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Brooks, Minnesota facts for kids

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Brooks
Location of Brooks, Minnesota
Location of Brooks, Minnesota
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Red Lake
Area
 • Total 1.15 sq mi (2.98 km2)
 • Land 1.15 sq mi (2.98 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
1,129 ft (344 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 117
 • Density 101.56/sq mi (39.20/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
56715
Area code(s) 218
FIPS code 27-08038
GNIS feature ID 0640513

Brooks is a small city in Red Lake County, Minnesota, United States. In 2020, about 117 people lived there. It is a quiet place with a history tied to farming and railroads.

Geography of Brooks

Brooks covers an area of about 2.98 square kilometers (1.15 square miles), and it is all land. Two important roads, U.S. Highway 59 and Minnesota Highway 92, pass through the community.

Who Lives in Brooks?

Historical population
Census Pop.
1960 148
1970 163 10.1%
1980 173 6.1%
1990 158 −8.7%
2000 141 −10.8%
2010 141 0.0%
2020 117 −17.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
2020 Census

Population in 2010

In 2010, there were 141 people living in Brooks. The city had about 60 households, which are groups of people living together. The population density was about 120 people per square mile. This means 120 people lived in each square mile of the city.

Most people living in Brooks were White (96.5%). A small number were Native American or Asian. Some people were from two or more races.

About 3 out of 10 households had children under 18 living with them. Half of the households were married couples. Some households had a single parent, either a mother or a father. About 18% of households had someone aged 65 or older living alone. The average household had 2.35 people.

The average age of people in Brooks was 37.5 years old. About a quarter of the residents were under 18. Another quarter were between 25 and 44 years old. The city had slightly more females (50.4%) than males (49.6%).

History of Brooks

Brooks was started in 1904. It began as a stop on the Soo Line Railroad. By 1926, Brooks had many businesses. These included two general stores, a grocery store, a bank, and a hardware store. There was also a butcher shop, a blacksmith shop, and a hotel for travelers.

Brooks was mainly a service town for the farms around it. A creamery was built as dairying grew on nearby farms. After the cream separator was invented, local family farms started selling their dairy products. They became part of the larger dairy industry.

Brooks Cheese Company

In 1926, the creamery in Brooks was bought by the owners of a cheese factory. This factory was in nearby Terrebonne. They moved their business to Brooks and called it the Brooks Cheese Company.

The Parenteau family owned this cheese factory. They sold their cheese to the Kraft Foods company. Their products were sold all over the Midwest. Farmers would bring milk from their cows to the factory. They would remove the cream, which was used for cheese. The leftover skim milk was fed to hogs on the farms.

The Brooks Cheese Company operated until the late 1970s. Over time, fewer small family farms remained. Larger farms that focused on one type of crop or animal became more common. This made it hard for the Brooks Cheese Company to compete.

Today, there are not many dairy cows near Brooks. But Brooks still has an agricultural supply business. It also has a gas station, other local businesses, and a church.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Brooks (Minnesota) para niños

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