Darwin is a city in Meeker 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 348 at the 2020 census. It is one of several places claiming to be home of the largest ball of twine in the world.

History

Darwin was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1869 and named for E. Darwin Litchfield, a major stockholder of the

Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad The Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad and the SP&P) was a shortline railroad in the state of Minnesota in the United States which existed from 1857 to 1879. Founded as the Minnesota and Pacific Railro ...

. A post office has been in operation at Darwin since 1869.

Geography

Darwin is in east-central Meeker County, along

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 or U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90 ...

, which passes through the northeast portion of the city. US 12 leads northwest to Litchfield, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and east-southeast to

Dassel Dassel is a town in southern Lower Saxony, Germany, located in the district Northeim. It is located near the hills of the Solling mountains. Geography The city covers an area of . Buildings and streets make up about 10% of this area while 26% ...

. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Darwin has a total area of , of which are land and , or 3.99%, are water. Turtle Lake lies partly within the city, along its eastern border, while Lake Darwin lies just outside the southeast corner of the city.

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 350 people, 139 households, and 91 families residing 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 153 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.9%

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 ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.1% 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 3.4% of the population. There were 139 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% 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, 2.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.5% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age in the city was 38.7 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 276 people, 119 households, and 79 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 130 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.03%

, 0.72%

, 5.80% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.07% of the population. There were 119 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,286, and the median income for a family was $37,321. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $22,500 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 $16,813. About 6.0% of families and 10.2% 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 17.1% of those under the age of eighteen and 8.5% of those 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Darwin is the home of Darwin–Dassel Park. The Twine Ball Museum is located at Darwin, adjacent to the biggest ball of twine in Minnesota. It is located on 1st Street and Weird Alley, the latter named for

Weird Al Yankovic Weird may refer to: Places * Weird Lake, a lake in Minnesota, U.S. People *"Weird Al" Yankovic (born 1959), American musician and parodist Art, entertainment, and media Literature * '' Weird US'', a series of travel guides * ''The Weird'', a 20 ...

, the author of the song The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Highway 12 serves as a main route in the community. The BNSF main line to Seattle runs through Darwin.

References

{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Meeker County, Minnesota