Willmar, Minnesota

Coordinates: 45°07′18″N 95°03′26″W / 45.12167°N 95.05722°W / 45.12167; -95.05722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Willmar
FIPS code
27-70420
GNIS feature ID2397323[2]
Websitewillmarmn.gov

Willmar (/ˈwɪlmər/ WIL-mər)[5] is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States.[6] The population was 21,015 at the 2020 census.[3]

History

Agricultural expansion and the establishment of Willmar as a division point on the

St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, purchased the title to Section 1 of Willmar Township.[8] Willmar was established as the county seat in 1871 and was incorporated as a village in 1874 and as a city in 1901.[9]

Willmar was the site of a bank robbery by the Machine Gun Kelly gang on July 15, 1930. They robbed the Bank of Willmar (later Otto Bremer Trust) of about $70,000 (equivalent to $1,277,000 in 2023) and wounded three people.[10]

The Willmar Memorial Auditorium, designed by architect William Ingemann, was the largest assembly hall within 70 miles when completed in 1938. It was funded by the city of Willmar and state and federal governments as a Depression-era works project. It contains several murals by Richard Haines commissioned by the Federal Art Project, and wood paneling in the oak doors by WPA artists.[7] It is on the National Register of Historic Places.[11]

From 1977 to 1979, Willmar was the site of the Willmar 8, a strike of female workers confronting sexual discrimination at a local bank. The story of the strike was reported in mainstream media and made into a documentary.[12]

The former state hospital campus is now the MinnWest Technology Campus and is one of several of the city's listings on the National Register of Historic Places.

The music of Willmar native Bradley Joseph draws inspiration from his childhood there, and his company, Robbins Island Music, is named after a Willmar city park.[13]

Willmar was home to the annual Sonshine Festival, a Christian music festival, from 1982 to 2014.[14]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 15.95 square miles (41.31 km2), of which 14.15 square miles (36.65 km2) is land and 1.80 square miles (4.66 km2) is water.[15]

The 45° latitude line passes just south of Willmar, placing it approximately halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

Climate

Climate data for Willmar, Minnesota, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 62
(17) 		62
(17) 		79
(26) 		94
(34) 		105
(41) 		103
(39) 		107
(42) 		105
(41) 		105
(41) 		91
(33) 		80
(27) 		64
(18) 		107
(42)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 40.5
(4.7) 		44.3
(6.8) 		61.2
(16.2) 		77.7
(25.4) 		88.5
(31.4) 		91.9
(33.3) 		91.8
(33.2) 		90.2
(32.3) 		87.4
(30.8) 		81.5
(27.5) 		61.0
(16.1) 		44.4
(6.9) 		94.7
(34.8)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 20.5
(−6.4) 		25.7
(−3.5) 		38.2
(3.4) 		54.0
(12.2) 		67.6
(19.8) 		77.9
(25.5) 		81.5
(27.5) 		79.4
(26.3) 		72.1
(22.3) 		57.4
(14.1) 		40.1
(4.5) 		26.4
(−3.1) 		53.4
(11.9)
Daily mean °F (°C) 11.7
(−11.3) 		15.8
(−9.0) 		29.1
(−1.6) 		43.8
(6.6) 		57.4
(14.1) 		67.9
(19.9) 		71.7
(22.1) 		69.1
(20.6) 		61.1
(16.2) 		46.9
(8.3) 		31.8
(−0.1) 		18.3
(−7.6) 		43.7
(6.5)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 2.9
(−16.2) 		6.0
(−14.4) 		20.1
(−6.6) 		33.6
(0.9) 		47.1
(8.4) 		57.8
(14.3) 		61.9
(16.6) 		58.9
(14.9) 		50.1
(10.1) 		36.5
(2.5) 		23.5
(−4.7) 		10.1
(−12.2) 		34.0
(1.1)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −19.7
(−28.7) 		−15.8
(−26.6) 		−3.8
(−19.9) 		18.9
(−7.3) 		32.8
(0.4) 		45.0
(7.2) 		51.5
(10.8) 		47.2
(8.4) 		34.2
(1.2) 		21.0
(−6.1) 		4.2
(−15.4) 		−13.1
(−25.1) 		−22.3
(−30.2)
Record low °F (°C) −40
(−40) 		−38
(−39) 		−31
(−35) 		−5
(−21) 		19
(−7) 		32
(0) 		39
(4) 		33
(1) 		19
(−7) 		−1
(−18) 		−22
(−30) 		−35
(−37) 		−40
(−40)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.68
(17) 		0.67
(17) 		1.39
(35) 		2.63
(67) 		3.33
(85) 		4.79
(122) 		3.99
(101) 		3.89
(99) 		2.64
(67) 		2.40
(61) 		1.42
(36) 		0.84
(21) 		28.67
(728)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 9.2
(23) 		7.8
(20) 		6.9
(18) 		3.8
(9.7) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.0
(0.0) 		0.5
(1.3) 		7.8
(20) 		10.1
(26) 		46.1
(118)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 6.0 4.9 6.6 8.4 11.2 12.0 9.6 8.8 8.6 9.2 5.8 6.6 97.7
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 5.8 4.4 4.1 1.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 3.4 5.7 25.1
Source 1: NOAA[16]
Source 2: NWS/XMACIS2[17][18]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18801,002—
18901,82582.1%
19003,40986.8%
19104,13521.3%
19205,89242.5%
19306,1734.8%
19407,62323.5%
19509,41023.4%
196010,41710.7%
197012,86923.5%
198015,89523.5%
199017,53110.3%
200018,3514.7%
201019,6106.9%
202021,0157.2%
2022 (est.)21,282[4]1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[19]
2020 Census[3]

