Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Fergus Falls, Minnesota | ||
---|---|---|
FIPS code 27-20906 | | |
GNIS feature ID | 2394758[3] | |
Sales tax | 7.875%[6] | |
Website | ci.fergus-falls.mn.us |
Fergus Falls (/ˈfɜːrɡəs/ FUR-gəss)[7] is a city in and the county seat of Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,119 at the 2020 census.[4][8]
History
The falls from which the city gets part of its name were discovered by Joe Whitford (a Scottish trapper) in 1856 and promptly named in honor of his employer,
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.
21st century
Fergus Falls features different parks, including tallgrass prairie and eastern woodlands, stores, and other tourist attractions. The Union Avenue Bridge spans the Otter Tail River, and was 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. Its west wing housed the city fire station until the 1970s. Other points of interest include the county museum, Lake Alice, George B. Wright Park, Pebble Lake Golf Course, and Veteran's Memorial Park. Arts in Fergus Falls are booming with a community theater program downtown. Many local and professional artists perform at A Center for the Arts.
The city also lends its name to the song "Fergus Falls" by the band Field Report on its 2012 self-titled album.
Fergus Falls received international coverage in early 2017
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
Growth
The dams built on the Otter Tail River beginning in the 1880s were powerful economic forces that shaped the area's development. Returning soldiers from the American Civil War 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 town's street names: 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.
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 on the Great Northern Railway. Primarily dairy farmers, they established numerous Lutheran churches in the area. The Lutheran Brethren (Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America) 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.
Population growth and loss
After the Interstate Defense Highway System built Interstate 94 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 remote workers moved to the city. The bucolic environment, with abundant sporting opportunities that had long attracted summer vacationers, combined with the relatively low cost of real estate and cost of living have brought people wishing to raise their children away from the comparatively commercialized and higher crime environments of larger cities.[citation needed]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.720 square miles (40.71 km2), of which 14.388 square miles (37.26 km2) is land and 1.332 square miles (3.45 km2) (8.2%)is water.[1]
), and County Highways 1, 82, and 88 are the main routes in Fergus Falls.Lakes
Lake Name | Size (Acres) |
---|---|
Alice | 31 |
Chautauqua | 229 |
Devils | 348 |
Hoot | 161 |
Horseshoe | n/a |
Iverson | 54 |
Jewett | 737 |
Larson | 45 |
Opperman | 84 |
Orwell | 782 |
Pebble | 169 |
Spring | 47 |
Swan | 689 |
Wright | 66 |
Major highways
The following routes are located within the city of Fergus Falls.
- Interstate 94/U.S. Highway 52
- U.S. Highway 59
- Minnesota State Highway 210
- Otter Tail County Highway 1
- Otter Tail County Highway 82
- Otter Tail County Highway 88
Climate
Climate data for Fergus Falls, Minnesota, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–2018 | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 56 (13) |
57 (14) |
80 (27) |
94 (34) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
110 (43) |
105 (41) |
105 (41) |
93 (34) |
74 (23) |
65 (18) |
110 (43) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 18.4 (−7.6) |
22.3 (−5.4) |
35.6 (2.0) |
52.9 (11.6) |
66.8 (19.3) |
76.3 (24.6) |
80.8 (27.1) |
79.4 (26.3) |
70.8 (21.6) |
55.7 (13.2) |
38.0 (3.3) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
51.8 (11.0) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 9.0 (−12.8) |
12.7 (−10.7) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
42.3 (5.7) |
55.9 (13.3) |
66.3 (19.1) |
70.8 (21.6) |
68.2 (20.1) |
59.8 (15.4) |
45.4 (7.4) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
16.1 (−8.8) |
41.9 (5.5) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −0.4 (−18.0) |
3.2 (−16.0) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
31.8 (−0.1) |
45.0 (7.2) |
56.3 (13.5) |
60.7 (15.9) |
57.1 (13.9) |
48.9 (9.4) |
35.1 (1.7) |
21.4 (−5.9) |
7.9 (−13.4) |
32.1 (0.0) |
Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) |
−42 (−41) |
−31 (−35) |
−2 (−19) |
19 (−7) |
29 (−2) |
37 (3) |
34 (1) |
20 (−7) |
2 (−17) |
−23 (−31) |
−35 (−37) |
