The Yellow Medicine County Courthouse in 2007
Granite Falls is a city in Chippewa, Renville, and Yellow Medicine counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 3,070 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Yellow Medicine County[3]. The Andrew John Volstead House, a National Historic Landmark is located in Granite Falls.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.7 square miles (9.6 km²), of which, 3.5 square miles (8.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (6.50%) is water.
U.S. Route 212 and Minnesota State Highways 23 and 67 are three of the main routes in the city.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,070 people, 1,344 households, and 806 families residing in the city. The population density was 890.5 people per square mile (343.6/km²). There were 1,472 housing units at an average density of 427.0/sq mi (164.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.35% White, 0.07% African American, 5.70% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.15% of the population.
There were 1,344 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,031, and the median income for a family was $45,536. Males had a median income of $32,905 versus $22,957 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,356. About 6.6% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
Granite Falls Tornado
On July 25, 2000, the city of Granite Falls and Yellow Medicine County were hit by a powerful tornado. The tornado first touched down in rural parts of the county west-northwest of Granite Falls, hitting the city at 6:10 in the evening. After tearing through the residential sections of town, the tornado lifted at approximately 6:25 after being on the ground for over nine miles. In the end, one person was killed, over a dozen were injured and millions of dollars worth of damage were done to the town and the surrounding area. Most damage in Granite Falls was limited to F-2 and F-3, however due to the extent of the damage at the corner of 9th Avenue and 14th Street, the National Weather Service has given this storm F-4 status, making this tornado among some of the most powerful in the history of Minnesota.
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Coordinates: 44°48′36″N 95°32′44″W / 44.81°N 95.54556°W / 44.81; -95.54556
