Harmony is a city in Fillmore 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 1,020 at the 2010 census. The town bills itself as the "Biggest Little Town in Southern Minnesota" and features the largest

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

community in the state.

History

Harmony was founded in 1880. Amish came to Fillmore County in 1974 from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, seeking cheaper land.

Geography

Harmony is located at . 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 of it land. U.S. Highway 52 and Minnesota Highway

139 139 may refer to: * 139 (number), an integer * AD 139, a year of the Julian calendar * 139 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 139 (New Jersey bus) * 139 Juewa 139 Juewa ( ) is a very large and dark main belt asteroid. It is probabl ...

are two of the main routes in the community.

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 1,020 people, 479 households, and 273 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 541 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.1%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.2% 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 1.0% of the population. There were 479 households, of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% 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, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 38.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.63. The median age in the city was 53.3 years. 17.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 33.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,080 people, 477 households, and 299 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 500 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.98%

, 0.19%

, 0.09% Asian, 0.46% from other races, and 0.28% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 477 households, out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% 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 2.75. In the city the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,260, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $27,188 versus $22,768 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 $16,859. About 8.4% of families and 9.8% 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 7.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Museums and other points of interest

The Amish are the focal point of local tourism & shopping with many Amish owned businesses in the surrounding area. Th
JEM Theatre
a movie theater built in 1940, is the only one operating in Fillmore County. There are three antique shops in town. Generations of Harmony- A 50 dealer mall on hwy 52- North side of town. OLD Crow Antiques on hwy 52/corner of Main-A house full of primitives & garden decor(w/a Furniture warehouse on Main st).I Love Antiques-on South Main across from the bank- a traditional antique store. Nearb
Niagara Cave
is one of the largest

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

s in the Midwest, and is rated among the top 10 best caves by various nationally recognized organizations.

Niagara Cave Niagara Cave is a limestone cave located in Harmony, Minnesota. The cave is approximately 200 feet (61 m) deep; features include an underground stream, 60-foot waterfall, fossils, stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is privately owned, with t ...

features a

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

in the largest room in the cave, 200 feet below ground level. It also has ancient

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

s embedded in limestone that predate the

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

s, and a

wedding chapel A wedding chapel is a building or room, other than a legal court, where marriages are regularly performed. Usually wedding chapels are for-profit venues to host weddings in resort areas to encourage hotel room stays, catering and gambling by the ...

where there have been over 400

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

s performed since it opened. Outside the cave there is a

gift shop A gift shop or souvenir shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs, memorabilia, and other items relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, toys, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collection ...

, of picnic grounds, an 18-hole mini golf course, and a sluice box where people can mine for

gem A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. Certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, an ...

s and fossils. The cave, containing 5 miles of passageways, was accidentally discovered in 1926 by a local pig farmer. It has been open to the public since 1933. Harmony is the southern terminus of the Harmony-Preston Valley segment of the Blufflands State Trail. The Harmony-Preston State Trail connects the town to the renowned Root River Trail system.

Amish

In 1974,

from

Wayne County, Ohio Wayne County is a county located in the northeastern quadrant of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,894. Its county seat is Wooster. The county is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Wayne County com ...

started a new settlement near Harmony. They belong to the

Swartzentruber Amish The Swartzentruber Amish are one of the largest and most conservative subgroups of Amish, Old Order Amish. The Swartzentruber Amish are considered a subgroups of Amish, subgroup of the Old Order Amish, although they do not fellowship or intermarry ...

affiliation, which are much more conservative than most other of the Old Order Amish affiliations. The total population of the Amish community near Harmony is about 1000 people. Besides farming they operate low-tech businesses, that produce and sell furniture, baskets, rugs, quilts, jams, baked goods and cashew crunch. The Amish are the focal point of local tourism attraction and shopping, with many Amish-owned businesses in the surrounding area.

Education

Fillmore Central School District (#2198) is a public district that has one school in Harmony, the High School (7-12th grade). The Elementary (PK-4th grade) and the Middle School (5-6th grade) are located in nearby Preston. Fillmore Central's total enrollment for the school years of 2005-2006 are 641 students. The Harmony Public Library is the

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

in Harmony. It is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the SE Minnesota library region.

Notable people

Tami Hoag Tami Hoag (born Tami Mikkelson; January 20, 1959) is an American novelist, best known for her work in the romance and thriller genres. More than 22 million copies of her books are in print. Biography Hoag was born in Cresco, Iowa and raised in t ...

, author

References

External links

City websiteFillmore Schools Website Harmony Enterprises, Inc.ePodunk: Profile for Harmony, Minnesota
{{authority control Cities in Fillmore County, Minnesota 1880 establishments in Minnesota Cities in Minnesota