−42 (−41) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.29 (33) |
0.83 (21) |
1.15 (29) |
2.00 (51) |
3.86 (98) |
4.35 (110) |
3.28 (83) |
2.95 (75) |
3.04 (77) |
2.37 (60) |
1.04 (26) |
0.71 (18) |
26.87 (681) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.9 (30) |
7.2 (18) |
8.1 (21) |
1.0 (2.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.8 (2.0) |
7.6 (19) |
7.4 (19) |
45.0 (114) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.1 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 8.1 | 9.6 | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 68.3 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 5.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 20.2 |
Source 1: NOAA (snow/snow days 1981–2010)[17][18] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: XMACIS2[19] |
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1880 | 1,635 | — | |
1890 | 3,772 | 130.7% | |
1900 | 6,072 | 61.0% | |
1910 | 6,887 | 13.4% | |
1920 | 7,581 | 10.1% | |
1930 | 9,389 | 23.8% | |
1940 | 10,848 | 15.5% | |
1950 | 12,917 | 19.1% | |
1960 | 13,733 | 6.3% | |
1970 | 12,443 | −9.4% | |
1980 | 12,519 | 0.6% | |
1990 | 12,362 | −1.3% | |
2000 | 13,471 | 9.0% | |
2010 | 13,138 | −2.5% | |
2020 | 14,119 | 7.5% | |
2022 (est.) | 14,187 | [5] | 0.5% |
U.S. Decennial Census[20] 2020 Census[4] |
2020 census
Race | Number | Percent |
---|---|---|
White (NH)
|
12,737 | 90.2% |
Black or African American (NH)
|
246 | 1.7% |
Native American (NH)
|
116 | 0.8% |
Asian (NH)
|
112 | 0.8% |
Pacific Islander (NH)
|
8 | 0.1% |
Some Other (NH)
|
34 | 0.2% |
Other/Mixed (NH)
|
518 | 3.7% |
Latino
|
348 | 2.5% |
As of the
2010 census
As of the
There were 5,814 households, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.9% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.2% 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 2.84.
The median age in the city was 43.4 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 22.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.0% male and 53.0% female.
2000 census
As of the
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
Economy
Fergus Falls is a micropolitan with a diversified economy that includes healthcare, manufacturing, commercial, agricultural, information technology, and utilities. The largest employer is Lake Region Healthcare, an integrated health system with a 108-bed hospital, cancer research center, assisted living community, and multiple clinics.
Top employers
According to the City's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[24] the largest employers in the city are:
# | Employer | Type of Business | # of Employees | Percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lake Region Healthcare Corporation | Hospital | 835 | 8.88% |
2 | Fergus Falls Public Schools ISD #544 | Education | 418 | 4.44% |
3 | Otter Tail County
|
Government | 396 | 4.21% |
4 | Otter Tail Power Company
|
Public Utility | 340 | 3.61% |
5 | Pioneer Home | Nursing Home | 215 | 1.95% |
6 | Veterans Home | Nursing Home | 194 | 2.29% |
7 | City of Fergus Falls | Municipality | 192 | 2.06% |
8 | LB Homes | Nursing Home | 183 | 2.04% |
9 | Northern Contours | Manufacturing | 161 | 1.71% |
10 | Productive Alternatives | Vocational Rehabilitation Service | 157 | 1.67% |
— | Total employers | — | 3,091 | 32.86% |
Education
Fergus Falls Public Schools (Independent School District #544) operates public schools.
Elementary schools
- Adams Elementary (1-2)
- Cleveland Elementary (3-4)
- McKinley Elementary (K-1)
- Prairie Science Class (4-5)
Middle school
- School of Choice, Homeschool Co-op (K-8)
Secondary school
- Kennedy Secondary School (5-12), with separate middle and high school divisions, is the sole public secondary school
Private schools
- Claire Ann Shover Nursery School (Pre K)
- Trinity Lutheran Elementary (Pre K)
- Our Lady of Victory School (K-6)
- Hillcrest Lutheran Academy (Pre K-12)
Higher education
- Lutheran Brethren Seminary
- Minnesota State Community and Technical College
- Park Region Luther College (no longer exists)
Arts and culture
Fergus Falls is home to several arts and culture organizations and has a reputation of being a cultural hub in West Central Minnesota.[citation needed]
A Center for the Arts building was originally built in 1921 and was home to The Orpheum Theater, producing live theater and vaudeville performances and movies. In the early 1990s, after several decades of change and transition, over $1 million was raised to renovate the theater and A Center for the Arts was founded. The Theater is also home to one of the largest pipe organs in the midwest, the Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ.
