Wadena, Minnesota

Wadena, Minnesota
—  City  —
Location of Wadena, Minnesota
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Minnesota
Counties Wadena, Otter Tail
Area
 • Total 5.2 sq mi (13.6 km2)
 • Land 5.2 sq mi (13.6 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,352 ft (412 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 4,088
 • Density 818.4/sq mi (316.0/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 56482
Area code(s) 218
FIPS code 27-67504[2]
GNIS feature ID 0653712[3]
Website www.wadena.org

Wadena (pronunciation: /wəˈdnə/ wə-deen) is a city in Otter Tail and Wadena counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is about one hundred sixty miles northwest of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metro area. The population was 4,088 at the 2010 census.[1] It is the county seat of Wadena County[4]. The city is named after Chief Wadena, an Ojibwe Indian chief of the late 19th century in northwestern Minnesota.[5]

Contents

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Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.6 km²), all of it land.

U.S. Routes 10 and 71 and Minnesota State Highway 29 are three of the main routes in the city.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1890 895
1900 1,520 69.8%
1910 1,820 19.7%
1920 2,186 20.1%
1930 2,512 14.9%
1940 2,916 16.1%
1950 3,958 35.7%
1960 4,381 10.7%
1970 4,640 5.9%
1980 4,699 1.3%
1990 4,131 −12.1%
2000 4,294 3.9%
2010 4,088 −4.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 4,294 people, 1,871 households, and 1,062 families residing in the city. The population density was 818.4 people per square mile (315.8/km²). There were 1,964 housing units at an average density of 374.3 per square mile (144.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.88% White, 0.84% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population.

There were 1,871 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,947, and the median income for a family was $39,511. Males had a median income of $28,286 versus $21,297 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,452. About 10.3% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Radio Stations

FM radio
AM radio

Television

Wadena is served by five local TV stations:

The local cable TV provider is Arvig Communication Systems.

Newspapers

2010 Tornado

On June 17, 2010, Wadena was hit by an EF-4[6] tornado that cut a quarter-mile-wide path of destruction through the town. The tornado was over a mile wide, packed winds of up to 170 miles per hour, and was on the ground for about 10 miles.[6] The wife of Wadena's mayor reported that "houses are half gone" and that essentially all trees were destroyed within the southwestern portion of the city.[7] At least 232 homes were damaged in the city, though no one in the town was killed.[8] The Community Center was damaged "beyond repair", and the high school was also severely damaged.[8] The Wadena Tornado was covered extensively on the December 1, 2010 episode of the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers.

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. 
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
  5. ^ "Wadena's Namesake". Wadena County Historical Society. http://wadenacountyhistory.org/wadena-town-history/general-history. Retrieved July 14, 2011. 
  6. ^ a b McAuliffe, Bill (June 21, 2010). "Storms Packed Historic Strength". Star Tribune (Minneapolis): pp. A9. http://www.startribune.com/96756479.html?elr=KArksDyycyUtyycyUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU. Retrieved June 21, 2010. 
  7. ^ "Tornadoes batter Wadena, Albert Lea area leaving behind major damage". KARE 11. 2010-06-18. Archived from the original on 2010-09-27. http://www.webcitation.org/5t3v9UE1P. Retrieved 2010-09-27. 
  8. ^ a b "Wadena A 'War Zone' After Thursday's Tornado". WCCO. 2010-06-18. Archived from the original on 2010-09-27. http://www.webcitation.org/5t3v7BZkm. Retrieved 2010-09-27. 

External links