Ottertail, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Ottertail is a city in Otter Tail County
, Minnesota
, United States
. The population was 572 at the 2010 census.
, the city has a total area of 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (14.59%) is water.
Minnesota State Highways 78
and 108
are two of the main routes in the community.
, and Otter Tail Lake
, which drains north to Hudson Bay
. Because of its strategic position, Native American
s and early explorers often held meetings on the shores of "La Queue de Loutre", so named because of the long sand bar separating the lake from the river, which looked like – and still looks like (two centuries later) – an otter's tail. In the mid-19th century, a fur trader named Donald McDonald started a trading post
on the east shore of Lake Ottertail, which he called Ottertail City.
Otter Tail City is in the heart of Otter Tail County, a very popular tourist destination to enjoy Minnesota
's vast outdoors to golf, swim, fish, hike, hunt, and much more. In fact, Ottertail City saw a 27 percent population spurt — the greatest in Otter Tail County for the 2010 US Census. Ottertail City’s population was 451 in 2000 but grew to 572 by 2010. In the summer however, Ottertail City swells to over 1,200.
Located on Minnesota highways 108 and 78, it is nestled among many streams and upwards of a thousand lakes, the largest of which is the namesake, Otter Tail Lake. The base population increases dramatically in the summer, yet it still does not reach the levels that it attained in the 1870s when residents numbered around 1200. During its heyday Ottertail had its own weekly newspaper, five hotels, 27 saloons and many other types of enterprises necessary for pioneer life.
In the mid-90s a developer of a trailer park built among ancient Indian burial mounds located within the city limits and shortly thereafter had to settle with the group that sued to protect their ancestral cemetery. Many neighbors have multiple small upthrusts in their backyards which mark one of 23 ancient burial sites located within the trailer park, about 200 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The park still remains on the original grounds but has agreed to preserve and protect the sites to the greatest extent possible (no sites have been destroyed in its development). A few incidents of restless Indian spirits were said to be disturbing families shortly thereafter.
of 2000, there were 451 people, 190 households, and 133 families residing in the city. The population density
was 102.7 people per square mile (39.7/km²). There were 323 housing units at an average density of 73.6 per square mile (28.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.56% White and 0.44% Native American. 42.8% were of German
, 23.7% Norwegian
and 7.7% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 190 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples
living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $18,438 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,612. About 10.2% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
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 572 at the 2010 census.
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 5.1 square miles (13.2 km²), of which, 4.4 square miles (11.4 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (14.59%) is water.
Minnesota State Highways 78
Minnesota State Highway 78
Minnesota State Highway 78 is a highway in west-central Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate Highway 94 near Ashby and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with U.S...
and 108
Minnesota State Highway 108
Minnesota State Highway 108 is a highway in west-central Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate Highway 94 at Prairie View Township near Rothsay and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 210 in Henning.Highway 108 is in length and passes...
are two of the main routes in the community.
History
Long before there were roads in this area of the country, the best method of travel was by water. Two of these water highways are the Leaf Lake chain, which drains south to the Gulf of MexicoGulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, and Otter Tail Lake
Otter Tail Lake
Otter Tail Lake is a lake in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the largest lake in Otter Tail County.- Geography :Adjoining the city of Ottertail, it is a part of the Otter Tail River chain of lakes. Upstream from the lake are Big Pine, Little Pine and Rush lakes, while...
, which drains north to Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. Because of its strategic position, Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s and early explorers often held meetings on the shores of "La Queue de Loutre", so named because of the long sand bar separating the lake from the river, which looked like – and still looks like (two centuries later) – an otter's tail. In the mid-19th century, a fur trader named Donald McDonald started a trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
on the east shore of Lake Ottertail, which he called Ottertail City.
Otter Tail City is in the heart of Otter Tail County, a very popular tourist destination to enjoy 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...
's vast outdoors to golf, swim, fish, hike, hunt, and much more. In fact, Ottertail City saw a 27 percent population spurt — the greatest in Otter Tail County for the 2010 US Census. Ottertail City’s population was 451 in 2000 but grew to 572 by 2010. In the summer however, Ottertail City swells to over 1,200.
Located on Minnesota highways 108 and 78, it is nestled among many streams and upwards of a thousand lakes, the largest of which is the namesake, Otter Tail Lake. The base population increases dramatically in the summer, yet it still does not reach the levels that it attained in the 1870s when residents numbered around 1200. During its heyday Ottertail had its own weekly newspaper, five hotels, 27 saloons and many other types of enterprises necessary for pioneer life.
In the mid-90s a developer of a trailer park built among ancient Indian burial mounds located within the city limits and shortly thereafter had to settle with the group that sued to protect their ancestral cemetery. Many neighbors have multiple small upthrusts in their backyards which mark one of 23 ancient burial sites located within the trailer park, about 200 miles northwest of Minneapolis. The park still remains on the original grounds but has agreed to preserve and protect the sites to the greatest extent possible (no sites have been destroyed in its development). A few incidents of restless Indian spirits were said to be disturbing families shortly thereafter.
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 451 people, 190 households, and 133 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 102.7 people per square mile (39.7/km²). There were 323 housing units at an average density of 73.6 per square mile (28.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.56% White and 0.44% Native American. 42.8% were of German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
, 23.7% Norwegian
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...
and 7.7% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 190 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% 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, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $18,438 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 $18,612. About 10.2% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.