The Kaddatz Galleries is a nonprofit art gallery located in historic downtown Fergus Falls, whose mission is to foster visual arts education and appreciation, and to maintain a gallery where the works of Charles Beck and other recognized local artists are accessible to the public. The Kaddatz Galleries were founded in 2001 when Artspace bought The Kaddatz Hotel building in partnership with the Hotel Kaddatz Preservation Association. The upstairs of the Kaddatz Hotel Building is home to artist live/work spaces.
The Lake Region Arts Council serves 9 counties (Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, Wilkin, Traverse, Stevens, Grant, and Pope) and has its main office in the River Inn Building in Fergus Falls. The Lake Region Arts Council's mission is to encourage and support the arts in West Central Minnesota. Their programs and services are made possible through an appropriation from the Minnesota State Legislature, Legacy Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund and the McKnight Foundation.
Springboard for the Arts, a nonprofit artist service organization based in St. Paul, has its only satellite office in the River Inn Building, which serves as an artist resource center.
The band Field Report has a song named after Fergus Falls on their eponymous debut album. Lead singer and songwriter, Chris Porterfield, once dated a woman from the town, but the song is actually about a woman he spotted at a downtown Milwaukee music festival. "I saw a girl who was pregnant, and she was with a guy who looked like an asshole," he said. "She looked like she wanted to get out of there. The song was written from her perspective." The song has received critical acclaim.[25]
Media
- Television
- Public, educational, and government access
- Radio
- 1020 AM KJJK (AM) (Sports), Leighton Broadcasting
- 1250 AM KBRF (Talk), Leighton Broadcasting
- 88.7 FM K204FS (Christian), CSN International
- 89.7 FM KCMF (Classical), Minnesota Public Radio
- 91.5 FM KNWF (News), Minnesota Public Radio
- 96.5 FM KJJK-FM (Country), Leighton Broadcasting
- 99.5 FM KPRW (Adult Contemporary), Result Radio, Inc.
- 103.3 FM KZCR (Adult Album Alternative), Leighton Broadcasting
- Newspaper
- The Daily Journal
- The Midweek Inc
Sports
Fergus Falls is the proud home of the Fergus Falls Otters as well as home to M State - Fergus Falls sports and many other local teams and organizations for children, teens, adults and seniors.[26]
Twinning
Fergus falls is twinned with:
Notable people
- Elmer Ellsworth Adams, Minnesota newspaper editor and politician
- Frank Albertson (1909–1964), actor who appeared in over 100 Hollywood movies including It's a Wonderful Life and Psycho.[27]
- Marcus Borg, theologian; one of the leaders of the Jesus Seminar
- Peter Brandvold, author
- Colvin G. Butler, Minnesota state legislator
- Moses Clapp, Minnesota politician
- Donald Cressey, (1919–1987) American penologist, sociologist, and criminologist who made innovative contributions to the study of organized crime, prisons, criminology, the sociology of criminal law, white-collar crime. His work is still used in Fraud investigations today.
- Chad Daniels (b. 1975), comedian, "Comedy Central Presents: Chad Daniels" (2008, 1/2 hour TV special)[28]
- Roger L. Dell, Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court[29]
- Richard Edlund, multi-Academy Award-winning visual effects artist for his work on Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Return of the Jedi
- Clifford L. Hilton, Minnesota Supreme Court justice
- Chuck Knapp, Radio Broadcaster
- Charles Lundy Lewis, Minnesota Supreme Court justice
- Mary MacLane (1881–1929), pioneering feminist author, film-maker, and media personality. Her tomboy youth was spent in Fergus Falls from approximately 1884–1889.
