Hutchinson, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hutchinson
City
Hutchinson, Minnesota
Downtown Hutchinson
Nickname(s):  Hutch, HS
Location of the city of Hutchinson within McLeod County in the state of Minnesota
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	McLeod
Area
• Total	8.82 sq mi (22.84 km2)
• Land	8.48 sq mi (21.97 km2)
• Water	0.34 sq mi (0.87 km2)
Elevation	1,060 ft (323 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	14,599
• Density	1,648.36/sq mi (636.40/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	55350
Area code(s)	320
FIPS code	27-30644
GNIS feature ID	0645316
Website	City of Hutchinson

Hutchinson is the largest city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. It lies along the South Fork of the Crow River. The population was 14,599 at the 2020 census.

History

The Adam's and Quast House, built in 1902, is one of several historic homes in downtown Hutchinson.

The Hutchinson Family Singers (John, Asa, and Judson Hutchinson) are credited with founding the town in November 1855. A post office has been in operation at Hutchinson since 1856. The city was incorporated in 1904.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.02 square miles (23.36 km²), of which 8.60 square miles (22.27 km²) is land and 0.42 square miles (1.09 km²) is water.

Minnesota State Highways 7, 15, and 22 are three of the main routes in the city.

Major bodies of water include the Crow River which flows through the downtown, Otter Lake, and Campbell Lake. Started by the Hutchinson brothers, Hutchinson has the nation's second oldest city park system (only New York City's Central Park is older).

Demographics

2020 census

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2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 14,178 people, 5,950 households, and 3,642 families living in the city. The population density was 1,648.6 inhabitants per square mile (636.5/km²). There were 6,393 housing units at an average density of 743.4 per square mile (287.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.4% White, 0.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.9% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.

There were 5,950 households, of which 31.0% had children under 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who 65 or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.99.

The median age in the city was 36.9. 25.6% of residents were under 18; 8.4% were between 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 24.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

Economy

Hutchinson Technology headquarters campus

Data from the top 31 employers in Hutchinson show the following distribution of employment:

• Manufacturing (3959)
• Retail (1178)
• Medical (826)
• School and local government (450)
• Utilities (122)
• Printing/publishing (116)
• Agricultural service (75)
• Food/gardening products (66)
• Construction (30)
• Wholesalers (21)

Manufacturing jobs are with Hutchinson Technology (~390 employees, computer and peripheral equipment), Uponor, and 3M (2,900 employees, flags and vinyl, Scotch tapes). The Goebel Fixture Co. employs 125 in a niche market, producing cabinetry fixtures for department stores nationwide.

The town has agricultural roots, notably as the birthplace of the Geier Hitch.

The retail and service economy has grown from agricultural supply and processing to include a combination of local manufacturing, shopping, and a growing restaurant and food service industry with multiple new options opening recently. It also has a hospital and medical center that offer primary care as well as full access to specialty care.

Education

Ridgewater College

Hutchinson is home to a campus of Ridgewater College, a comprehensive community and technical college (another campus is in Willmar, Minnesota). The original use of the campus was for an Area Vocational Technical Institute. The Vo-Tech merged with a similar institute in Willmar, and ultimately the Willmar Community College joined the two Vo-Techs to form Ridgewater College, a member of the MnSCU system. Although begun as a technical institute, since the creation of Ridgewater the Hutchinson campus has shown a steady increase in the number of "transfer" (versus "technical") programs, faculty, and students. From 2004 to 2006, significant remodeling included the installation of new facilities for the school's nursing programs, plus new biology, chemistry, and physics laboratories. A notable and unique technical program on the Hutchinson campus is Nondestructive Testing.

Not including the two charter schools (New Discoveries Montessori Academy and New Century Academy), there are five public schools. The school names and grades for Independent School District #423 are West Elementary (Pre-1), Tiger Elementary (2-3) Park Elementary (4-5), Hutchinson Middle School (6-8), and Hutchinson High School (9-12). Private schools in the city include Maplewood Academy.

Immanuel Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K-8 school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Hutchinson.

Notable people