Halstad is a city in Norman 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 564 at the time of the 2020 census. The city is known for its production of sugar beets, and has a statue of a sugar beet, known as the world's largest sugar beet, to commemorate this status.

History

The town of Halstad came into being on Sept. 23rd, 1883, when the railroad was extended to it. It was platted for C.G. Comstock and wife and A.A. White and wife on that date. It appeared to the majority most fitting to use the same name for the town as had been adopted for its post office - hence the name Halstad was adopted. This was moved into town in 1884 from Ole Halstad's rural home. Less than a year after Halstad became a town, the construction of a school within the village was begun. The city's unofficial motto is "You Can't Beet Halstad," based on its prominent crop, the

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

. In 2020, the town founded Sugar Beet Park, featuring a sculpture of the "World's Largest Sugar Beet" created by artist Josh Porter and formed around the base of a concrete mixer truck drum.

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. The Highway 200 bridge that crosses the Red River was replaced in the late 1990s, after constant flooding found it under water and impassable. Directly across the Red River on the north side of Highway 200, a small pond called Grandin Lake has provided the only close example of a

freshwater ecosystem Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems that include the biological communities inhabiting freshwater waterbodies such as lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, bogs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ec ...

that is not a river. The table top topography of this region is impressive. There are regions of the Red River that have a one-inch change in elevation per mile.

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 597 people, 251 households, and 139 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 306 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.0%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 2.8% Native American, 0.8% from other races, and 2.2% 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 4.7% of the population. There were 251 households, of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% 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, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age in the city was 46.6 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18% were from 25 to 44; 27% were from 45 to 64; and 24.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 622 people, 249 households, and 154 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 295 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.37%

, 0.16%

, 1.45% Native American, 2.41% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 10.13% of the population. There were 249 households, out of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% were

living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 30.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,875, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $38,594 versus $21,354 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 $15,918. About 8.9% of families and 11.1% 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 11.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway that runs in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is located at the Canadian border near Noyes, Minnesota, at a now-closed border crossing. From this point, the highway ...

and

Minnesota State Highway 200 Minnesota State Highway 200 (MN 200) is a highway in northwest and northeast Minnesota, which runs from North Dakota Highway 200 at the North Dakota state line near Halstad, and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection w ...

are two of the main routes in the community.

Notable people

Tony Brottem Anton Christian "Tony" Brottem (April 30, 1891 – August 5, 1929) was born April 30, 1891. He was born on the family farm in the northwest corner of Hendrum Township, Norman County, MN, a few miles southeast of Halstad, MN. His father, John Ol ...

, professional baseball player *

Donna Jean Christianson Donna Jean Christianson (née Andrae; October 17, 1931 – May 11, 2015) was an American politician, farmer and homemaker. Born in Pekin, Illinois to Wilbert and Viola (née Strope) Andrae, she was a potato farmer, billing agent, and homemak ...

, Minnesota legislator and farmer, lived in Halstad. * Marvin E. Christianson Sr., Minnesota legislator and farmer, was born in Halstad. *

Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was an American pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he sho ...

, pianist, conductor, and composer

References

External links

City of Halstad, MN
{{Coord, 47, 21, 06, N, 96, 49, 43, W, type:city_region:US-MN, display=title Cities in Minnesota Cities in Norman County, Minnesota