Mankato, Minnesota

History

Mankato Township was not settled by European Americans until Parsons King Johnson in February 1852, as part of the 19th-century migration of people from the east across the Midwest. New residents organized the city of Mankato on May 11, 1858, the day Minnesota became a state. The city was organized by Johnson, Henry Jackson, Daniel A. Robertson, Justus C. Ramsey, and others. A popular story says that the city was supposed to have been named Mahkato, but a typographical error by a clerk established the name as Mankato. According to Warren Upham, quoting historian Thomas Hughes of Mankato, "The honor of christening the new city was accorded to Col. Robertson. He had taken the name from Nicollet's book, in which the French explorer compared the 'Mahkato' or Blue Earth River, with all its tributaries, to the water nymphs and their uncle in the German legend of Undine...No more appropriate name could be given the new city, than that of the noble river at whose mouth it is located." While it is uncertain that the city was intended to be called Mahkato, the Dakota called the river Makato Osa Watapa ("the river where blue earth is gathered"). The Anglo settlers adapted that as "Blue Earth River". Frederick Webb Hodge, in the Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, said the town was named after the older of the two like-named chiefs of the Mdewakanton nation of the Santee Dakota, whose village stood on or near the site of the present town.

Ishtakhaba, also known as Chief Sleepy Eye, of the Sisseton band, was said to have directed settlers to this location. He said the site at the confluence of the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers was well suited to building and river traffic, and yet safe from flooding.

In 1880, Mankato was Minnesota's fourth-most populous city, with 5,500 residents.

Former Vice President Schuyler Colfax died while traveling through Mankato on January 13, 1885.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.229 sqmi, of which 19.879 sqmi is land and 0.350 sqmi is water. The Minnesota, Blue Earth, and Le Sueur rivers all flow through or near the city.

Climate

Mankato has a humid continental climate, type Dfa (hot summer subtype). Winters are cold, with snow cover (continuous most winter seasons) beginning typically between mid-November and mid-December, ending in March most years. However, Mankato often receives less snow than areas to its north and east. For example, Minneapolis, 75 mi northeast of Mankato, averages over 54 in of snow per winter season, compared to Mankato's seasonal average of 35 in. The coldest month, January, has an average monthly temperature around 14 F. Dangerously low wind-chill temperatures are a significant hazard during the winter months, as Arctic air outbreaks rush into the area from Canada, borne on high winds; this can bring about ground blizzard conditions, especially in nearby rural areas.

Summers are warm, with occasional but usually brief hot, humid periods, often interspersed with pushes of cooler air from Canada, often preceded by showers and thunderstorms. The hottest month, July, has an average monthly temperature of around 73 F. Precipitation falls year round, but falls mostly as snow from December to February, sometimes March, and as showers and thunderstorms during the warmer season, from May to September. Mankato's average wettest months are from June to August, with frequent thunderstorm activity. Mankato lies on the northern fringe of the central United States’ main tornado belt, with lower risk than in Iowa and Missouri to the south. The highest-risk months for severe thunderstorms and (rarely) tornadoes, are May through July. However, a very unusual early tornado outbreak affected areas within 20 mi of Mankato on March 29, 1998, when an F3 tornado hit St. Peter, 13 mi to the north. On August 17, 1946, tornadoes struck southwestern areas of Mankato and the town of Wells to the southeast, killing 11 people.