2010 census

As of the

Latino
of any race were 20.9% of the population.

There were 7,677 households, of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the city was 33.8 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

Latino
of any race were 15.86% of the population.

There were 7,302 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,455, and the median income for a family was $45,415. Males had a median income of $31,575 versus $22,158 for females. The

poverty line
, including 16.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older.

Immigration

Since 1989, Willmar has had a large influx of immigrants from

All America City" by the National Civic League, in part for its success as growing numbers of immigrants became part of the community.[20]

In 2005, the city received attention from national media after several Somali-American high school students gave Willmar High School its first cross-country state championship in 20 years. The team won the state tournament and attended the Nike Nationals consecutively in 2005 and 2006. Following its success, the city gained attention from Sports Illustrated. Subsequently, NBC Nightly News ran a story on Willmar's changing complexion and its acceptance of its new citizens.[21]

More national attention was received when an opinion piece about immigration and Willmar by

New York Times on May 14, 2019.[22]

Education

Willmar is home to

MnSCU
system. It is also home to Willmar High School and Willmar Community Christian School.

Transportation

U.S. Highways 12 and 71 and Minnesota State Highways 23 and 40 are four of the main routes in the city.

The development of Willmar benefited greatly from being situated at the junction of multiple railway lines. From Willmar, the

Sioux Falls and Yankton. Willmar was served by numerous passenger trains over the years. The last passenger train left Willmar station
in 1979.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Minnesota
Team League Venue
Willmar Stingers Northwoods League, Baseball Bill Taunton Stadium
Willmar WarHawks NA3HL, Ice Hockey Willmar Civic Center

Media

Newspapers

Magazines

  • Seasons of Minnesota

Television stations

  • UHF-TV Inc.

