Willmar, Minnesota

This article is about the city in Minnesota, United States. For other uses, see Willmar (disambiguation).

Willmar
City
Willmar, Minnesota
Kandiyohi County Courthouse in Wilmar
Location of the city of Willmarwithin Kandiyohi Countyin the state of Minnesota Location of the city of Willmar within Kandiyohi County in the state of Minnesota
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Kandiyohi
Area
• Total	15.95 sq mi (41.31 km2)
• Land	14.15 sq mi (36.65 km2)
• Water	1.80 sq mi (4.66 km2)
Elevation	1,142 ft (348 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	19,610
• Estimate (2013)	19,680
• Density	1,385.9/sq mi (535.1/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	56201
Area code(s)	320
FIPS code	27-70420
GNIS feature ID	0654177
Website	City of Willmar

Willmar is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 19,610 at the 2010 census.

Willmar has been assigned ZIP code 56201 by the United States Postal Service.

U.S. Highways 12 and 71 and Minnesota State Highways 23 and 40 are four of the main routes in the city.

History

Agricultural expansion and the establishment of Willmar as a division point on the Great Northern Railway determined the growth of the community. The first settlers arrived during the 1850s attracted to the fertile land and an abundance of timber and game. The Dakota War of 1862 left the township abandoned for several years. The advent of the railroad in Kandiyohi County in 1869 brought new settlers. Many were of Swedish and Norwegian origins; hence the predominance today of residents of Scandinavian heritage. In 1870, Leon (Chadwick) Willmar, a Belgian acting as an agent for the European bondholder of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, purchased the title to Section 1 of Willmar Township. Willmar was established as the county seat in 1871 and was incorporated as a village in 1874 and as a city in 1901.

Willmar was the site of The Great Willmar, Minnesota Raid, a famous bank robbery by the Machine Gun Kelly gang on July 15, 1930. They robbed the Bank of Willmar (now Bremer Bank) of about $70,000, and wounded 3 people during the robbery.

From 1977 to 1979, Willmar was the site of the Willmar 8, a famous strike of female workers confronting sexual discrimination at a local bank. The story of the strike was featured in mainstream media and made into a documentary.

File:2012-0821-Kandiyohi-WillmarHospital.jpg

The former state hospital campus now forms the Willmar Hospital Farm for Inebriates Historic District which is one of several of the city's listings on the National Register of Historic Places. It is now also used for technology companies.

Willmar native and composer, Bradley Joseph, often references the past when he names his songs and his music is frequently reminiscent of his rural Minnesota roots. "Wind Farmer" was inspired by childhood visits to a relative's farm near Olivia, and his company, Robbins Island Music, is named after a city park in Willmar, says Anne Polta of the West Central Tribune.

Willmar was home to the annual Sonshine Festival, a Christian music festival, from 1982 to 2014.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.95 square miles (41.31 km²), of which 91.15 square miles (236.08 km²) is land and 1.80 square miles (4.66 km²) is water.

The 45° latitude line passes just south of Willmar, placing it approximately halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	1,002		—
1890	1,825		82.1%
1900	3,409		86.8%
1910	4,135		21.3%
1920	5,892		42.5%
1930	6,173		4.8%
1940	7,623		23.5%
1950	9,410		23.4%
1960	10,417		10.7%
1970	12,869		23.5%
1980	15,895		23.5%
1990	17,531		10.3%
2000	18,351		4.7%
2010	19,610		6.9%
Est. 2014	19,570		−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 2013 Estimate

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 19,610 people, 7,677 households, and 4,538 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,385.9 inhabitants per square mile (535.1/km²). There were 8,123 housing units at an average density of 574.1 per square mile (221.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.9% White, 4.8% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.4% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 20.9% of the population.

There were 7,677 households of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the city was 33.8 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 12.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 22.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,351 people, 7,302 households, and 4,461 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,549.9 people per square mile (598.4/km²). There were 7,789 housing units at an average density of 657.8 per square mile (254.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 88.12% White, 0.90% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 8.52% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.86% of the population.

There were 7,302 households out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,455, and the median income for a family was $45,415. Males had a median income of $31,575 versus $22,158 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,515. About 8.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older.

Immigration

Since October 15, 1989, the rural city has experienced a large influx of immigrants from Latin America and Northeast Africa, mostly due to the demand for labor at the Jennie-O poultry plant. In 2001, the city was recognized as an "All America City" by the National Civic League, in part for its success as growing numbers of immigrants became part of the community.

Also in 2005, the city received attention from national media after several Somali high school students gave Willmar High School its first Cross-Country State championship in twenty years. The team won the state tournament and attended the Nike Nationals consecutively in 2005 and 2006. Following the success of the team, the city gained attention from Sports Illustrated. Subsequently, NBC Nightly News conducted a story documenting the changing face of the rural city and its relative acceptance of the new makeup of its citizens.

Education

Willmar is home to Ridgewater College Willmar est. 1996, a community and technical college has a sister college in Hutchinson. The college enrolls over 5,221 students. and provides a moderate range of programs, in addition to providing access to some four-year programs through relationships with universities in the MnSCU system.

Notable people

• Dan Anderson – psychologist
• Karlyn Kohrs Campbell – academic
• Bonnie Henrickson – head women's college basketball coach at the University of Kansas
• Roy C. Jensen – farmer and politician
• Dean Johnson – politician
• Carl O. Jorgenson – politician
• Bradley Joseph – composer and recording artist
• George Nelson – astronaut
• Alec G. Olson – politician
• Earl B. Olson – founder of the Jennie-O Turkey company
• Kenneth L. Olson – United States Army soldier
• Albert E. Rice – politician
• Marion Ross – actress
• Henrik Shipstead – politician
• Curt Swan – illustrator of Superman comics from the 1950s to the 1980s
• Rick Swenson – dog musher and Iditarod participant
• Buck Zumhofe – wrestler

Media

Newspapers

• West Central Tribune
• La Gran America (Trilingual newspaper)

Magazines

• Seasons of Minnesota
• Coup

Television stations

• Refer to UHF-TV Inc.
• WRAC TV - Willmar Regional Access Channels 8/18/19 - City of Willmar -

Pay television services

• Charter Communications
• En-Tel Communications
• DirecTV
• Dish Network

Radio stations

Call Sign	Frequency	City	Format
KKLW	90.9 FM	Willmar, MN	Christian Contemporary
KBHZ	91.9 FM	Willmar, MN	Religious
KKLN	94.1 FM	Willmar, MN	Rock
KRVY	97.3 FM	Willmar, MN	Adult Contemporary
KQIC	102.5 FM	Willmar, MN	Hot AC
KLFN	106.5 FM	Willmar, MN	Classic Hits
KWLM	1340 AM	Willmar, MN	News/Talk
KDJS	1590 AM	Willmar, MN	Oldies

Sister cities

Willmar has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

• Frameries, Belgium
• Vileyka, Belarus

External links

• Official Website
• The Official Willmar Lakes Area Community site
• The Official Willmar Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce
• Official website of the Willmar Public School District