|Jan record high F = 61 |Feb record high F = 67 |Mar record high F = 84 |Apr record high F = 94 |May record high F = 100 |Jun record high F = 105 |Jul record high F = 104 |Aug record high F = 107 |Sep record high F = 99 |Oct record high F = 92 |Nov record high F = 83 |Dec record high F = 69

|Jan avg record high F = 43.4 |Feb avg record high F = 47.3 |Mar avg record high F = 65.7 |Apr avg record high F = 81.4 |May avg record high F = 89.3 |Jun avg record high F = 93.3 |Jul avg record high F = 92.3 |Aug avg record high F = 89.9 |Sep avg record high F = 88.5 |Oct avg record high F = 82.5 |Nov avg record high F = 66.0 |Dec avg record high F = 47.3 |year avg record high F = 95.6

|Jan avg record low F = -17.1 |Feb avg record low F = -11.0 |Mar avg record low F = -0.5 |Apr avg record low F = 20.3 |May avg record low F = 33.6 |Jun avg record low F = 45.9 |Jul avg record low F = 52.5 |Aug avg record low F = 49.6 |Sep avg record low F = 35.5 |Oct avg record low F = 22.7 |Nov avg record low F = 6.7 |Dec avg record low F = -9.4 |year avg record low F = -19.4

|Jan record low F = -34 |Feb record low F = -35 |Mar record low F = -24 |Apr record low F = 3 |May record low F = 22 |Jun record low F = 35 |Jul record low F = 44 |Aug record low F = 38 |Sep record low F = 23 |Oct record low F = 12 |Nov record low F = -15 |Dec record low F = -32

|Jan snow depth inch = |Feb snow depth inch = |Mar snow depth inch = |Apr snow depth inch = |May snow depth inch = |Jun snow depth inch = |Jul snow depth inch = |Aug snow depth inch = |Sep snow depth inch = |Oct snow depth inch = |Nov snow depth inch = |Dec snow depth inch = |year snow depth inch =

|access-date = November 23, 2024 |access-date = November 23, 2024

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2020 Census

As of the 2022 American Community Survey, there are 17,605 estimated households in Mankato with an average of 2.31 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $61,726. Approximately 22.5% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Mankato has an estimated 71.1% employment rate, with 37.6% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 93.6% holding a high school diploma.

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (89.5), Spanish (2.7%), Other Indo-European (1.6%), Asian and Pacific Islander (2.2%), and Other (3.9%).

The median age in the city was 26.5 years.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 44,488 people, 17,576 households, and 8,344 families residing in the city. The population density was 2305.2 PD/sqmi. There were 18,855 housing units at an average density of 977.0 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup was 79.02% White, 8.42% African American, 0.53% Native American, 3.83% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.35% from some other races and 5.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 5.82% of the population. 16.9% of residents were under the age of 18, 5.0% were under 5 years of age, and 12.5% were 65 and older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 39,309 people, 14,851 households, and 7,093 families residing in the city. The population density was 2195.3 PD/sqmi. There were 15,784 housing units at an average density of 881.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 89.94% White, 4.03% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.78% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.81% from some other races and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.93% of the population.

There were 14,851 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 25.4 years. 16.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 32.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 16.6% were from 45 to 64; and 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The city's gender makeup was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 32,427 people, 12,367 households, and 6,059 families residing in the city. The population density was 2132.5 PD/sqmi. There were 12,759 housing units at an average density of 839.1 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup was 92.55% White, 1.90% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.81% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from some other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.22% of the population.

There were 12,367 households, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.0% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90.

16.9% of the city's residents were under the age of 18; 32.5% were between age 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 15.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were age 65 or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,956, and the median income for a family was $47,297. Males had a median income of $30,889 versus $22,081 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,652. About 8.5% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top employers

According to the City's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Arts and culture

Major events

• Minnesota State University was home to the Minnesota Vikings summer training camp for 52 years. The Vikings announced their training camp would move to Eagan starting in 2018.

Places of interest

• The Betsy & Tacy Houses
• Blue Earth County Courthouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
• Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota
• Federal Courthouse and Post Office (NRHP)
• First National Bank of Mankato (NRHP)
• First Presbyterian Church (NRHP)
• Good Counsel Hill
• Happy Chef original restaurant and company headquarters; Mankato also is home to the last surviving 36 ft Happy Chef statue
• The Hubbard House Blue Earth County Historical Society – French Second Empire style built in 1871 (NRHP)
• ISG Field, home of the Mankato Moondogs of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league
• The Cray Mansion (NRHP)
• River Hills Mall
• Sibley Park is a city park along the river in Mankato.
• The Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, an arena in downtown Mankato formerly operated under the names Mankato Civic Center, Midwest Wireless Civic Center, Alltel Center, Verizon Wireless Center, and Verizon Center
• Vetter Stone Amphitheater

Library

The Blue Earth County Library, part of the Traverse des Sioux Library System, serves the city.

