Granite Falls, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Granite Falls
City
Prentice Street in downtown Granite Falls in 2007
Location of Granite Falls within Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Chippewa, Yellow Medicine
village	1879
incorporated	April 24, 1889
Area
• Total	3.73 sq mi (9.66 km2)
• Land	3.49 sq mi (9.05 km2)
• Water	0.24 sq mi (0.61 km2)
Elevation	906 ft (276 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,737
• Estimate  (2021)	2,713
• Density	783.34/sq mi (302.48/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	56241
Area code(s)	320
FIPS code	27-25280
GNIS feature ID	2394962

The Yellow Medicine County Courthouse in 2007

Granite Falls is a city in Minnesota, USA. Most of it is in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota, where it's the main town (the county seat). A small part of the city is in Chippewa County, Minnesota. In 2020, about 2,737 people lived there.

Granite Falls is home to two important places called National Historic Landmarks. These are the Andrew John Volstead House and the Julian A. Weaver House. These landmarks are special because they have a lot of history.

History of Granite Falls

How Granite Falls Began

A post office opened in Granite Falls in 1870. The town was officially planned out in 1872. It got its name from the many granite rocks found in the area.

In 1874, Granite Falls became the county seat. This means it became the main town for Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. A small courthouse was built with one courtroom.

Growth and Development

In 1876, a church was built for the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. Granite Falls officially became a city in 1879. A nearby area called East Granite Falls joined the city in 1889.

The current county courthouse was built in 1880. In 1888, the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad built a train station in town. This station is still there today. The train tracks are still used by the Twin Cities and Western Railroad.

A large building for storing grain, called a grain elevator, was built near the train tracks. Today, it is known as the Farmers Co-Op elevator. In 2005, a company called Granite Falls Energy LLC started making Corn ethanol and Corn oil at a new factory.

The 2000 Tornado

On July 25, 2000, a very strong tornado hit Granite Falls. It also affected the surrounding Yellow Medicine County. The tornado first touched down outside the city. It reached Granite Falls at 6:10 PM.

The tornado moved through the parts of town where people live. It then lifted off the ground around 6:25 PM. The tornado was on the ground for over nine miles. Sadly, one person died and more than a dozen people were hurt. The city and nearby areas had millions of dollars in damage.

Most of the damage in Granite Falls was rated F2 and F3. However, the damage at 9th Avenue and 14th Street was so bad that the National Weather Service called it an F4 tornado. This means it was extremely powerful.

Geography and Location

Granite Falls covers about 3.82 square miles (9.9 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 3.59 square miles (9.3 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.23 square miles (0.6 square kilometers), is water.

You can get to Granite Falls using a few main roads. These include U.S. Highway 212, Minnesota State Highway 23, and Minnesota State Highway 67.

Granite Falls Climate

Granite Falls has a humid continental climate. This means there are big differences between the seasons. Summers are warm and humid, bringing hot temperatures and rain. Winters are cold and dry, with arctic air.

The spring and fall seasons are quite short. April and October are the only months with average daily temperatures between 0°C (32°F) and 10°C (50°F). The middle months of summer (May to September) are clearly warmer. The middle months of winter (November to March) are clearly colder. This is typical for continental climates.

Population and People

How Many People Live Here?

In 2010, there were 2,897 people living in Granite Falls. These people lived in 1,282 homes. About 747 of these homes were families. The city had about 807 people per square mile.

Most of the people in Granite Falls were White (89.9%). There were also Native American (5.2%), African American (0.6%), and Asian (0.4%) residents. About 4.7% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.

Life in Granite Falls Homes

About 25.7% of homes had children under 18 living there. Many homes (44.1%) were married couples. About 10.1% of homes had a female head of household without a husband. About 4.1% had a male head of household without a wife.

Almost 42% of homes were not families. About 37% of homes had only one person living in them. And 17.2% of homes had one person aged 65 or older. On average, there were 2.17 people in each home. Families had about 2.82 people.

The average age of people in Granite Falls was 43 years old. About 21.5% of residents were under 18. About 20.7% were 65 or older. The city had slightly more females (51.6%) than males (48.4%).

Television Channels

Granite Falls gets many television channels. These channels offer different types of shows. They include public broadcasting, news, and entertainment. Most of these channels are managed by the Minnesota Valley TV Improvement Corporation.

Transportation in Granite Falls

Getting around Granite Falls is easy with these main roads:

• United States Highway 212
• Minnesota State Highway 23
• Minnesota State Highway 67

See also

In Spanish: Granite Falls (Minnesota) para niños