Mankato is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 32,427. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County6, and is located along a large bend of the Minnesota River at its confluence with the Blue Earth River. While the majority of Mankato is located in Blue Earth County, the city extends into Le Sueur and Nicollet counties as well. It is neighbored by its sister city across the Minnesota River, North Mankato, and completely encompasses the town of Skyline. Minnesota State University Mankato is home to the Minnesota Vikings summer training camp.
The city is also known for the macabre events of December 26, 1862, when the largest mass execution in U.S. history occurred in Mankato following the Sioux Uprising. 303 Dakota were sentenced to hang after being tried for participation in the uprising. President Lincoln pardoned 265 at the urging of Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple but left 38 to be executed. Lincoln's intervention was not popular at the time. Two statues located on the site of the hangings (currently the Blue Earth County Library) commemorate the event. Vice President Schuyler Colfax also died in the city in 1885 while traveling, though he had been out of office for more than ten years at the time.
Mankato is the Anglicized form of the Dakota mahkato or "green-blue earth," a reference to the characteristic blue clay deposits in the region, originally thought to contain copper by early explorers. According to legend, Mankato was not named "Mahkato" as intended due to a typographical error by a clerk. Humorously, mankato in the Dakota language means "blue skunk."
In fiction, Mankato was the "big city" that characters in Little House on the Prairie would visit to obtain supplies, and served as the basis for the "Deep Valley" of Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy series of children's books and novels.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.9 km2 (15.4 mi2). 39.4 km2 (15.2 mi2) of it is land and 0.5 km2 (0.2 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 1.23% water. The Minnesota, Blue Earth and Le Sueur Rivers all flow through or near the city.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 32,427 people, 12,367 households, and 6,059 families residing in the city. The population density is 823.2/km2 (2,132.5/mi2). There are 12,759 housing units at an average density of 323.9/km2 (839.1/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 92.55% White, 1.90% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.81% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 2.22% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 12,367 households out of which 23.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% are married couples living together, 8.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 51.0% are non-families. 32.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.90.
In the city the population is spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 32.5% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 25 years. For every 100 females there are 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $33,956, and the median income for a family is $47,297. Males have a median income of $30,889 versus $22,081 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,652. 19.0% of the population and 8.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.6% of those under the age of 18 and 11.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Source:
MankatoMinnesota.com
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