Redwood Falls, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Redwood Falls
City
Street in downtown Redwood Falls
Motto(s):  The town of redwood trees
Location of Redwood Falls within Redwood County and state of Minnesota
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Redwood
Settlement	1864
Platted	October 1865
Incorporated (village)	March 9, 1876
Incorporated (city)	April 1, 1891
Area
• Total	5.40 sq mi (14.00 km2)
• Land	5.28 sq mi (13.68 km2)
• Water	0.12 sq mi (0.32 km2)
Elevation	1,024 ft (312 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,102
• Estimate  (2022)	5,084
• Density	966.10/sq mi (372.99/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	56283
Area code(s)	507
FIPS code	27-53656
GNIS feature ID	2396342

Redwood Falls is a city in Redwood County, located along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,102 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat.

History

As the immigrant and Euro-American population of the North American east coast region grew, population pressures affected people far inland. People moved west to find new homes as more and more land was used by farmers. The Minnesota area is the ancestral homeland of the several Dakota peoples, who consisted of the loosely confederated Oceti sakowin (Seven Council Fires). By 1700, Ojibwe, who spoke an Anishinaabe language, had also come to what is now Minnesota from further east around the Great Lakes. At times they came into conflict with the Dakota over land and resources, and began to push them to the west.

19th century

The site of the future town of Redwood Falls was within the Dakota reservation area along the lower Minnesota River.

In 1864, Sam McPhail, a colonel who had commanded U.S. troops in the war and was a land speculator, claimed the land where Redwood Falls was developed. He hired men to use lumber from the Dakota reservation to build a fortified house and surrounded it with a sod stockade eight feet tall. McPhail published the Redwood Falls Patriot from 1866 to 1869. He was a probate judge and first Redwood County attorney. In 1872, he donated land for the county courthouse as Redwood Falls was designated as the county seat.

Among settlers who joined McPhail in 1864 was John St. George Honner. Honner claimed land north of Redwood Falls. The house he built in 1869 still stands in North Redwood and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Honner was appointed as the first postmaster and also served as a county official. Active in electoral politics, he served as a representative and later as a senator in the state legislature between 1866 and 1874. Honner operated a granite quarry near North Redwood and supplied the stone for the county courthouse.

20th century to present

After World War II, Redwood Falls was home to the Minnesota Inventors Congress. Started in the 1958 to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship and attract industry to town, MIC held a juried exhibition each year. It also sponsored a contest for student inventors and a parade for the city. After a 58-year run, the MIC was ended in 2014 due to a lack of funding.

The city of Redwood Falls took over Alexander Ramsey Park in 1958 from the state of Minnesota. Ramsey had been one of the least used and least developed state parks. It has been improved as the largest municipal park in Minnesota.

The cities of North Redwood and Redwood Falls merged in 1996; they are now known as the single entity Redwood Falls. In 2010 Native Americans composed more than 6% of the population in the city. They continue to live in many areas of Minnesota.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.38 square miles (13.93 km²); 5.25 square miles (13.60 km²) is land and 0.13 square miles (0.34 km²) is water. The Redwood River flows through the city near its mouth at the Minnesota River.

Redwood Falls is located along U.S. Highway 71. Other main highways in the city include Minnesota State Highways 19 and 67.

Climate

Redwood Falls has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dsa), with hot summers and freezing winters.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,254 people, 2,265 households, and 1,341 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,000.8 inhabitants per square mile (386.4/km²). There were 2,465 housing units at an average density of 469.5 per square mile (181.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.8% White, 0.6% African American, 6.6% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

There were 2,265 households, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. 37.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.89.

The median age in the city was 42.1 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

Media

Television

See also

In Spanish: Redwood Falls para niños