Owatonna, Minnesota
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| Owatonna, Minnesota | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Steele |
| Area | |
| - Total | 12.7 sq mi (32.8 km²) |
| - Land | 12.6 sq mi (32.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,152 ft (351 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 24,533 |
| - Density | 1,779.9/sq mi (687.2/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 55060 |
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-49300[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0649095[2] |
Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 22,434 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August.
Interstate 35 and U.S. Routes 14, and 218 are three of the main arterial routes in the city.
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[edit] History
Owatonna was first settled in 1853 around the Straight River, which is anything but straight. Local legend suggests[who?] that the name "Owatonna" is also an ironic name for the river, but that the term "Ouitunya" ("straight") refers to the "morally strong traders" and not the rather whimsically winding river.
In 1883, Owatonna was the site of the State Fair and soon the county established its own fair in Owatonna, the Steele County Free Fair or SCFF, the largest free fair in Minnesota.
All the attention on the area in the late 1800s caused the city administration (and a fly-by-night corporation from which the city administrators profited) to devise a tourism and bottled water scheme in which a story centered around a "Princess Owatonna" was concocted. According to the story, Princess Owatonna, daughter of Chief Wabena, fell ill. She was so ill she couldn't lift her head to drink the smallest pool of water. The chief had heard of the wonderful curative effects of water bubbling from the ground in what is now Owatonna, and decided that only their magical restorative properties could save his daughter. After being given the water by her father, Princess Owatonna was miraculously cured, lending her name and image to both the town and the newly minted bottled water company. A statue of the princess appears in Owatonna's Mineral Springs Park, next to Maple Creek, a tributary of the Straight River, and a fountain where visitors can see the springs and drink the water that saved Princess Owatonna.
The Minnesota State School for Dependent and Neglected Children was built in 1886. The school took in orphans from around the state and taught them "the value of drill, discipline and labor." The children who died in the institution were interred in the graveyard behind the school. In 1945, the orphanage was closed and the facility began to serve handicapped children. In 1974, the City purchased the compound for its office space. Renamed "West Hills," it continues to serve as the city's administration complex and home to many nonprofit civic organizations including a senior activity center, the Owatonna Arts Center, two nonprofit day care centers, a chemical dependency halfway house, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, among others.
[edit] Economy
Owatonna is an economic center of Southern Minnesota, with diverse industries. Federated Insurance is the largest employer with 1521 employees, followed by Viracon which has 1434 employees.[3] Both have their headquarters in Owatonna. Other large employers in the community are SPX Corporation, Jostens[5], Cabela's, Truth Hardware, ISD 761, Wenger Corporation, Owatonna Clinic - Mayo Health Systems, and Owatonna Hospital - Allina Hospitals And Clinics.
Recently Owatonna has seen a large amount of commercial growth, with the arrival of well-known retail and restaurant chains. Some of these are Lowe's, Fleet Farm, Kohl’s, OfficeMax, MGM Liquors, Slumber Land Furniture Outlet, Starbucks Coffee, Caribou Coffee, Dunn Bros. Coffee, Papa Murphy's, Wendy's, Famous Dave’s, and Timber Lodge Steak House.
[edit] Government
Owatonna is governed by a Mayor and City Council. As of 2007 its mayor is Thomas Kuntz.[6]
The city is located in Minnesota’s 26th District, represented by Senator Dick Day, a Republican, who was first elected to the state senate in 1990 and has been reelected five times. In 1998, Senator Day was elected leader of his caucus. He currently sits on the Business, Industry and Jobs Finance; Transportation Budget and Policy Division; State and Local Government Operations and Oversight; and Transportation Committees.
Owatonna also lies in House District 26A, represented by State Representative Connie Ruth, a Republican. She was first elected to that office in 2000, and is currently in her fourth term. Representative Ruth sits on the following committees: Biosciences and Emerging Technology; Education Finance and Economic Competitiveness Finance Division; Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy and Finance Division; Transportation and Transit Policy Subcommittee; and Transportation Finance Division.
