Freeport, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Stearns County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 133,166 people, 47,604 households, and 32,132 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 50,291 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
, 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 632 at the 2010 census. It is part of the St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
St. Cloud metropolitan area
The St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of two counties in central Minnesota, anchored by the city of St. Cloud. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 167,392 .The St...
.
Geography
Freeport is located in Oak Township, T125N R32W §3. 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 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²), of which, 0.9 square miles (2.3 km²) of it is land and 1.12% is water.
Businesses and Organizations
- Freeport State Bank
- Charlie's Cafe
- Freeport Black Sox Baseball Team
- Ackies Pioneer Inn
- Corner Pub
- Hennen Lumber
- Hennen Floor Covering
- Whirlwind Building Products
- Ellingson Plumbing and Heating
- Central Minnesota Federal Credit Union
- Freeport Screen Print
- Freeport Farm Center
- Atkinson Well and Pump
- Swany White Flour MillsSwany White Flour MillsSwany White Flour Mills is a small flour mill in Freeport, Minnesota. The miller is Gary Thelen, and the mill has been owned by the Thelen family since 1903...
- Famo Feeds
- Mid Central Heating and Air Conditioning
- Applewood Homes
- Corner Store
- ALee Photography
- Quality Trailers
- Freeport Hardware
- Freeport Floral
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 454 people, 190 households, and 132 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 514.3 people per square mile (199.2/km²). There were 199 housing units at an average density of 225.4 per square mile (87.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.34% White, 0.22% 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 0.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.
There were 190 households out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% 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, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,955, and the median income for a family was $39,063. Males had a median income of $31,964 versus $22,125 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 $15,827. About 3.2% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Freeport Baseball
In 2005 amateur baseballTown Team Baseball
Town Team Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played in the United States. In Town Team baseball, sometimes also called townball, the teams represent either a given city or town, or a commercial enterprise which sponsors the team...
returned to Freeport for the first time in about 50 years. The Freeport Black Sox(formally the Melrose Black Sox) started playing for Freeport in 2005. The first season and a half was played in New Munich because construction of Black Sox Park, the new home of the Black Sox had not been completed. On July 2, 2006 opening ceremonies at Black Sox Park commenced in front of around 500 fans. Tim Laudner
Tim Laudner
Timothy Jon Laudner is a former Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Minnesota Twins from 1981 to 1989.-Playing career:...
, formerly of the Minnesota Twins was on hand to sign autographs and to give praise to the efforts of the small community for the wonderful job done on Black Sox Park. The game that followed pitted the Freeport Black Sox vs the Litchfield Blues in a match-up of Lakewood West rivals. The Black Sox came out swinging and ended up defeating the Blues 10 - 0 in a game that was shortened to 7 innings due to the 10 run rule.
Inspiration for Lake Wobegon
Garrison KeillorGarrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
, creator of Lake Wobegon
Lake Wobegon
Lake Wobegon is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Minnesota, said to have been the boyhood home of Garrison Keillor, who reports the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion....
and host of A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion
A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. The show runs on Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Central Time, and usually originates from the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it is frequently taken on the road...
, has written that Stearns County in general and Freeport specifically were the inspirations for his fictional town, Lake Wobegon. In 1998 the county honored Keillor and his show by naming a section of abandoned rail line the Lake Wobegon Trail
Lake Wobegon Trails
The Lake Wobegon Trails are two paved recreational rail trails in central Minnesota, named after the fictional Lake Wobegon in Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion". Each trail is marked with mileposts every , corresponding with the mile markers of the former railroad lines...
.