Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Fergus Falls is a city in and the county seat
of Otter Tail County
, Minnesota
, United States
. The population was 13,138 at the 2010 census.
Fergus Falls features many different parks (tallgrass prairie and eastern woodlands), stores, and other tourist attractions. The Union Avenue Bridge spans the Otter Tail River
, and was recently reconstructed in 2004. Just below the bridge is part of scenic River Walk Park, which spans about a mile of the river. The part nearest the Union Avenue Bridge was redone along with the bridge. The town hall was modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia
. Once the city fire station, the building later became the city hall. Some other points of interest include: the county museum, Lake Alice, George B. Wright Park, Pebble Lake Golf Course, and Veteran's Memorial Park. Founded in 1914, the Victor Lundeen Company is still an important business in Fergus Falls today. The arts in Fergus Falls are booming with a wonderful community theater program situated in the downtown area. Many local as well as professional talents perform at A Center for the Arts.
in 1907. The city was incorporated in the late 1870s and is situated along the dividing line between the former great deciduous forest of the Northwest Territories to the East, and the great plains to the West, in a region of gentle hills, where the recent geological history is dominated by the recession of the glaciers from the last great Ice Age, with numerous lakes and small rivers about.
Two major tornadoes hit Fergus Falls during the early 20th century, the second, the 1919 Fergus Falls tornado
, being the greater. The only Church edifice left standing after the great cyclone was the predominantly-black Baptist church.
persisted for decades until several generations of ethnic intermarriage and continuing inward and outward migration largely erased the initially strong divisions of class and power along ethnic lines. The small black community, largely Baptist, which clustered in the Southeast section of the city, gradually dwindled.
settled in the region, mostly as farmers (wheat and corn in the Western plains and dairy and hogs in the Eastern hills and forests). The importance of the Civil War experience to these early settlers is highlighted by the naming of the streets of Fergus Falls: The intersecting principal thoroughfares are Lincoln Avenue and Union Avenue. The oldest parts of the town have streets with names such as Sherman, Sheridan, and Vernon. The early English wave of settlement claimed control of the falls along the Otter Tail River
, and established the first Episcopalian and Presbyterian churches.
) established an academy in Fergus Falls, which today operates a private high school, theological seminary and mission society, with an office in Fergus Falls. The pietistic
, low-church Lutherans constituted one cultural center of the Norwegian-German community, while the high-church First Lutheran constituted a separate center, which attracted a more upwardly mobile class of parishioner.
along the western edge of Fergus Falls in the late 1950s, population mobility increased dramatically, and high school graduates increasingly left the town to attend colleges in Morris, Fargo-Moorhead, or the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. As farming declined as an occupation and lifestyle, with large-scale commercial farming gradually replacing the family farm system during the second half of the 20th century, the city appeared increasingly destined to become a retirement and nursing community, until a new migration of younger families was made possible by the Internet, which created opportunities for telecommuting
and e-business. The bucolic environment, with abundant sporting opportunities which had long attracted summer vacationers to the area, combined with the relatively low cost of real estate and cost of living has brought a new source of people wishing to raise their children away from the comparatively commercialized and higher crime environments of larger cities.
, the city has a total area of 14.1 square miles (36.5 km²), of which, 13.1 square miles (33.9 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it (7.44%) is water.
Interstate 94
/ U.S. Route 52
/ U.S. Route 59
and Minnesota State Highway 210
(co-signed
) and County Highways 1, 82 and 88 are the main routes in Fergus Falls.
of 2000, there were 13,471 people, 5,633 households, and 3,306 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,031.5 people per square mile (398.3/km²). There were 5,909 housing units at an average density of 452.5 per square mile (174.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.02% White, 0.62% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races
, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 5,633 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples
living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,454, and the median income for a family was $44,280. Males had a median income of $32,051 versus $20,841 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,929. About 7.0% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
1-These schools belong to Independent School District #544.
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Otter Tail County
Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Otter Tail County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 57,303. Its county seat is Fergus Falls.-History:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 13,138 at the 2010 census.
Today
Otter Tail River
The Otter Tail River is a river in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It begins in Clearwater County, southwest of Bemidji...
, and was recently reconstructed in 2004. Just below the bridge is part of scenic River Walk Park, which spans about a mile of the river. The part nearest the Union Avenue Bridge was redone along with the bridge. The town hall was modeled after Independence Hall in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Once the city fire station, the building later became the city hall. Some other points of interest include: the county museum, Lake Alice, George B. Wright Park, Pebble Lake Golf Course, and Veteran's Memorial Park. Founded in 1914, the Victor Lundeen Company is still an important business in Fergus Falls today. The arts in Fergus Falls are booming with a wonderful community theater program situated in the downtown area. Many local as well as professional talents perform at A Center for the Arts.