Government

Mankato is in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Brad Finstad. It is in Minnesota Senate district 19, represented by Nick Frentz, and Minnesota House district 19B, represented by Luke Frederick. Mankato voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Education

The Mankato Area Public Schools are consolidated to include the cities of Mankato, North Mankato, Eagle Lake, and Madison Lake. There are ten elementary schools (Franklin, Eagle Lake, Kennedy, Washington, Roosevelt, Jefferson, Monroe, Hoover, Rosa Parks, and Bridges); two middle schools (Dakota Meadows Middle School and Prairie Winds Middle School); and two high schools (Mankato West High School and Mankato East High School).

Mankato has four parochial schools: Loyola Catholic School, Immanuel Lutheran Grade School and High School (K–12), Mount Olive Lutheran School (K–8) and Risen Savior Lutheran School (K–8). There is also a public charter school, Kato Public Charter School. The alternative school Central High, on Fulton Street, is another educational option.

Higher education institutions

• Minnesota State University was opened as the second state normal school in 1868 and is the second largest university in the state of Minnesota by enrollment. With an annual operating budget of over $200 million, Minnesota State provides a net economic benefit of over $452 million annually to Minnesota's south-central region. It is one of the largest employers in the Mankato area.
• South Central College
• Bethany Lutheran College
• Rasmussen University

Media

The major daily newspaper in the area is the Mankato Free Press.

Television

• KMNF-LD 7 (NBC/CW)
• KEYC-TV 12 (CBS/Fox)
• K14KE-D 14 (Independent, repeater of KSTC)
• K26CS-D 26 (PBS, repeater of KTCA)
• K29IE-D 29 (PBS, repeater of KTCI)
• K30FN-D 30 (ABC, repeater of KSTP-TV)

Radio

FM

• 89.1 FM, KTIS (AM), Christian talk and teaching
• 89.7 FM, KMSU, college radio
• 90.5 FM, KNGA, Minnesota Public Radio
• 91.5 FM, KGAC, classical
• 93.1 FM, KATO-FM, classic hits
• 94.1 FM, KXLP, classic rock
• 94.9 FM, KTIS-FM, contemporary Christian music
• 95.3 FM, KCMP, adult album alternative
• 95.7 FM, KMKO-FM, active rock
• 96.7 FM, KDOG, top 40
• 99.1 FM, KEEZ-FM, adult contemporary
• 100.5 FM, KXAC, country
• 101.5 FM, KEMJ, adult contemporary
• 101.7 FM, KMKO-FM, active rock
• 102.7 FM, KTOE, news/talk
• 103.1 FM, KFSP, sport talk
• 103.5 FM, KYSM-FM, country
• 104.5 FM, KJLY, Christian
• 105.1 FM, KCMP, adult album alternative
• 105.5 FM, KRBI-FM, adult contemporary
• 107.1 FM, KJLY, Christian

AM

• 860, KNUJ (AM), news/talk
• 1230, KFSP, sports talk
• 1420, KTOE, news/talk

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transportation in Mankato is provided by the Mankato Transit System. The city is served by Mankato Regional Airport, which has no commercial flights. Under MnDOT's 2015 State Rail Plan, Mankato is listed as a Tier 1 Corridor for regional rail service from Minneapolis and/or St. Paul. U.S. Highways 14 and 169 and Minnesota State Highways 22 and 60 are four of Mankato's main routes.

Major highways

The following routes are within the city of Mankato.

