Karlstad, Minnesota

Karlstad, Minnesota
City
Location of Karlstad, Minnesota
Coordinates: 48°34′34″N 96°31′8″W / 48.57611°N 96.51889°W / 48.57611; -96.51889
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Kittson
Area[1]
• Total	1.53 sq mi (3.96 km2)
• Land	1.53 sq mi (3.96 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,050 ft (320 m)
Population (2010)[2]
• Total	760
• Estimate (2012[3])	748
• Density	496.7/sq mi (191.8/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	56732
Area code(s)	218
FIPS code	27-32444
GNIS feature ID	0646041[4]
Website	http://www.ci.karlstad.mn.us/

Karlstad is a city in Kittson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 760 at the 2010 census.^[5]

U.S. Route 59 and Minnesota State Highway 11 are two of the main arterial routes in the city.The current mayor is Nick Amb (elected 2006). The city's slogan is "The Moose Capitol of the North".

History

In 1904, the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad built its track through the farm of a Swedish immigrant named Carl August Carlson and bought a town site from him. The new town was named Karlstad, honoring both Mr. Carlson and the city of Karlstad in Sweden.

Enterprise

Karlstad's largest employers are Wikstrom Telephone Company (Wiktel) and Mattracks. Wiktel provides internet and phone services for much of Northwestern Minnesota, including the regional telephone directory. The company has a long history in Karlstad, going back to the early 1900s. It was founded by the Wikstrom family, and many of the current employees are Wikstroms. Mattracks, however, is a newly founded company within the last 15 years, and manufactures and markets track conversion systems. Started by Glen Brazier, the rapidly growing company recently opened a new plant in China. Other than these two companies, most town businesses are locally owned and employ only a few individuals. Businesses include hardware, furniture, and grocery stores, a hair salon, a Scandinavian gifts shop, a few restaurants and bars, and insurance and accounting services. In addition, the local community is primarily a farming one.

From 1951 through 1995, the town had its own hospital.^[6]

Education

Karlstad has two schools: Heritage Christian School and Tri-County Public Schools. Both schools serve grades K-12. Tri-County School combines with Marshall County Central Schools of Newfolden, Minnesota, located 17 miles to the south, for all of its athletic programs. The name given for the consolidated team is the Northern Freeze. Girls and boys track are also combined with Badger School and Greenbush-Middle River School. Baseball and Softball have included Stephen-Argyle Central School in their sports coops. The Northern Freeze coop has proved to be a success for all schools involved. The Freeze, since the coop, have advanced to the State Tournament three times: Volleyball (2006, 6th place), Baseball (2009) and Girl's Basketball (2010, 4th place).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.53 square miles (3.96 km²), all of it land.^[1]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 760 people, 331 households, and 189 families residing in the city. The population density was 496.7 inhabitants per square mile (191.8 /km²). There were 399 housing units at an average density of 260.8 per square mile (100.7 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.1% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population.

There were 331 households of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 39.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age in the city was 47.5 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 27.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.4% male and 54.6% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 794 people, 340 households, and 199 families residing in the city. The population density was 522.3 people per square mile (201.7/km²). There were 394 housing units at an average density of 259.2 per square mile (100.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.86% White, 0.63% Native American, 0.13% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population. 47.5% were of Norwegian, 19.9% Swedish and 9.9% German ancestry.

There were 340 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,208, and the median income for a family was $35,469. Males had a median income of $29,444 versus $20,893 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,274. About 9.2% of families and 13.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

• City of Karlstad
• Heritage Christian School
• Tri-County Schools

v t e Municipalities and communities of Kittson County, Minnesota, United States County seat: Hallock Cities Donaldson Hallock Halma Humboldt Karlstad Kennedy Lake Bronson Lancaster St. Vincent Townships Arveson Cannon Caribou Clow Davis Deerwood Granville Hallock Hampden Hazelton Hill Jupiter Norway Pelan Percy Poppleton Richardville St. Joseph St. Vincent Skane South Red River Spring Brook Svea Tegner Teien Thompson Unorganized territories East Kittson McKinley North Red River Unincorporated communities Caribou Noyes Ghost towns Pelan Robbin

Coordinates: 48°34′39″N 96°31′14″W / 48.57750°N 96.52056°W / 48.57750; -96.52056