi River in Sartell.

The Mississippi River that flows through the city affords many recreational opportunities to local residents. These include boating, use of personal watercraft, swimming, fishing and water skiing. During winter, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and ice fishing are popular on the frozen river.

City recreational facilities include 24 parks, miles of paved walking pathways, playgrounds, a bike lane, tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields, ice rinks, a disc golf course and a wading pool.

Transportation

Transportation to and from Sartell is limited to surface roads, mainly U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota Highway 15, both of which pass along the outskirts of the city. Bus service through St. Cloud Metro Bus runs to destinations within Sartell and neighboring Sauk Rapids and St. Cloud. A rail line passes through town, but serves the city only as freight transportation for the Sartell Paper Mill.

The city's proximity to St. Cloud allows for convenient access to St. Cloud Regional Airport as well as the city's Amtrak and Greyhound stations.

The presence of dams along the Mississippi River and the waterway's relatively shallow depth render it useless for anything more than recreational watercraft traffic. Sartell's location on the river facilitated the construction of the Old Sartell Bridge in 1914, later replaced by the current Sartell Bridge in 1984.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.1 square miles (15.9 km²), of which, 5.9 square miles (15.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) or 3.75 percent of it is water.

U.S. Highway 10, Minnesota Highway 15, and County 1 are three of the main routes in Sartell. Other nearby routes in the St. Cloud area include Interstate Highway 94, Minnesota Highway 23, and County 75. Sartell is immediately north of the city of St. Cloud.

The city is situated on the Mississippi River with the surrounding undeveloped property composed mainly of woodlands and farmland.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 9,641 people, 3,443 households, and 2,513 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,633.9 persons per square mile (630.9/km²). There were 3,531 housing units at an average density of 598.4 per square mile (231.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.42% White, 0.29% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 3,443 households out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 15.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,531, and the median income for a family was $61,056. Males had a median income of $39,834 versus $27,476 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,667. About 3.0% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

• Craig Sauer, NFL linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings [1]
• Kurt Sauer, NHL defenseman for the Colorado Avalanche [2]
• Michael Sauer, drafted by the New York Rangers in July 2005 [3]
• Kyle Mareck, the man

External links

• City of Sartell, MN -- Official site
• Sartell Historical Society
• History of Sartell, Minnesota - A Collection of Pictures and Memories of the Sartell Minnesota Area
• Sartell Newsleader newspaper site