Wilmont, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Wilmont is a city in Nobles County
, Minnesota
, United States
. The population was 339 at the 2010 census.
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land. By elevation, Wilmont is the highest incorporated community in Nobles County
.
Main Highways Include:
Willmont Township
(note the double-L) was established in 1878. There was a general disagreement over the township name, one faction wishing to call it Willumet, and the other favoring Lamont. On November 22, 1878, a compromise was reached, and the township was formally named Willmont.
For twenty-one years, the residents of Willmont Township
lacked convenient railroad transport. That all changed in the summer of 1899 when the Burlington Railway
surveyed a new route extending northwest from Worthington
. Railroad right-of-way man Thomas H. Brown selected a site for a new town and named it Wilmont. He made a point of spelling the new town with one L to distinguish it from Willmont Township
. The railroad was completed on December 16, 1899, and hundreds of newcomers soon took up residence.
The survey was made, and the plat was dedicated on January 22, 1900. A Post Office was established on February 13, 1900. In April 1900, the first saloon was established in Wilmont by the Stuntebeck Brothers. Construction of a new school was approved in September 1900 with the school opening two years later. When the town celebrated its first birthday in December 1900, the town boasted two churches (Presbyterian and Catholic), three saloons, and nearly two dozen other businesses. The date and reason for Willmont Township
's name change from Willmont (double-L) to Wilmont (single-L) remains obscure.
Minnesota State Highway 266
was constructed in 1949, connecting Worthington, Reading, and Wilmont. Responsibility for this highway was transferred to Nobles County in 2003. It has been renamed Nobles County Road 25. The Burlington Railway
later was taken over by the Rock Island Railroad. This line was closed, and the tracks torn up, in the 1970s.
Wilmont once boasted both public and Catholic schools. However, the town's last school closed in the 1970s. Children are currently bused to schools in Worthington
, Adrian
, or Fulda
. Minnesota's open-enrollment law allows Wilmont residents this choice.
Despite having no school, railroad, or state highway connection, Wilmont remains a thriving community of 332 residents. As in 1900, life in Wilmont revolves around the town's churches and saloons.
The photograph below shows the village of Wilmont, exactly one year after the arrival of the railroad and construction of the first buildings and houses
of 2000, there were 332 people, 142 households, and 93 families residing in the city. The population density
was 291.4 people per square mile (112.4/km²). There were 155 housing units at an average density of 136.0 per square mile (52.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.40% White, 0.30% Native American, and 0.30% from two or more races.
There were 142 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples
living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,464, and the median income for a family was $37,344. Males had a median income of $28,194 versus $14,375 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,160. About 4.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
, represented by Mankato
educator Tim Walz
, a Democrat
. At the state level, Wilmont is located in Senate
District 22, represented by Republican
Doug Magnus
, and in House
District 22A, represented by Republican Joe Schomacker
.
Nobles County, Minnesota
Nobles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 21,378. Its county seat is Worthington.-Geography:...
, 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 339 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 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land. By elevation, Wilmont is the highest incorporated community in Nobles County
Nobles County, Minnesota
Nobles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 21,378. Its county seat is Worthington.-Geography:...
.
Main Highways Include:
Minnesota State Highway 266Minnesota State Highway 266Minnesota State Highway 266 was a highway in southwest Minnesota that had connected the communities of Wilmont and Reading to the city of Worthington...- Nobles County Road 25
- Nobles County Road 16
- Nobles County Road 13
History
The town of Wilmont was established in 1899. The town was named after the township in which it was located—sort of.Willmont Township
Wilmont Township, Minnesota
Wilmont Township is a township in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.5 square miles , all of it land...
(note the double-L) was established in 1878. There was a general disagreement over the township name, one faction wishing to call it Willumet, and the other favoring Lamont. On November 22, 1878, a compromise was reached, and the township was formally named Willmont.
For twenty-one years, the residents of Willmont Township
Wilmont Township, Minnesota
Wilmont Township is a township in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.5 square miles , all of it land...
lacked convenient railroad transport. That all changed in the summer of 1899 when the Burlington Railway
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
surveyed a new route extending northwest from Worthington
Worthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
. Railroad right-of-way man Thomas H. Brown selected a site for a new town and named it Wilmont. He made a point of spelling the new town with one L to distinguish it from Willmont Township
Wilmont Township, Minnesota
Wilmont Township is a township in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.5 square miles , all of it land...
. The railroad was completed on December 16, 1899, and hundreds of newcomers soon took up residence.
The survey was made, and the plat was dedicated on January 22, 1900. A Post Office was established on February 13, 1900. In April 1900, the first saloon was established in Wilmont by the Stuntebeck Brothers. Construction of a new school was approved in September 1900 with the school opening two years later. When the town celebrated its first birthday in December 1900, the town boasted two churches (Presbyterian and Catholic), three saloons, and nearly two dozen other businesses. The date and reason for Willmont Township
Wilmont Township, Minnesota
Wilmont Township is a township in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 35.5 square miles , all of it land...
's name change from Willmont (double-L) to Wilmont (single-L) remains obscure.
Minnesota State Highway 266
Minnesota State Highway 266
Minnesota State Highway 266 was a highway in southwest Minnesota that had connected the communities of Wilmont and Reading to the city of Worthington...
was constructed in 1949, connecting Worthington, Reading, and Wilmont. Responsibility for this highway was transferred to Nobles County in 2003. It has been renamed Nobles County Road 25. The Burlington Railway
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
later was taken over by the Rock Island Railroad. This line was closed, and the tracks torn up, in the 1970s.
Wilmont once boasted both public and Catholic schools. However, the town's last school closed in the 1970s. Children are currently bused to schools in Worthington
Worthington, Minnesota
Worthington is a city in Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 12,764 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nobles County.The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Chicago, St...
, Adrian
Adrian, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,234 people, 493 households, and 330 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,111.5 people per square mile . There were 527 housing units at an average density of 474.7 per square mile...
, or Fulda
Fulda, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,283 people, 528 households, and 328 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,328.3 people per square mile . There were 568 housing units at an average density of 588.1 per square mile...
. Minnesota's open-enrollment law allows Wilmont residents this choice.
Despite having no school, railroad, or state highway connection, Wilmont remains a thriving community of 332 residents. As in 1900, life in Wilmont revolves around the town's churches and saloons.
The photograph below shows the village of Wilmont, exactly one year after the arrival of the railroad and construction of the first buildings and houses
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 332 people, 142 households, and 93 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 291.4 people per square mile (112.4/km²). There were 155 housing units at an average density of 136.0 per square mile (52.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.40% White, 0.30% Native American, and 0.30% from two or more races.
There were 142 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,464, and the median income for a family was $37,344. Males had a median income of $28,194 versus $14,375 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 $16,160. About 4.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional districtMinnesota's 1st congressional district
Minnesota's 1st congressional district extends across southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. The First District is primarily a rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, although this is changing rapidly due to strong population growth in...
, represented by Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
educator Tim Walz
Tim Walz
Timothy James Walz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party .The district comprises the state's southern end, running along the entire border with Iowa...
, a Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
. At the state level, Wilmont is located in Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
District 22, represented by Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
Doug Magnus
Doug Magnus
Douglas Rudy "Doug" Magnus is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 22, which includes all of Cottonwood, Jackson, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone and Rock counties in the southwestern part of the state...
, and in House
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
District 22A, represented by Republican Joe Schomacker
Joe Schomacker
Joseph "Joe" Roy Schomacker is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represents District 22A, which includes all or portions of Murray, Nobles, Pipestone and Rock counties in the southwestern part of the state...
.