Onamia ( ) is a city in Mille Lacs County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. The population was 878 at the 2010 census. U.S. Highway 169 and

Minnesota State Highway 27 Minnesota State Highway 27 (MN 27) is a state highway in west-central and east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 28 in Browns Valley and continues east to its interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) in ...

are the main routes in the community.

History

Originally, the city of Onamia was organized from the merger of two communities, Village of Onamia (Ojibwe: ''Onamanii-zaaga'iganiing'') and the Village of Ericksonville (Ojibwe: ''Gibaakwa'igaansing''). Onamia is named after Lake Onamia, of which "Onamia" is derived from the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

word ''onaman'' meaning "

red ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...

", or locally as "

vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It i ...

". Ericksonville was incorporated in 1898. Onamia was incorporated in 1908.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Onamia is three miles south of

Mille Lacs Lake Mille Lacs Lake (also called Lake Mille Lacs or Mille Lacs) is a large but shallow lake in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in the counties of Mille Lacs, Aitkin, and Crow Wing, roughly 75 miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul m ...

. Mille Lacs Kathio State Park is located just west of the city. Sections of the Rum River State Forest are located nearby.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 878 people, 349 households, and 167 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was . There were 398 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 9.9% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 349 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.9% were married couples living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.1% were non-families. 46.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 41.7 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.3% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 24.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 53.4% male and 46.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 847 people, 318 households, and 171 families living in the city. The

was 938.3 people per square mile (363.4/km). There were 355 housing units at an average density of 393.3 per square mile (152.3/km). The racial makeup of the city was 90.20%

, 0.94%

, 6.49% Native American, 0.24% from

, and 2.13% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.18% of the population. There were 318 households, out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.1% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.2% were non-families. 42.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 18.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $19,375 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $12,857. About 11.9% of families and 14.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The public school system is Onamia Public Schools. The Nay Ah Shing School, a K-12 tribal school, operates its secondary school and the Abinoojiiyag School (a primary school facility) in a nearby

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Notable people

Shane Bauer Shane Bauer is an American journalist, best known for his undercover reporting for ''Mother Jones'' magazine. He has won several awards including the Harvard's Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and the National Magazine Award for Best ...

- author

References

External links

''Mille Lacs Messenger'' - newspaper site serving Onamia, MinnesotaOnamia Area Website - LinkMille Lacs Area Tourism Council website - resource for all your Mille Lacs Area information
{{authority control Cities in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota