Wadena, Minnesota Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Wadena
City
Downtown Wadena, Jefferson Street at Colfax Avenue looking NE
Location of the city of Wadena within Wadena County, Minnesota
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Wadena, Otter Tail
Founded	1871
Incorporated	1881
Area
• Total	5.38 sq mi (13.93 km²)
• Land	5.38 sq mi (13.93 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.01 km²)
Elevation	1,339 ft (408 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	4,325
• Estimate (2021)	4,335
• Density	804.35/sq mi (310.54/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	56482
Area code(s)	218
FIPS code	27-67504
GNIS feature ID	2397160

Wadena is a city in Minnesota, a state in the United States. It is located in both Otter Tail and Wadena counties. The city is about 160 miles northwest of the big cities of Minneapolis – Saint Paul.

In 2020, about 4,325 people lived in Wadena. It is the main city, or county seat, for Wadena County. Wadena is a farming community and a central spot for the surrounding three-county area. It sits where two important roads, Highway 10 and Highway 71, meet.

History of Wadena
- The 2010 Tornado
Geography
Population Information
- Wadena's Population in 2010
Media
- Newspapers
Arts and Culture
Economy
Notable People
Transportation
Images for kids
See also

History of Wadena

Wadena County Historical Society Museum

The first people to settle permanently in Wadena arrived in 1871. The city gets its name from Chief Wadena. He was an Ojibwe Indian chief who lived in northwestern Minnesota in the late 1800s.

A post office has been open in Wadena since 1873. The city officially became a town in 1881. Several buildings in Wadena are very old and important. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are protected because of their history.

The Commercial Hotel was built around 1885.
The Wadena Fire and City Hall was built in 1912.
The Northern Pacific Passenger Depot was built in 1915.
The Peterson-Biddick Seed and Feed Company was built between 1916 and 1936.

The 2010 Tornado

Damage from the tornado

On June 17, 2010, a very strong tornado hit Wadena. It was an EF-4 tornado, which is a powerful type of tornado. It tore a path about a quarter-mile wide through the town.

This tornado was part of the biggest tornado day in Minnesota's history. That day, 48 tornadoes were recorded across the state. The Wadena tornado was over a mile wide at its largest point. It had winds up to 170 miles per hour and stayed on the ground for about 10 miles.

About 232 homes in the city were damaged. This was almost a third of all homes in Wadena. Luckily, no one in the town died. However, 34 people were hurt and needed medical care.

The Community Center was so damaged it had to be torn down. The high school was also badly damaged and later rebuilt. The city is still recovering, and some empty lots remain. City leaders are trying to encourage new building by offering special land deals.

The Wadena tornado was shown on the TV show Storm Chasers in December 2010. After the tornado, high school students went to classes in different places. They used the Wadena campus of Minnesota State Community and Technical College. They also used an old school in nearby Deer Creek. Some younger students moved to Saint Ann's Catholic School.

Sports games were played in the Elementary School gym. A new Middle-High School opened in the fall of 2012.

Geography

Wadena covers an area of about 5.38 square miles (13.93 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

The main roads that go through Wadena are U.S. Highway 10, U.S. Highway 71, and Minnesota State Highway 29.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	307	—
1890	895	191.5%
1900	1,520	69.8%
1910	1,820	19.7%
1920	2,186	20.1%
1930	2,512	14.9%
1940	2,916	16.1%
1950	3,958	35.7%
1960	4,381	10.7%
1970	4,640	5.9%
1980	4,699	1.3%
1990	4,131	−12.1%
2000	4,294	3.9%
2010	4,088	−4.8%
2020	4,325	5.8%
2021 (est.)	4,335	6.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

Wadena's Population in 2010

In 2010, there were 4,088 people living in Wadena. There were 1,840 households, which are groups of people living together. About 1,013 of these were families.

The average age of people in Wadena was 42 years old.

About 22% of residents were under 18 years old.
About 9.5% were between 18 and 24 years old.
About 21% were between 25 and 44 years old.
About 24% were between 45 and 64 years old.
About 23% were 65 years or older.

The city had slightly more females (52.7%) than males (47.3%).

Media

Wadena has access to three local TV stations:

KCCW Channel 12, which shows CBS programs (from Walker)
KAWB Channel 22, which shows PBS programs (from Brainerd)
KSAX Channel 42, which shows ABC programs (from Alexandria)

Local cable TV services are provided by Spectrum Cable and Arvig Communications.

Newspapers

The local newspaper in Wadena is called the Wadena Pioneer Journal.

Arts and Culture

Wadena is famous for its "Largest Puzzle in the World." This is a collection of over 100 hand-painted murals. They decorate buildings in the downtown area. These murals show 1,000 years of Minnesota history.

The Alley Arts Committee helped make the alleys beautiful. They also created an interesting place for tourists to visit. More than 40 artists worked together to finish the 100 puzzle panels. You can take guided tours or use a map from the train depot to see them.

In 2015, there was a discussion about a city-owned nativity scene in a park. To avoid problems, the city sold the nativity scene to a private owner. This person was able to display it in a more visible, private spot. After this, many other nativity scenes appeared around the city. It is thought there were over 1,000 in total. The story was even covered by national news.

Wadena is also home to the Cozy Theatre. This theater shows new movies and also hosts a film festival.

Economy

Wadena's economy is strong because of several types of businesses. These include manufacturing, farming, and many small local businesses.

The city is a good place for trucking and logistics companies. This is because it is located near major transportation routes. This helps with moving goods and services. The manufacturing businesses in Wadena make different products. These include laser machinery and outdoor furniture.

Notable People

Don A. Anderson was a businessman and a state legislator in Minnesota.
Ernest P. Anderson was also a businessman and a state legislator in Minnesota.
Frank C. Mars founded Mars, Incorporated, which makes candies like M&M's. He was born in Hancock, Minnesota, but lived in Wadena when his son Forrest was born.
Forrest Mars Sr. was the son of Frank C. Mars. He later took over Mars, Incorporated and created M&M's. He was born in Wadena but moved away when he was a child.

Transportation

The Empire Builder train, run by Amtrak, passes through Wadena. This train travels between Seattle/Portland and Chicago. However, the train does not stop in Wadena. The closest train station is in Staples, which is about 18 miles southeast of Wadena.