Perham ( ) is a city in
Otter Tail County
Otter Tail County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 60,081. Its county seat is Fergus Falls. Otter Tail County comprises the Fergus Falls micropolitan statistical area. With 1,048 lakes in it ...
,
Minnesota. The population was 3,512 at the time of the
2020 census.
History
Perham was
platted in 1873, and named for Josiah Perham, first president of the
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...
.
As the village grew in economic importance, the surrounding township was renamed
Perham Township in 1877 and Perham was incorporated in 1881.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
U.S. Route 10
U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Unlike most U.S. routes with "0" as the last digit of its route number, US 10 ...
and Minnesota State Highways
78 and
108 are three of the main routes in the community.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census of 2010, there were 2,985 people, 1,304 households, and 722 families living in the city. The
population density was . There were 1,388 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.1%
White, 1.1%
African American, 0.5%
Native American, 0.5%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander, 2.3% from
other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 4.8% of the population.
There were 1,304 households, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.6% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.89.
The median age in the city was 41.5 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 22.7% were from 45 to 64; and 23.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.
2000 census
As of the
census of 2000, there were 2,559 people, 1,104 households, and 642 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,167 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.99%
White, 0.35%
African American, 1.02%
Native American, 0.27%
Asian, 0.66% from
other races, and 0.70% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population. 50.3% were of
German and 14.8%
Norwegian ancestry.
There were 1,104 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.7% 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 2.95.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,397, while the median income for a family was $40,184. Males had a median income of $29,087 versus $20,817 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,444. About 8.1% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.
Radio stations
:FM radio
*92.5
KXKK 92.5 Hot Country
*94.5
KDLB Adult Contemporary The Arrow 94.7
*97.5
KDKK 97.5 Music of Your Life
*99.5
KPRW
KPRW (99.5 FM, "The Lakes 99.5") is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary format serving Perham, Minnesota. The station is currently owned by Leighton Broadcasting, through licensee Leighton Radio Holdings, Inc.
The studios and o ...
Lakes 99.5
*99.9
KVOX-FM Froggy 99.9
*100.3
KXPM-LP Relevant Radio
*102.3
KRCQ
KRCQ (102.3 FM, "Real Country 102") is a radio station broadcasting a classic country music format. The station is licensed to serve Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, United States. The station is currently owned by Leighton Broadcasting.
Ownership His ...
Real Country 102.3
*107.9
KPFX 107.9 The Fox
*97.9
KFNW Contemporary Christian Music
Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
Life 97.9
:AM radio
*870
KPRM Classic Country News/Talk
*1070
KSKK Country
*1570
KAKK Oldies
Newspaper
The ''
Perham Focus
The ''Perham Focus'' is an American, English-language newspaper headquartered in Perham, Minnesota. It serves east Otter Tail County, Minnesota and the surrounding areas. It was founded in 1882 and is currently owned by the Forum Communications Co ...
'' is based in Perham, Minnesota, serves
Otter Tail County, Minnesota and surrounding areas with a print newspaper, an e-paper and online news.
Notable people
*
Colvin G. Butler Colvin Garfield Butler (July 17, 1880 – April 15, 1961) was an American farmer, Presbyterian clergyman, and politician.
Butler was born in Perham, Otter Tail County, Minnesota. He went to the Perham elementary schools and graduated from the ...
, Presbyterian clergyman, farmer, and politician
*
Gabriele Grunewald, U.S. champion
middle distance runner
*
Fritz Hanson
Melvin "Fritz" Hanson (July 13, 1914 – February 14, 1996) was a Canadian football player for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders. Hanson was signed by the Blue Bombers for $125 a game and free room and board, which was a cons ...
, legendary
Canadian Football League pioneer
*
John Anthony Kaiser
John Anthony Kaiser (November 29, 1932 – August 23, 2000) was a Roman Catholic priest and Mill Hill father from Perham, Minnesota, US, who was assassinated near his mission at Morendat, near Naivasha town in Rift Valley Province Kenya.
Early ...
, Roman Catholic priest
*
Roger Molander Roger Carl Molander (November 20, 1940 – March 25, 2012) was an American government official and activist.
Life
Born in Perham, Minnesota, Molander grew up in Marinette, Wisconsin. He graduated with High Honors from University of Wisconsin&n ...
, government official and activist
*
Dean Simpson Dean Simpson (born September 7, 1950) was an American politician and businessman.
Simpson lived in New York Mills, Minnesota. He went to the New York Mills High School and to the Toledo Technical College in Toledo, Ohio. Simpson was involved in th ...
, businessman and politician
*
Ray Taylor, film director
*
Larry N. Vanderhoef, 5th chancellor of
University of California-Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
See also
*
Perham Municipal Airport
References
External links
City websitePerham Chamber of Commerce -- Business, Community, and Visitor Information site
{{Authority control
Cities in Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Cities in Minnesota