Vernon Center is a city in Blue Earth 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, along the

Blue Earth River The Blue Earth River () is a tributary of the Minnesota River, long, in southern Minnesota in the United States. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch Blue Earth River, also flow for short di ...

. The population was 328 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The population was 44,488 at the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Mi ...

- North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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 an area of ; is land and the remainder water.

U.S. Route 169 U.S. Route 169 (US 169) is a north-south U.S highway that currently runs for 966 miles (1,555 km) from the city of Virginia, Minnesota, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, at Memorial Drive. Route description Oklahoma US 169 is a major north–sou ...

serves as a main route in the community.

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010

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 ...

, the city had 332 people, 132 households and 90 families. 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 . Housing units numbered 142 at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.8%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, and 0.3% 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 1.8% of the population. 36.4% of 132 households had children under the age of 18 living in them, 59.1% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% 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 3.11. The median age was 34.4 years. 29.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The population were 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

At the 2000

, the city's population comprised 359 people, 132 households and 99 families, with a

of 727.2 per square mile (282.9/km). The 137 housing units were at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.72%

and 0.28%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population. 40.2% of 132 households had children under the age of 18 living in them, 68.9% were

living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.14. 29.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $50,703 and the median family income was $56,875. Males had a median income of $34,500 compared with $21,806 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 $20,693. None of the families and 1.5% of the population were living 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 no under eighteens and 1.8% of those over 64.

History

Vernon Center 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 1857. It was named after

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

, the estate of

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. On the morning of October 25, 2005, the

grain elevator A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...

in downtown Vernon Center, filled with 200,000

bushel A bushel (abbreviation: bsh. or bu.) is an Imperial unit, imperial and United States customary units, US customary unit of volume, based upon an earlier measure of dry capacity. The old bushel was used mostly for agriculture, agricultural pr ...

s (5,000 metric tons) of corn, exploded, injuring six people. Flames from the explosion shot about in the air.Dan Nienaber
"Explosion rocks Vernon Center grain elevator"
''Mankato Free Press'', October 25, 2005

Notable persons

* Benjamin Tibbets Kemerer, Episcopal bishop, was born in Vernon Center. *

Harvey F. Thew Harvey Francis Thew was a screenwriter in the United States. He worked mostly with Warner Bros. and wrote dozens of screenplays, often as part of a writing team. Some of his screenplays were adaptations. He also worked for MGM and Paramount. He w ...

, screenwriter, was born in Vernon Center.

References

External links

Fictional short story takeoff on "Two Gentlemen from Verona" called "Two Guys from Vernon Center"
{{authority control Cities in Blue Earth County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area