Blue Earth, Minnesota

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The Jolly Green Giant statue in Blue Earth.

Blue Earth is a city in Faribault County, Minnesota, at the confluence of the east and west branches of the Blue Earth River. The population was 3,621 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Faribault County ⁶. It is home to a statue of the Jolly Green Giant. The ice cream sandwich is first thought to be invented in Blue Earth. Additionally, Interstate Highway 90 is centered on Blue Earth, as the east and west construction teams met in 1978. As a tribute, there is a golden stripe of concrete on the interstate near Blue Earth. This draws a parallel to the golden spike set in the first transcontinental railroad.

1 Name
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Name

The city of Blue Earth gets its name from the Blue Earth River which surrounds the town. The river was given the Dakota name "Mahkota" (meaning Blue Earth) for the blue-black clay found in the river banks.^[1]

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.2 km² (3.2 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 3,621 people, 1,535 households, and 925 families residing in the city. The population density was 439.6/km² (1,137.0/mi²). There were 1,666 housing units at an average density of 202.3/km² (523.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.85% White, 0.17% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 1.60% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.14% of the population.

There were 1,535 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 21.9% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 25.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 84.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,940, and the median income for a family was $42,377. Males had a median income of $29,359 versus $20,168 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,037. About 4.3% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.