• [[Image:US 14.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 14
• [[Image:US 169 (MN).svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 169
• [[Image:MN-22.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 22
• [[Image:MN-60.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 60
• [[Image:MN-83.svg|20px]] Minnesota State Highway 83

In popular culture

The protagonist of Sinclair Lewis's 1920 novel Main Street, Carol Milford, is a former Mankato resident. Lewis describes Mankato as follows: "In its garden-sheltered streets and aisles of elms is white and green New England reborn", alluding to its many migrants from New England, who brought their culture with them. Lewis wrote a substantial portion of the novel while staying at the J.W. Schmidt House at 315 South Broad Street, as now marked by a small plaque in front of the building.

In 1996, Don Descy created city-mankato.us as a teaching tool and example that not everything on the Internet should be believed.

Hotdish

In 2016 Food & Wine credited a 1930 Mankato church congregation cookbook as the first written record of a hotdish recipe. Many churches publish cookbooks with recipes submitted by their congregation as fund raisers. The source included neither the name of the woman who invented the recipe nor the source. Mankato resident Joyce Nelson had a copy of the 1930 Lutheran church recipe book and it was found that the recipe was indeed included in that year's cookbook. Mrs. C. W. Anderson had submitted a recipe for a "HOT DISH" made with hamburger, onions, Creamette pasta, celery, a can of peas, tomato soup and tomatoes.

Notable people

• Daniel Akerson, former CEO of General Motors
• Barry Anderson, Associate Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court
• Walter Jackson Bate, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, born in Mankato in 1918
• Daniel Buck, Minnesota jurist and politician
• Con Bunde, Alaska state legislator and educator
• Frederick Russell Burnham, "father of the international scouting movement" born near Mankato in 1861
• Howard Burnham, mining engineer, born near Mankato in 1870
• Joseph Francis Busch, Roman Catholic prelate, Diocese of Rapid City, Diocese of Saint Cloud, Minnesota
• Jimmy Chin, professional climber and mountaineer, Academy Award winner for Best Documentary
• George Contant, outlaw of the American West, brother of John Sontag
• Marvel Cooke, journalist, writer and civil rights activist
• David R. Cummiskey, Minnesota legislator
• Craig Dahl, NFL safety, New York Giants
• Adolph Olson Eberhart, seventeenth Governor of Minnesota
• William S. Ervin, Attorney General of Minnesota
• Ronald G. Evans, Minnesota legislator and businessman
• Cliff Fagan, basketball referee, Basketball Hall of Fame
• Sal Frederick, Minnesota legislator and businessman
• Kelly Gage, Minnesota legislator and lawyer
• Milton Hanna, Civil War veteran, Medal of Honor recipient
• Justin Hartwig, former NFL center
• Geoff Herbach, novelist
• Robert Louis Hodapp, Roman Catholic bishop
• Ron Johnson, U.S. senator for Wisconsin
• Jack Kodell, stage magician
• Sinclair Lewis, author
• Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow
• Maud Hart Lovelace, author of the Betsy-Tacy series of books
• Bob Paffrath, professional football player
• Melissa Peterman, actress and comedian, graduated from Minnesota State University
• Mark Piepho, Minnesota politician and businessman
• Mike Ploog, comic book and film-production artist
• Edmund Mann Pope, United States military officer, businessman, and Minnesota state senator
• Jeanne Audrey Powers, leader within The United Methodist Church and advocate for women and LGBTQ+ people in the church
• Dudley Riggs, Brave New Workshop, graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato
• Joseph Rosser, Secretary of Minnesota Territory and lawyer
• Daniel L. Ryan, Roman Catholic bishop
• Ervin Harold Schulz, businessman, newspaper editor, and Minnesota politician
• Roy F. Schulz, farmer and Minnesota politician
• Julia Sears, pioneering feminist and suffragette
• John Sontag, outlaw, born in Mankato; crimes in Minnesota and California
• Steven B. Szarke, born in Mankato, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer
• Glen Taylor, owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx basketball teams
• Adam Thielen, NFL wide receiver, Minnesota Vikings, graduated from Minnesota State University
• Arthur S. Thomas, Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
• John Eaton Tourtellotte, lawyer, Civil War general
• Alma Wagen, first female guide at Mount Rainier National Park
• Tim Walz, 41st Governor of Minnesota, former U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 1st congressional district, and running mate for Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election
• Cedric Yarbrough, actor, graduated from Minnesota State University
• Steve Zahn, actor and comedian, was raised in Mankato