- Mark W. Olson, former member of Board of Governors of U.S. Federal Reserve
- Cliff Sterrett (1883–1964), innovative and influential artist and cartoonist
- Dave Theurer, creator of Atari's Missile Command, Tempest (video game), and I, Robot (video game)
- Peter Van Santen, Minnesota politician and farmer
- Walter Wellbrock, Minnesota politician and farmer
- Ernest J. Windmiller, Minnesota politician and businessman
City Council
The Fergus Falls City Council holds an Open Forum session from 5:20-5:30 pm in the City Council Chambers. Those wishing to address the City Council regarding an item not on the agenda are asked to completely fill out the Open Forum registration form by noon the day of the City Council meeting.[30] Local city positions besides Mayor are up for election every two years as one Council Member from one of the four wards makes up the city council with the whole council being the Mayor and two council members from each ward.[31]
The list below is the recent history of the Mayor of Fergus Falls, MN.
Full Name | Term Years |
---|---|
Ben Schierer | 2017-2024 |
Hal Leland | 2008-2017 |
Russell Anderson | 2002-2008 |
Calvin (Kelly) Ferber | 1981-2002[32] |
Gus M. Kantrud | ? |
References
- ^ a b "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ United States Census Bureau (April 23, 2024). "2020 Census Qualifying Urban Areas and Final Criteria Clarifications". Federal Register.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fergus Falls, Minnesota
- ^ a b c "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ a b "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Fergus Falls (MN) sales tax rate". Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "Minnesota Pronunciation Guide". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 394.
- ^ "DER SPIEGEL 13/2017 - Inhaltsverzeichnis".
- ^ Ferber, Matt; Smith, Mitch (December 30, 2018). "Minnesota Town Defamed by German Reporter Is Ready to Forgive". The New York Times. Retrieved December 30, 2018 – via MSN.
- ^ Thomas Borgböhmer (December 20, 2018). "Der Spiegel and its noble Faker: Two inhabitants of a small US town show how boldly Relotius falsified reports". MEEDIA (in German). Retrieved December 20, 2018.
The extent to which Relotius has falsified his reportage is now demonstrated by an article published Wednesday evening on the portal Medium.com, which refers to the Der Spiegel story of late March 2017, a snapshot from Fergus Falls in Minnesota
- ^ Kelly Smith (December 20, 2018). "German journalist admits to fabricating 2017 article on Fergus Falls". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
Relotius traveled to Fergus Falls, a city of 13,000 residents in Otter Tail County, and spent three weeks there, hoping to interview voters in one of the rural Minnesota counties Trump won. Der Spiegel said it sent Relotius to write an article to give readers better insight into Americans.
- ^ IAN STEWART (December 19, 2018). "Celebrated 33-Year-Old German Journalist Adds A Line To His Resume: Fraudster". NPR. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
A 2017 piece about a rural Minnesota town's love of President Trump opened with a striking anecdote about a sign at the city's entrance that read "Mexicans keep out." Der Spiegel now says the sign never existed. Two residents of the town posted an article Wednesday outlining other fabrications in the piece.
- ^ Michele Anderson, Jake Krohn (December 17, 2018). "Der Spiegel journalist messed with the wrong small town". Medium.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
- ^ Christoph Scheuermann (December 23, 2018). "Fergus Falls - A Fantastic Town". Der Spiegel. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Fergus Falls, MN (1991–2020)". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Fergus Falls, MN (1981–2010)". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Fergus Falls city, Minnesota".
- ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "How many people live in Fergus Falls city, Minnesota". USA Today. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
- ^ "City of Fergus Falls 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" (PDF). January 17, 2024. p. 185.
- ^ Steven Hyden (May 4, 2012). "Field Report Set a Course for Breakout Debut | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
- ^ "Fergus Falls Sports Teams & Organizations | #FFGameOn". visitfergusfalls.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ "Frank Albertson". IMDb.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "ShieldSquare Captcha". mn.gov. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014.
- ^ "Mayor and City Council Members". Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ "Elections". Retrieved August 12, 2018.
- ^ "VRNA's Veterans Resource: VRNA President Kelly Ferber 1932-2002". www.vrna.org. Retrieved March 30, 2021.