History
The falls from which the city gets part of its name were discovered by Joe Whitford (a Scottish trapper) in 1856 and were promptly named in honor of his employer, James Fergus. It is not known whether James Fergus ever visited the city, but Joe Whitford did not live to see the city develop, as he became one of the many victims of the 1862 Sioux uprising in western Minnesota. In 1867, George B. Wright was at the land office at St. Cloud and found Whitford's lapsed claim, purchased the land, and built what is now the Central Dam in downtown Fergus Falls around 1871. After Wright died in 1882, his son Vernon would move from Boston to Minnesota and take over his father's interests in the town. Vern Wright would also be one of the two people who established the Otter Tail Power CompanyOtter Tail Power Company
Otter Tail Corporation is an energy company based in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Its main subsidiary is the Otter Tail Power Company.As of 2007, Otter Tail Power Company serves at least 423 towns at retail and delivers power to about 14 municipal utilities...
in 1907. The city was incorporated in the late 1870s and is situated along the dividing line between the former great deciduous forest of the Northwest Territories to the East, and the great plains to the West, in a region of gentle hills, where the recent geological history is dominated by the recession of the glaciers from the last great Ice Age, with numerous lakes and small rivers about.
Two major tornadoes hit Fergus Falls during the early 20th century, the second, the 1919 Fergus Falls tornado
1919 Fergus Falls tornado
The 1919 Fergus Falls tornado was a large and destructive tornado that struck Fergus Falls, Minnesota on June 22, 1919. It killed 57 people and is the second deadliest tornado in Minnesota's history. This tornado occurred just 10 months after a tornado in Tyler, Minnesota killed 36 people...
, being the greater. The only Church edifice left standing after the great cyclone was the predominantly-black Baptist church.
Ethnicity
A strong economic division between later Scandinavian immigrant farmers and the earlier English and Scottish war veterans who retained control of the principal businesses of the city center, the banks, and the increasingly important Otter Tail Power CompanyOtter Tail Power Company
Otter Tail Corporation is an energy company based in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Its main subsidiary is the Otter Tail Power Company.As of 2007, Otter Tail Power Company serves at least 423 towns at retail and delivers power to about 14 municipal utilities...
persisted for decades until several generations of ethnic intermarriage and continuing inward and outward migration largely erased the initially strong divisions of class and power along ethnic lines. The small black community, largely Baptist, which clustered in the Southeast section of the city, gradually dwindled.
Growth
The dams built on the Otter Tail River beginning in the 1880s were powerful economic forces, which shaped the development of the area. Returning soldiers from the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
settled in the region, mostly as farmers (wheat and corn in the Western plains and dairy and hogs in the Eastern hills and forests). The importance of the Civil War experience to these early settlers is highlighted by the naming of the streets of Fergus Falls: The intersecting principal thoroughfares are Lincoln Avenue and Union Avenue. The oldest parts of the town have streets with names such as Sherman, Sheridan, and Vernon. The early English wave of settlement claimed control of the falls along the Otter Tail River
Otter Tail River
The Otter Tail River is a river in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It begins in Clearwater County, southwest of Bemidji...
, and established the first Episcopalian and Presbyterian churches.
Immigration
Almost as soon as the foundational structure of the town was laid, an influx of Norwegian immigrants arrived, by way of the Scandinavian migration of Chicago and Minneapolis, often arriving by the Great Northern Railway. Primarily dairy farmers, they established numerous Lutheran churches in the area. The Lutheran Brethren (Church of the Lutheran Brethren of AmericaChurch of the Lutheran Brethren of America
The Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America is a Lutheran denomination of Christians rooted in a spiritual awakening at the turn of the 20th century. A spiritual revival swept through a large part of the Midwestern United States in the 1890s. Lutherans who were influenced by this fervor...
) established an academy in Fergus Falls, which today operates a private high school, theological seminary and mission society, with an office in Fergus Falls. The pietistic
Pietism
Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later. It proved to be very influential throughout Protestantism and Anabaptism, inspiring not only Anglican priest John Wesley to begin the Methodist movement, but also Alexander Mack to...
, low-church Lutherans constituted one cultural center of the Norwegian-German community, while the high-church First Lutheran constituted a separate center, which attracted a more upwardly mobile class of parishioner.
Population growth & loss
After the Interstate Defense Highway System built Interstate 94Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
along the western edge of Fergus Falls in the late 1950s, population mobility increased dramatically, and high school graduates increasingly left the town to attend colleges in Morris, Fargo-Moorhead, or the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. As farming declined as an occupation and lifestyle, with large-scale commercial farming gradually replacing the family farm system during the second half of the 20th century, the city appeared increasingly destined to become a retirement and nursing community, until a new migration of younger families was made possible by the Internet, which created opportunities for telecommuting
Telecommuting
Telecommuting or telework is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in working location and hours. In other words, the daily commute to a central place of work is replaced by telecommunication links...
and e-business. The bucolic environment, with abundant sporting opportunities which had long attracted summer vacationers to the area, combined with the relatively low cost of real estate and cost of living has brought a new source of people wishing to raise their children away from the comparatively commercialized and higher crime environments of larger cities.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 14.1 square miles (36.5 km²), of which, 13.1 square miles (33.9 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it (7.44%) is water.
