Montevideo (pronounced /ˌmɒntɨvɪˈdeɪoʊ/) is a city in Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,346 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Chippewa County.
History
During the 1700s, Europeans established a fur-trading post near the rivers and traded with Native Americans in the area. Later, Montevideo became an agricultural center.
On the edge of Montevideo, just off U.S. Route 212, stands the Camp Release State Monument. The Minnesota River Valley and Montevideo played an integral part in the United States - Dakota Conflict of 1862. At this site, in the fall of 1862, the Dakota tribes surrendered and released 269 captives to Colonel Henry Sibley. The Camp Release Monument was dedicated on July 4, 1894.
Today, the region faces the challenges resulting from declining population and dramatic changes in the rural economy. In response, the city applied for and was named Minnesota's first Star City—a state program that provides the framework and encouragement local governments need to play a stronger role in economic development.
In 2004, the city was honored with the presentation of the National Civic League's All-America City Award, which is given to only ten cities a year. The award is the oldest and most respected community recognition program in the nation and recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results.
The city is also home to a burgeoning artists community[citation needed] , and serves as a hub to the annual Meander—Upper Minnesota River Art Crawl.
Montevideo’s sister city is Montevideo, Uruguay. In 1949 a statue of José Artigas, Uruguay's leader of independence, was given to the Minnesota community by Uruguayan citizens. Each year Montevideo marks Fiesta Days in honor of its association with its sister city.
Geography
Montevideo is located where the Minnesota and Chippewa rivers converge, approximately 140 miles west of Minneapolis at the junction of U.S. Routes 59 and 212 with Minnesota State Highways 7 and 29.
The surrounding topography is dominated by farmland and prairies, as well as river valleys with many scenic overlooks and small bluffs.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.8 km² (4.5 sq mi). 4.5 square miles (11.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.10%) is water.[3]
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,346 people, 2,353 households, and 1,444 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,190.5 people per square mile (459.7/km²). There were 2,551 housing units at an average density of 568.1/sq mi (219.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.10% White, 0.11% African American, 0.41% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population.
There were 2,353 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% 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 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,447, and the median income for a family was $44,706. Males had a median income of $30,838 versus $19,013 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,025. About 4.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Movies filmed wholly or partially in Montevideo
- Sweet Land (2005) - "Plot Summary for Sweet Land (2005) - "As Inge buries her husband Olaf on their Minnesota farm in 1968, we relive her life story as she tells her grown grandson about how she arrived from Norway in 1920 as Olaf's postal bride and of the epic obstacles they overcame in order to marry..."
Notable Natives
- Paul Gruchow (1947-2004) - Former professor at St. Olaf and Concordia Colleges. Essayist whose publications include Discovering the Universe of Home, Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild. Prior to his suicide, Gruchow was a contributing writer to several periodicals including the New York Times and the Hungry Mind Review.
- Tim Burns (1964-) - Radio announcer and host of Q-102 morning show since 1994.
- Claude Davis (1989-) - Local hero
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
Coordinates: 44°56′33″N 95°43′25″W / 44.9425°N 95.72361°W / 44.9425; -95.72361
