RED WING, MINNESOTA

'Red Wing' is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. The population was 16,116 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County⁶. Red Wing is famous as the home of Red Wing Shoes, the Riedell Ice and Roller Skates, and also for its Red Wing Stoneware. The Cannon Valley Trail has its eastern terminus in Red Wing.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Government

Mayor

City Council

Notable residents

Sister cities

Trivia

See also

References

External links

History

In the early 1850s settlers disembarking from Mississippi River steamboats came to Red Wing to farm the lush fields nearby in Goodhue County. They grew wheat, one annual crop of which could pay off the cost of the land. Before the railroads crisscrossed the new territory, Goodhue County produced more wheat than any other county in the country and in 1873 Red Wing led the country in the amount of wheat sold by farmers. The Story of Minnesota's Past, , Rhonda R., Gilman, Minnesota Historical Society Press, , The warehouses in the port of Red Wing could store a million bushels of grain. Once the railroads connected southern Minnesota with Minneapolis and Saint Anthony, where the largest flour mills were built, the port at Red Wing lost its prominence. In last half of the 20th century, the United States Army Corps of Engineers built locks and dams and deepened the channel in the river. These actions reinvigorated river traffic for the shipping of grain and coal, however the river tourist trade has never returned.
The first settlers who stayed in town built small mills, factories, and workshops, similar to the ones they were familiar with in New England where many of them came from. Immigrants from Germany, Ireland, and Sweden were also skilled craftsman. Some early and persistent industries are tanning and shoe-making. Other businessmen made farm equipment, bricks, barrels, boats, furniture, pottery, and buttons. Consumables included beer and lumber. Service industries including stone-cutting, hospitality, and retailing. The Saint James Hotel remains a working token of the earlier time.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 107.1 km² (41.4 mi²). 91.7 km² (35.4 mi²) of it is land and 15.5 km² (6.0 mi²) of it (14.43%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 16,116 people, 6,562 households, and 4,166 families residing in the city. The population density was 175.8/km² (455.3/mi²). There were 6,867 housing units at an average density of 74.9/km² (194.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.33% White, 1.32% African American, 2.22% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27% of the population.
There were 6,562 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,674, and the median income for a family was $54,641. Males had a median income of $36,576 versus $25,477 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,678. About 3.9% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Mayor

The current mayor of Red Wing is Donna Dummer. Her term started January 2005 and will last until January 2009.

City Council

The current city council members of Red Wing are-

★ Carol Duff (At-Large)

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★ Council President

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★ Term- January 2007 to January 2011

★ Dean Hove (Wards 1 & 2)

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★ Council Vice President

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★ Term- January 2007 to January 2011

★ Gerald Cook (Ward 4)

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★ Council President Pro Tem

★
★ Term- January 2007 to January 2011

★ Steve Castner (Ward 1)

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★ Term- January 2005 to January 2009

★ Mike Hall (Wards 3 & 4)

★
★ Term- January 2005 to January 2009

★ Gary Peterson (Ward 2)

★
★ Term- January 2005 to January 2009

★ Mike Schultz (Ward 3)

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★ Term- January 2007 to January 2011
Red Wing Politics

Notable residents

★ Frances Densmore, ethnographer and ethnomusicologist (1867-1957)

★ Patrick Flueger, actor, Princess Diaries, 4400

★ Martin Maginnis, politician, Union Army veteran

★ John Pohl, Player in NHL, Toronto Maple Leafs

Sister cities

Red Wing has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

★ Ikata, Japan

★ Kongsberg, Norway

★ Quzhou, China

Trivia

★ Red Wing was home to Hamline University, which was founded in 1854 as the first institution of higher education in the state of Minnesota. It was closed in 1869 because of low enrollment due to the American Civil War and subsequently it was reopened in 1880 in St. Paul, MN.

See also

★ Red Wing (Amtrak station)

References

External links

★ City of Red Wing Minnesota website