WRAC TV - Regional Access Channel

Broadcast

Channel Callsign Affiliation Branding Subchannels Owner
(Virtual) Channel Programming
4.1 K33OT-D
(WCCO Translator) 		CBS WCCO 4 4.2 Start TV UHF Television, Inc.
9.9 K30FZ-D
(KMSP Translator) 		FOX FOX 9 9.4
9.5
9.6
Decades
 UHF Television, Inc.
9.2 K36OL-D
(WFTC Translator) 		Ind. FOX 9 Plus 9.3
9.1 		Movies!
FOX 		UHF Television, Inc.
10.1 K22ND-D
(
KWCM
Translator) 		PBS Pioneer Public TV 10.2
10.3
10.4
10.5
World
PBS Kids
 UHF Television, Inc.
11.1 K17FA-D
(KARE Translator) 		NBC KARE 11 11.2
11.3
11.4
Quest
 UHF Television, Inc.
23.1 K14LF-D
(WUCW Translator) 		CW CW 23 23.2
23.3
23.4 		Comet
Charge!
TBD 		UHF Television, Inc.
28.1 K28IF-D TBN 28.2
28.3
Hillsong Channel
JUCE TV
 UHF Television, Inc.
34.1 K34HO-D Reelz 5.4
5.6
34.2
34.3
Retro TV
 UHF Television, Inc.
35.1 K35NR-D
Heartland
 35.2
35.3
35.4
Family
 UHF Television, Inc.
41.1 K26NU-D
(KPXM Translator)
ION
 ION 41.2
41.3
41.4
41.5
41.6
HSN
 UHF Television, Inc.
42.1 K19IH-D
(KSAX Translator) 		ABC 5 Eyewitness News 42.2
42.3 		45TV
MeTV 		UHF Television, Inc.

Pay television services

Radio stations

AM radio
stations
Frequency Call sign Name Format Owner
1340 KWLM News/Talk Lakeland Broadcasting Company
1590 KDJS Classic country Iowa City Broadcasting Company
FM radio
stations
Frequency Call sign Name Format Owner
90.9
KKLW
 K-Love Christian Educational Media Foundation
91.9
KBHZ
 Praise Live Christian North Central University
92.7 K224DB
(KTIS-FM Translator)		 Life 98.5 Contemporary Christian
University of Northwestern - St. Paul
94.1 KKLN 94.1 The Loon Classic rock Headwaters Media, Inc.
95.3 KDJS K-95.3 Country Iowa City Broadcasting, Inc.
96.3 K242CF
(KWLM-AM Translator)		 News/Talk Lakeland Broadcasting Company
100.1 KOLV Big Country 100.1 Country Bold Radio, Inc.
102.5 KQIC Q102
Hot AC
 Lakeland Broadcasting Company
103.3 K277CC
(KTIS-AM Translator)		 Faith 900
Christian talk and teaching
University of Northwestern - St. Paul
105.7 K289CO
(KDJS-AM Translator)		 Classic country Iowa City Broadcasting Company
106.5 KLFN 106.5 The Train
Classic Hits
 Lakeland Broadcasting Company

Notable people

Sister cities

Willmar has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Willmar, Minnesota
  3. ^ a b c "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau. January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  5. ^ "Minnesota Pronunciation Guide". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  6. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. ^
    ISBN 0873517121
    .
  8. ISBN 0-87351-424-6. Archived from the original
    on May 27, 2009.
  9. ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 272.
  10. ^ May, Allan. "George "Machine Gun" Kelly: The Bank Robber (ch. 5)". CrimeLibrary.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
  11. ^ "The history, mystery and purpose of War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Willmar, Minn., comes to light". West Central Tribune. January 16, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  12. ^ The Wilmar 8 California Newsreel
  13. ^ Polta, Anne (February 8, 2007). "Continuing Journey: Bradley Joseph sustains music career with songwriting, recording". West Central Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
  14. ^ "Sonshine leaving Willmar, relocating to Wis. In 2015".
  15. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  16. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Willmar WWTP, MN". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  17. ^ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Minneapolis". National Weather Service. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  18. ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  19. ^ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  20. ^ Yuen, Laura (March 12, 2012). "Willmar showing the way to a more diverse Minnesota". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  21. ^ "NBC Nightly News - Willmar Immigration". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.
  22. ^ Friedman, Thomas L. (May 15, 2019). "New York Times - President Trump, Come to Willmar". New York Times.
  23. ^ "About Ridgewater College". Ridgewater.

External links

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