| Blue Earth, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Motto: Earth so rich the city grows! | |
| Location of Blue Earth, Minnesota | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Faribault |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor - Council |
| • Mayor | Rob Hammond |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2) |
| • Land | 3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,089 ft (332 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 3,353 |
| • Density | 1,137.0/sq mi (439.0/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 56013 |
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-06688[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0640284[3] |
| Website | www.becity.org |
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 3,353 at the 2010 census.[1] It is the county seat of Faribault County[4]. It is home to a statue of the Jolly Green Giant. Additionally, Interstate Highway 90 is centered on Blue Earth, as the east and west construction teams met here 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.
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The city of Blue Earth gets its name from the Blue Earth River which surrounds the town. The river was given the Dakota name "Mahka-to" (meaning Blue Earth) for the blue-black clay found in the river banks.[5]
The Jolly Green Giant statue attracts over 10,000 visitors a year. In July 2007, the Blue Earth City Council approved space for a Green Giant memorabilia museum. Lowell Steen, of Blue Earth, has collected thousands of Green Giant items and will permanently loan them to the museum.[6]
Prior to Football Play-offs the Mpls Star/Tribune had a Coaches Poll who voted each week for the Best Football Team in the State (No Classes!) In 1964, 65 & 66 Blue Earth Bucs were Rated #1 for 3 consecutive years holding many of their opponents to -Negative Total Yards and Defeating teams like St. James 96-6!
1972 Football Team 9-1 played in the First State Football Play-offs getting edged by a score of 15-14 in the last seconds by a Big Metro School Burnsville.
The 1990 Football team went 11-2 and finished 3rd in the State for Class A.
Buc Wrestling has the second most Individual State Champions on record in Minnesota with 50 Champs! Now that's something to be said for a small community.
Blue Earth is home to many examples of Midwestern architecture, including:
Faribault County Courthouse – completed in December 1892 at a cost of over $70,000. The architect for the courthouse was C.A. Dunham of Burlington, Iowa and the contractor was S.J. Hoban from St. Paul. The style of the courthouse is Richardsonian (Romanesque). Stone used in the construction of the courthouse was transported from Kasota, MN to Blue Earth by horse & wagon and rail. Most of the sand used in the mortar was from the Blue Earth river bottom and thoroughly washed. The pillars on the front of the building are of polished granite. There are ledges on all four sides of the tower that are of solid stone of unknown weights of several ton each.[7]
Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd – 1872
First Presbyterian Church — constructed in 1897 at a cost of $12,622.75. Designed by Kinney and Orth, architects from Austin, Minnesota. The architecture is Romanesque in the arched windows, Gothic in the steeples and gables, and medieval in the towers.[8]
Salem Evangelical Church – This English country Gothic structure was completed in 1942. Designed by Bard & Vanderbilt of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
On Sept. 10-12, 1999, The Order of the Arrow (OA), a group within the Boy Scouts of America, held its Section C-1A Conclave in Blue Earth. Seven OA Lodges, representing councils from Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, attended the event.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), all of it land.
Interstate Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 169 are two of the main routes in the city.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 1,066 |
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| 1890 | 1,569 | 47.2% | |
| 1900 | 2,900 | 84.8% | |
| 1910 | 2,319 | −20.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,568 | 10.7% | |
| 1930 | 2,884 | 12.3% | |
| 1940 | 3,702 | 28.4% | |
| 1950 | 3,843 | 3.8% | |
| 1960 | 4,200 | 9.3% | |
| 1970 | 3,965 | −5.6% | |
| 1980 | 4,132 | 4.2% | |
| 1990 | 3,745 | −9.4% | |
| 2000 | 3,621 | −3.3% | |
| 2010 | 3,353 | −7.4% | |
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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 1,137.0 people per square mile (439.6/km²). There were 1,666 housing units at an average density of 523.1 per square mile (202.3/km²). 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.
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