Owatonna is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Mankato educator Tim Walz, a Democrat.
[edit] Education
[edit] Public schools[edit] Elementary schools
[edit] Middle school
[edit] High school
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[edit] Private schools
[edit] Higher education |
[edit] Sites of Interest
[edit] National Farmers Bank
In the middle of Owatonna's downtown is the National Farmer's Bank, widely recognized as one of the premier pieces of the "Prairie School of Architecture" in America. Designed by Louis Sullivan, the building was finished in 1908 and features gold leaf arches, stained glass windows, and nouveau baroque art designs. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is now occupied by a branch of Wells Fargo Bank.
[edit] State School Museum
The State School Museum[7] is located at West Hills on the grounds of the former state orphanage, the Minnesota State School for Dependent and Neglected Children.
[edit] Sports and Recreation
[edit] Junior Hockey
The Owatonna Express is a junior hockey team who play at Four Seasons Center and are a member of the North American Hockey League. Although having a similar name and logo, this teams is unrelated to the former Southern Minnesota Express, that relocated to Michigan to become the Motor City Machine. The team is named the Owatonna Express instead of the Southern Minnesota Express because, "With the new team in Albert Lea joining the North American Hockey League this season, and others in the Twin Cities and Rochester possibly coming into the fray in the next few years, the Express are no longer the sole owners of southern Minnesota." [4] The Express begin play in the 2008-2009 season. [5]
[edit] Therapeutic Recreation Department - "Friday Camp"
Friday camp is a local camp for kids with disabilities that occurs during the summer. It began in 2000 under Wendy Reller, Head of the Therapeutic Recreation Department in Owatonna, MN. As one can tell by the name, Friday camp is a camp that is on Fridays and meets at Lake Kohlmier (which is located by Kaplan's Woods).
Camp begins at 9:30 a.m. with group time. This is when the campers have a snack and learn about that day's topic. Topics range from insects to birds to trees and even the 4th of July. After this, the campers walk to the boat landing to participate in a game such as kick-the-can, kickball, or spud. When the game is through, the campers usually venture over to Reed's Island where they bask in the beautiful surroundings. Next, the campers walk back to camp to make a project for Arts and Crafts time. After the campers finish with their crafts, they have lunch. Usually after lunch, one of the counselors will talk more about that day's topic and a game follows. Next, the campers write in their journals and when they finish this, it is usually time for "Water Fun". During Water Fun time, the campers can take the paddle boats out on the lake, they could go fishing at the dock, or they can hang out at the beach and play. Only during the last day of camp are the campers allowed to go swimming.
If it happens to rain on a Friday that camp meets, there is a rain plan where alternate activities are scheduled (such as going to the Art center, Bowling Alley, Holiday Inn Waterpark). During 2007, twenty-two children showed up for Friday camp, which had four counselors working. Friday camp is only on Fridays since summer school runs Monday through Thursday.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.8 km²), of which, 12.6 square miles (32.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.55%) is water. The oldest part of the city (including the downtown area) is located on a low lying area on the eastern bank of the Straight River, extending towards the south from Maple Creek. The city has grown in all directions, and now lies on both sides of the river, as well as above the ridge north of Maple Creek. Significant growth in recent years has occurred to the northeast, where homes have been built along the ravine of Maple Creek as well as alongside Brooktree Golf Course, to the north, and to the southeast. Geographical landmarks of note include Kaplan's Woods, a hardwood nature preserve on the southern border of the city, Cinder Hill, a steep 60 foot hill on Linn Avenue overlooking downtown that is used by local athletes for training, the Straight River dam, originally used to power a mill and now reconstructed to include a fish ladder, and the Forest Hill Cemetery, an old wooded cemetery on the ridge to the north of Maple Creek that marks the boundary between the oldest parts of the city and more recent developments.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 2,070 |
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| 1880 | 3,161 | 52.7% | |
| 1890 | 3,849 | 21.8% | |
| 1900 | 5,561 | 44.5% | |
| 1910 | 5,658 | 1.7% | |
| 1920 | 7,252 | 28.2% | |
| 1930 | 7,654 | 5.5% | |
| 1940 | 8,694 | 13.6% | |
| 1950 | 10,191 | 17.2% | |
| 1960 | 13,409 | 31.6% | |
| 1970 | 15,341 | 14.4% | |
| 1980 | 18,632 | 21.5% | |
| 1990 | 19,386 | 4% | |
| 2000 | 22,434 | 15.7% | |
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 22,434 people, 8,704 households, and 5,936 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,779.9 people per square mile (687.4/km²). There were 8,940 housing units at an average density of 709.3/sq mi (273.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.09% White, 1.56% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.31% of the population.