Interstate 94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
/ U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 52
U.S. Route 52 is a United States highway that runs across the northern, eastern and southeastern regions of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S...
/ U.S. Route 59
U.S. Route 59
U.S. Route 59 is a north–south United States highway . A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, U.S. 59 is now a border-to-border route, Part of NAFTA Corridor Highway System. It parallels U.S. Route 75 for nearly its entire route, never much more than away, until it veers southwest...
and Minnesota State Highway 210
Minnesota State Highway 210
Minnesota State Highway 210 is a highway in west-central, central, and northeast Minnesota, which runs from North Dakota Highway 210 at the North Dakota state line , and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 23 in Duluth near the Saint Louis River.The route...
(co-signed
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
) and County Highways 1, 82 and 88 are the main routes in Fergus Falls.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 13,471 people, 5,633 households, and 3,306 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,031.5 people per square mile (398.3/km²). There were 5,909 housing units at an average density of 452.5 per square mile (174.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.02% White, 0.62% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 5,633 households out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 22.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,454, and the median income for a family was $44,280. Males had a median income of $32,051 versus $20,841 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $18,929. About 7.0% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.
Health care
Fergus Falls is home to Lake Region Healthcare which is the largest employer of Ottertail County, employing over 850 people.Education
- Elementary schoolsPrimary educationA primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
- Adams Elementary1
- Cleveland Elementary1
- McKinley Elementary1
- Morning Son Christian School
- Our Lady of Victory School
- Trinity Lutheran Elementary
- Middle schoolMiddle schoolMiddle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
- Kennedy Secondary School1
- High schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
- Kennedy Secondary School1
- Hillcrest Lutheran AcademyHillcrest Lutheran AcademyHillcrest Lutheran Academy is a private Christian junior high and boarding high school in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Established in 1916, Hillcrest has a strong affiliation with the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America...
- Higher educationHigher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
- Minnesota State Community and Technical CollegeMinnesota State Community and Technical CollegeMinnesota State Community and Technical College is a multiple-campus college in the state of Minnesota. Minnesota State Community and Technical College serves more than 6,500 students in credit courses each semester through more than 120 career and liberal arts programs at its four campuses in...
- Lutheran Brethren SeminaryLutheran Brethren SeminaryLutheran Brethren Seminary is an institute of theological higher education of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America , located in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. It shares its campus with the denominational headquarters of the CLBA and the denomination’s high school, Hillcrest Lutheran Academy...
- Minnesota State Community and Technical College
1-These schools belong to Independent School District #544.
Media
- Television
- Public, educational, and government accessPublic, educational, and government accessPublic, educational, and government access television, refers to three different cable television specialty channels...
(PEG) Channels
- Public, educational, and government access
- Radio
- 1020 AM KJJK (AM)KJJK (AM)KJJK is a radio station broadcasting an oldies music format. Licensed to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA, the station serves the Fergus Falls-Detroit Lakes area...
(Christian), Result Radio, Inc. - 1250 AM KBRFKBRFKBRF is a radio station broadcasting a news talk information format. Licensed to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, USA, the station serves the Fergus Falls-Detroit Lakes area....
(Country), Result Radio, Inc.
- 1020 AM KJJK (AM)
-
- 89.3 FM K207DP (Christian), Calvary Christian Chapel
- 89.7 FM KCMFKCMFKCMF is a radio station licensed to Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The station is owned by Minnesota Public Radio , and airs MPR's "Classical Music Network", originating from KSJN in Minneapolis/St. Paul.*See also Minnesota Public Radio...
(Classical), Minnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people... - 91.5 FM KNWFKNWFKNWF is a radio station licensed to Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The station is owned by Minnesota Public Radio , and airs MPR's "News and Information" network, originating from KNOW in Minneapolis/St. Paul.*See also Minnesota Public Radio...
(News), Minnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public RadioMinnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people... - 96.5 FM KJJK-FMKJJK-FMKJJK-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format serving Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The station is currently owned by Jeffrey Papenfuss.The station airs Today's Best Country satellite programming....
(Country), Result Radio, Inc. - 99.5 FM KPRWKPRWKPRW is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format serving Perham, Minnesota. The station is currently owned by Jeffrey Papenfuss....
(Adult Contemporary), Result Radio, Inc. - 103.3 FM KZCRKZCRKZCR is a radio station broadcasting a mainstream rock/adult album alternative format hybrid, reminiscent of the defunct album oriented rock format, serving Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The station is currently owned by Jeffrey Papenfuss....
(Adult Album Alternative), Result Radio, Inc.
- Newspaper
- Fergus Falls Daily Journal
- The Midweek Inc.
- Music
- Cowboy Conspiracy (Southern Rock/Metal)
- Websites