Zumbrota, Minnesota

History

Zumbrota was claimed as a town in 1856 by Joseph Bailey and D.B. Goddard. The name Zumbrota appears to have resulted from a corruption of the French name for the local Zumbro River, Rivière des Embarras (Obstruction River), coupled with the Dakota toŋ (village).

Zumbrota is home to the Zumbrota Covered Bridge, the last functioning covered bridge in the state of Minnesota. It was originally installed in 1869, one year before the arrival of railroads to the area. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Zumbrota Public Library was the first tax-supported library in Minnesota.

The city of Zumbrota celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2006.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 2.68 sqmi, of which 2.67 sqmi is land and 0.01 sqmi is water.

U.S. Route 52 and Minnesota State Highways 58 and 60 are the three main highways in the city.

Climate

|Jan record high F = 58 |Feb record high F = 69 |Mar record high F = 83 |Apr record high F = 92 |May record high F = 106 |Jun record high F = 103 |Jul record high F = 109 |Aug record high F = 105 |Sep record high F = 102 |Oct record high F = 92 |Nov record high F = 78 |Dec record high F = 66

|Jan avg record high F = 41.3 |Feb avg record high F = 46.2 |Mar avg record high F = 64.0 |Apr avg record high F = 78.6 |May avg record high F = 87.0 |Jun avg record high F = 90.8 |Jul avg record high F = 91.2 |Aug avg record high F = 89.4 |Sep avg record high F = 86.5 |Oct avg record high F = 80.4 |Nov avg record high F = 62.9 |Dec avg record high F = 46.8 |year avg record high F = 93.4

|Jan avg record low F = -19.8 |Feb avg record low F = -13.9 |Mar avg record low F = -3.7 |Apr avg record low F = 18.7 |May avg record low F = 30.6 |Jun avg record low F = 41.4 |Jul avg record low F = 48.3 |Aug avg record low F = 46.2 |Sep avg record low F = 32.8 |Oct avg record low F = 21.1 |Nov avg record low F = 7.3 |Dec avg record low F = -11.6 |year avg record low F = -22.1

|Jan record low F = -45 |Feb record low F = -41 |Mar record low F = -36 |Apr record low F = -1 |May record low F = 19 |Jun record low F = 22 |Jul record low F = 37 |Aug record low F = 32 |Sep record low F = 18 |Oct record low F = 3 |Nov record low F = -20 |Dec record low F = -40

|access-date = May 10, 2023 |access-date = May 10, 2023

Demographics

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2010

As of the 2010 Census, there were 3,252 people, 1,349 households, and 882 families living in the city. The population density was 1218.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,437 housing units at an average density of 538.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.8% White, 0.7% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 1,349 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 38.2 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000

At the 2000 Census, there were 2,789 people, 1,141 households, and 741 families living in the city. The population density was 1,412.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,191 housing units at an average density of 603.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.38% White, 0.82% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.18% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.

There were 1,141 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,678, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $34,821 versus $25,647 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,786. About 6.6% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

Christ Lutheran Church is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) in Zumbrota. United Redeemer Lutheran Church and Land's Lutheran Church are member churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Zumbrota.

St. Paul's Catholic Church and First Congregational United Church of Christ, a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC), are also in Zumbrota.

Education

Zumbrota-Mazeppa High School was established when the Zumbrota Public Schools and the Mazeppa Public Schools merged in 1987. The primary, middle, and high schools are all in Zumbrota while the elementary school is in Mazeppa.

Christ Lutheran School is a Christian elementary school (Pre-K-8) of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) in Zumbrota.

Parks and recreation

Zumbrota's Covered Bridge Park features ball parks, bike trails, a swimming pool, a large kids play structure, camping, and the only authentic covered bridge in Minnesota. It also has a frisbee golf course, a skate park, and an ice rink during the winter.

Festivals

The Covered Bridge festival is an annual community wide festival held on the third weekend in September. It includes a grand parade, craft and vendor fair, food trucks, a fireworks festival, 5K/10K fun run and half marathon, and many more activities.

Notable people

• Charles Clarence Beck, chief artist of the DC Comics book superhero Captain Marvel
• Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley, football coach for the NFL
• Kenneth O. Chilstrom, United States Air Force officer
• William Bruce Dickey, businessman and Minnesota state legislator
• Oliver J. Lee, businessman, educator, and Minnesota state legislator
• Genevieve Stearns, nutrition researcher

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 654511
3. Upham, Warren. (2001). "Minnesota Place Names, A Geographical Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition". Minnesota Historical Society.
4. (July 12, 1949). "Where Did Minnesota Towns Get Names? Most Colorful in U.S.". The Winona Republican-Herald.
5. "History of Zumbrota".
6. . (1985). "WPA Guide to Minnesota". *[[Minnesota Historical Society]]*.
7. "Zumbrota Minnesota". City of Zumbrota.
8. "Library History - Zumbrota Public Library".
9. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. "2010 Demographic Profile Data". U.S. Census Bureau.
11. "United Redeemer Lutheran Church in Zumbrota, Mn".
12. "Lands Lutheran Church".
13. "Church of St. Paul – Church of St. Michael".
14. "ucc-zumbrota-mn".
15. "Mazeppa Public School".
16. "Zumbrota-Mazeppa Public Schools".
17. "Home".