There were 8,704 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,660, and the median income for a family was $54,883. Males had a median income of $37,691 versus $25,511 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,513. About 4.3% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Culture and Society
Parts of the 1995 movie Angus were filmed in and around Owatonna, including Owatonna High School and its football team.[6]
In 1974, the City of Owatonna purchased the campus of the former Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children, which had been in operation from 1886 until 1945. The site was renamed West Hills, and now serves as an administrative center for the City of Owatonna, as well as housing several non-profit organizations in the various historic buildings, including the Owatonna Arts Center.[7]
[edit] Notable natives
- Karyn Stordahl-Utecht, Miss Minnesota 2005 and contestant of The Golf Channel's reality series The Big Break VI: Trump National in 2006. Graduate of Owatonna High School.
- Ken Christianson, Artist and Musician, graduate of Owatonna Senior High.
- Masanori Mark Christianson, Art Director and Musician, graduate of Owatonna Senior High.
- Casey Driessen, fiddler.
- Theodore Marcus Hansen, Lutheran pastor and educator, pastor in Owatonna from 1948-1952.
- Har Mar Superstar, musician and songwriter, was born in Owatonna.
- Mike Hegstrand, Professional Wrestler, Hawk, One half of the Road Warriors, 1958-2003. Born in Owatonna, Resided on Xerxes Ave.
- Don Laughlin, founder of the resort town of Laughlin, Nevada, born and raised in Owatonna.
- E.G. Marshall, known for his role as the nervous Juror #3 in the Henry Fonda classic, 12 Angry Men and as the lead in the TV series The Defenders, was born in Owatonna on June 18th, 1910.
- Craig Minowa, rising musician star, lead singer of Cloud Cult, & also founder of Minnesota record label Earthology records.
- Ted Nesseth, Musician and Songwriter, graduate of Owatonna Senior High.
- Kari Schroht Reuvers, 1978 Princess Kay of the Milky Way
- Harry Williams, the author of the World War I and World War II classic song, "It's a Long Way to Tipperary", and sometime director for Mack Sennett graduated from Pillsbury Military Academy.
- Travis Wiuff, a.k.a "Diesel", MMA fighter, UFC
- Kathy Zeman, 1976 Princess Kay of the Milky Way
- Roger H. Tenney, 1967 national Teacher of the Year
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ [1] Owatonna employer profile
- ^ Owatonna Express official website, [2], 27th May 2008
- ^ NAHL.com, [3], 15th May 2008
- ^ IMDB, Angus [4]
- ^ Owatonna Arts Center [http://www.owatonnaartscenter.org/
[edit] External links
- City of Owatonna Website
- Music Boosters of Owatonna
- Owatonna Development
- City of Owatonna Police Website
- Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism
- Finding Minnesota: Owatonna Video from WCCO news profiling the legend of Owatonna
- A Sweet Spot Worth A Stop In Owatonna Video from WCCO news featuring local institution: Costas' Restaurant & Candies
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