Clearbrook is a city in Clearwater County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 464 at the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Main routes include Minnesota State Highway 92, Tower Street, Main Street, and Clearwater County Roads 4, 5, 49, and 74.

History

A post office called Clearbrook has been in operation since 1910. The city was named for a small brook near the original town site.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 518 people, 250 households, and 120 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 280 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.9% Native American, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 250 households, of which 20.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.0% were non-families. 50.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 26.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.80. The median age in the city was 50.8 years. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 23% were from 45 to 64; and 33.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 43.2% male and 56.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 551 people, 237 households, and 127 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 259 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.19%

, 1.45% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population. There were 237 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were

living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.0% were non-families. 42.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 34.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 79.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $19,091, and the median income for a family was $32,614. Males had a median income of $31,029 versus $16,094 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $13,052. About 6.8% of families and 10.5% 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 ...

, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Agriculture

One of the notable local industries is the cultivation of

wild rice Wild rice, also called manoomin, mnomen, psíŋ, Canada rice, Indian rice, or water oats, is any of four species of grasses that form the genus ''Zizania'', and the grain that can be harvested from them. The grain was historically and is sti ...

, with cultivated paddies north of Clearbrook. Clearbrook also has large rice processing plant, owned by Riviana Foods.

Oil pipeline

Clearbrook has a significant

oil pipeline A pipeline is a system of pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries around the world. The Un ...

junction between the Enbridge Pipeline - Lakehead (U.S. Mainline) system, Minnesota Pipe Line, and North Dakota Pipeline Company system. Clearbrook made national news on November 28, 2007, when two pipeline workers were killed after a large fire erupted while they were repairing a leak in the pipeline.

Education

Clearbrook is the home of Clearbrook-Gonvick High School.

Notable people

Clearbrook is the birthplace, home, and final resting place of

Wes Westrum Wesley Noreen Westrum (November 28, 1922 – May 28, 2002) was an American professional baseball player, coach, manager, and scout. He played for 11 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants from to and was known a ...

, a

major league baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

. Westrum was on the cover of the first edition of

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

on August 16, 1954. Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk of the influential American indie rock band

Low (band) Low was an American indie rock band from Duluth, Minnesota, formed in 1993 by Alan Sparhawk (guitar and vocals) and Mimi Parker (drums and vocals). The band was a trio from 1993 to 2020, having featured four different bassists. Low disbanded f ...

met and grew up in Clearbrook while attending grade school.

References

External links

City of Clearbrook
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Clearwater County, Minnesota