Heron Lake, Minnesota

Heron Lake, Minnesota
—  City  —
Location of Heron Lake, Minnesota
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Jackson
Government
 • Type Mayor – Council
 • Mayor Dan Shumway
Area
 • Total 1.1 sq mi (2.7 km2)
 • Land 1.1 sq mi (2.7 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,421 ft (433 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 698
 • Density 723.4/sq mi (279.3/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 56137
Area code(s) 507
FIPS code 27-28700[2]
GNIS feature ID 0644907[3]
Website www.heronlakecity.org

Heron Lake is a city in Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 698 at the 2010 census.[1]

Contents

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), all of it land.

Minnesota State Highway 60 serves as a main route in the community.

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 768 people, 285 households, and 174 families residing in the city. The population density was 723.4 people per square mile (279.7/km²). There were 322 housing units at an average density of 303.3 per square mile (117.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.58% White, 0.52% Asian, 6.38% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.55% of the population.

There were 285 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% 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 3.30.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 15.9% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,222, and the median income for a family was $40,625. Males had a median income of $28,958 versus $19,219 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,657.

Notable people

Roman Catholic Bishop Frederick William Freking of the Diocese of La Crosse was born in rural Heron Lake.

Walter Mondale, Vice-President of the United States under Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) and the Democratic Party's nominee for President in 1984, attended Heron Lake Public High School and lived in the Methodist Episcopal Church parsonage (still present in the town) for three years prior to 1946. His father was minister at the church during that time. Many residents of the town from that time have tales of the young Mondale's shenanigans. The local voters, unlike the rest of Minnesota, voted overwhelmingly against Mondale in the 1984 election.

Inkpaduta, a Mdewakanton Sioux Indian leader in the area from the 1850s until his departure to join Sitting Bull's band in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, camped at at the south end of the lake that gives the town its name both before and after his participation in the Spirit Lake massacre of 1857, and the Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux uprising.[4]

Walter Abel, an actor of some success in the first half of the twentieth century, lived in the town for some part of his formative years. His earliest and probably best-known role was as D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers (1935). Much of his reputation was built on his ability to die dramatically (such as by falling off a building) when shot on film. No one extant in the town at this time even knows anyone who ever met him.

Juliet Peterson, a Big Brother 13 Contestant.

Several residents at the time claimed to have seen Al Capone in the town at one point during Prohibition. The town was on the route from the Twin Cities to Sioux City at the time, so the reports are intriguingly plausible if not substantiated.

Politics

Heron Lake is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Mankato educator Tim Walz, a Democrat. At the state level, Heron Lake is located in Senate District 22, represented by Republican Doug Magnus, and in House District 22B, represented by Republican Rod Hamilton.

References

External links