Montgomery, Minnesota
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| Montgomery, Minnesota | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Le Sueur |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.6 sq mi (4.0 km²) |
| - Land | 1.6 sq mi (4.0 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,070 ft (326 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 2,794 |
| - Density | 1,790.7/sq mi (691.4/km²) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56069 |
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-43738[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0648047[2] |
| Website: www.montgomery.govoffice.com | |
Montgomery is a city in Le Sueur County, Minnesota, in the United States, 45 miles south of Minneapolis. Named after Richard Montgomery, an Irish-American soldier who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The population was 2,794 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Community
This rural community can be characterized by its Czechoslovakian heritage. The original settlement was by Czech and German immigrants who brought their traditions and customs to the rural landscape of the Montgomery area around 1856-1860.
The Torch Light Parade and fireworks are held every year in the beginning of December.
Montgomery is also home to Big Honza Giganticzech's Museum of Unnatural History. Personal tours conducted by Dr. Monty Gomery PHD (Promulgator of Honzonian Data), distinguished graduate of ISU (Imaginary State University).
[edit] Kolacky Days Festival
Annually, Montgomery celebrates their Czechoslovakian heritage at the end of July with one of Minnesota's oldest festivals, Kolacky Days.
The festival dates back to 1929, when an estimated 6,000 people visited Montgomery for the first Kolacky Day celebration, held on October 1st.
"The Kolacky Day spirit reigned supreme from early Tuesday morning until a comparatively late hour Wednesday morning. More than 1,600 of the celebrated delicacies were devoured," according to a Montgomery Messenger account from the following week.
Events at the first celebration included a trap shooting tournament, a parade, sports and races and a football game between Montgomery and Le Sueur Center (now Le Center).
In 1931 Miss Leatta Ehmke, (Mrs. Joe Trnka) was crowned the first Kolacky Queen by Mayor Henry Westerman. Her attendants were Ella Krocak, Sylvia Zelenka, Anna Zelenka and Berniece Malone.
For the 1934 celebration, a novelty button, sold by the Kolacky girls, was devised and is still in use today.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Kolacky Day retreated to the background until the Montgomery Community Club revived the celebration in 1948.
Kolacky Days officially became a summer festival in 1966 when the traditional date, the last Sunday in September, was dropped in favor of the first weekend in August. The earlier date and warmer weather brought huge crowds to the festival.
In 1975, Kolacky Day became Kolacky Days and the event was held for the first time at the end of July. The move to July was done at the urging of the Green Giant vegetable canning company in order to avoid conflict with the busy corn processing season.
Kolacky Days 2008 will be held July 25th through the 27th.
[edit] Media Reference
Area resident Andrew Rogers finished in 5th place at the Poker Dome Challenge, a 43-week series of speed poker tournaments that offered a grand prize of $1,000,000.00 USD.
[edit] Industry
Seneca Foods (formerly Green Giant) has a Freezing and Canning facility in Montgomery. Many residents of Montgomery have "paid their dues" working at Seneca. United Steel Products also has a large facility in town.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.0 km²), all of it land.
Minnesota State Highways 13 and 21 are two of the main routes in the city.
Minnesota State Highway 99 is nearby.
Montgomery is 15 miles from Interstate 35.
The closest towns to Montgomery are as follows:
- North - New Prague
- South - Kilkenny
- East - Lonsdale
- West - Le Center
Closest Major City - Faribault.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 2,794 people, 1,105 households, and 690 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,790.7 people per square mile (691.5/km²). There were 1,137 housing units at an average density of 728.7/sq mi (281.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.59% White, 0.32% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 4.29% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.77% of the population.
There were 1,105 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% 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 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,145, and the median income for a family was $48,011. Males had a median income of $30,707 versus $23,977 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,128. About 8.1% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 18.3% of those age 65 or over.
[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.
[edit] Further reading
- Montgomery: From the "Big Woods" To the "Kolacky Capital", second edition (2000), Montgomery Arts and Heritage Center.
[edit] External links
- Montgomery, MN -- Official site
- Big Honza's Museum of Unnatural History
- ePodunk entry for Montgomery
- Montgomery Chamber Of Commerce
- Montgomery, Minnesota is at coordinates Coordinates:
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