References

References

1. "". link. City of Mankato, Minnesota
2. "Mankato City Council {{!}} Mankato, MN".
3. "City Manager's Office {{!}} Mankato, MN".
4. "2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. {{GNIS. 2395831
6. "Mankato (MN) sales tax rate".
7. "Minnesota Pronunciation Guide".
8. "Explore Census Data". [[United States Census Bureau]].
9. (March 13, 2025). "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Population Totals: 2020-2024". [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division.
10. (September 10, 2014). "Minnesota State University overtakes St. Cloud as MnSCU enrollment continues decline". Mankato Free Press.
11. "History of Blue Earth County".
12. Upham, Warren. (2001). "Minnesota Place Names, A Geographical Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition". Minnesota Historical Society.
13. (May 31, 2010). "Ish Tak Ha Be (Sleepy Eye)". Minnesota State University Mankato.
14. "Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)".
15. "Battle Unit Details - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)".
16. ''Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia'', Minnesota Historical Society website. http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/index.cfm {{Webarchive. link. (June 20, 2007)
17. (January 13, 2010). "Former House Speaker Schuyler Colfax dies, Jan. 13, 1885". [[Politico]].
18. "North Mankato, Minnesota Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)".
19. Nienaber, Dan. (May 31, 2006). "Memories of 1946 tornado remain vivid". [[Mankato Free Press]].
20. (October 31, 2024). "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau.
21. "Census of Population and Housing". United States Census Bureau.
22. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Mankato city, Minnesota". [[United States Census Bureau]].
23. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mankato city, Minnesota". [[United States Census Bureau]].
24. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mankato city, Minnesota". [[United States Census Bureau]].
25. "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau.
26. "How many people live in Mankato city, Minnesota". USA Today.
27. (April 28, 2024). "City of Mankato 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report".
28. "Mankato readies for Vikings training camp". The Washington Times.
29. Olson, Rochelle. (July 19, 2017). "Minnesota Vikings, Mankato part ways after one final training camp beginning next week".
30. Linehan, Dan. (June 25, 2007). "Civic center to be Alltel Center". [[Mankato Free Press]].
31. Murray, Robb. (May 26, 2023). "Ready to rock? Concert season heating up at Vetter Stone Amphitheater". Mankato Free Press.
32. "Minnesota Election Results".
33. (August 12, 2022). "Republican Rep. Brad Finstad sworn in to finish Hagedorn's House term".
34. (January 3, 2019). "An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2020 Election". The New York Times.
35. "The Economic Impact of Minnesota State University, Mankato". Amherst H. Wilder Research Foundation.
36. Stavig, Vicky. (April 25, 2018). "How Mankato Came to Be Minnesota's Hottest Economic Region". Twin Cities Business Magazine.
37. "Historical Attractions".
38. Dyslin, Amanda. (August 21, 2007). "Parody Web site fools two into visiting Mankato".
39. Kelley, Tina. (March 4, 1999). "Whales in the Minnesota River".
40. (April 21, 2021). "The enduring love for church cookbooks".
41. (March 12, 2016). "Mankato cookbook gets credit for first hot dish recipe".
42. "Sharing Food: Minnesota's own hot dish".
43. (1937). "The Legislative Manual of the State of Minnesota". Minnesota Secretary of State.
44. "JOHNSON, Ron".