Holdingford, Minnesota

Holdingford, Minnesota
—  City  —
One of many references to Lake Wobegon in Holdingford
Nickname(s): Gateway to Lake Wobegon
Location of Holdingford, Minnesota
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Stearns
Area
 • Total 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2)
 • Land 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,181 ft (360 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 708
 • Density 1,182.1/sq mi (456.4/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 56340
Area code(s) 320
FIPS code 27-29582[2]
GNIS feature ID 0645075[3]
Website City Website

Holdingford is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 708 at the 2010 census.[1] It claims to be "The Gateway to Lake Wobegon", the fictional central Minnesota town created by Garrison Keillor.

Holdingford is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), all of it land.

Stearns County Road 9 and Stearns County Road 17 (River Street) are two of the main routes in the community. Holdingford is located nine miles north of the city of Avon at Interstate 94 in central Minnesota. The city of Albany is also nearby.

Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 736 people, 286 households, and 197 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,182.1 people per square mile (458.3/km²). There were 297 housing units at an average density of 477.0 per square mile (185.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.18% White, 0.54% Asian, and 0.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.14% of the population.

There were 286 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,000, and the median income for a family was $42,788. Males had a median income of $31,053 versus $21,141 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,410. About 6.2% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.


History

During prohibition, Stearns County became a large producer of moonshine with a majority of the farmers in the area distilling spirits. Stearns County spirits made their way to Minneapolis, St. Paul, Chicago and Canada. The product was nicknamed "Minnesota 13" after the seed corn it was made from. During prohibition, many say Holdingford was the unofficial moonshine capital of Minnesota. "I think it was because we made the best moonshine, so there was more of a demand for it, so more was made" said Elmer Ebnet, 67, of Holdingford. "It seems that almost everyone around here was making it." Prohibition officially started Jan. 16, 1920, and Holdingford was a community that pulled together to break the law.

Notable natives

References

  1. ^ a b "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

3a St. Cloud Times March-29-1996- Prohibition in Stearns County Produced a Different Cash Crop-Jerry L. Carter
3b St. Cloud Times March-29-1996- Holdingford stayed 'wet' during dry spell-Jerry L. Carter

External links