| Mankato, Minnesota | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | Key City |
| Motto: | Leading the way... |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Mankato, Minnesota Logo.png |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 75px |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Minnesota |
| Subdivision Type2: | Counties |
| Subdivision Name2: | Blue Earth, Nicollet, Le Sueur |
| Government Type: | City charter |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Najwa Massad[1] |
| Leader Title1: | City manager |
| Leader Name1: | Susan Arntz[2] |
| Leader Title2: | Council Members |
| Leader Name2: | Mike Laven Michael McLaughlin Dennis Dieken Kevin Mettler Jenn Melby-Kelley Jessica Hatanpa |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | February 1852 |
| Established Title1: | Incorporated |
| Established Date1: | March 6, 1868 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 52.168 |
| Area Land Km2: | 51.521 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.905 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 20.142 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 19.892 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.350 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Est: | 45140 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Total: | 44488 |
| Population Density Km2: | 880.1 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2279.0 |
| Population Urban: | 60206 (US: 453rd) |
| Population Metro: | 104248 (US: 352nd) |
| Population Demonym: | Mankatoans |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | –6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | –5 |
| Elevation M: | 307 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1007 |
| Coordinates: | 44.1647°N -94.0139°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP Codes |
| Postal Code: | 56001, 56002, 56003 |
| Area Code: | 507/924 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 27-39878 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2395831 |
| Blank2 Name: | Sales tax |
| Blank2 Info: | 7.875%[4] |
Mankato [5] 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 according to the 2020 census,[6] making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. It is along a large bend of the Minnesota River at its confluence with the Blue Earth River. Mankato is across the Minnesota River from North Mankato. Mankato and North Mankato have a combined population of 58,763 according to the 2020 census. It completely encompasses the town of Skyline. North of Mankato Regional Airport, a tiny non-contiguous part of the city lies within Le Sueur County. Most of the city is in Blue Earth County.
Mankato is the larger of the two principal cities of the Mankato–North Mankato metropolitan area, which covers Blue Earth and Nicollet Counties and had a combined population of 103,566 at the 2020 census. The U.S. Census Bureau designated Mankato a Metropolitan Statistical Area in November 2008.[7]
Mankato Township was not settled by European Americans until Parsons King Johnson in February 1852, as part of the 19th-century migration of people from the east across the Midwest. New residents organized the city of Mankato on May 11, 1858, the day Minnesota became a state. The city was organized by Johnson, Henry Jackson, Daniel A. Robertson, Justus C. Ramsey, and others. A popular story says that the city was supposed to have been named Mahkato, but a typographical error by a clerk established the name as Mankato.[8] According to Warren Upham, quoting historian Thomas Hughes of Mankato, "The honor of christening the new city was accorded to Col. Robertson. He had taken the name from Nicollet's book, in which the French explorer compared the 'Mahkato' or Blue Earth River, with all its tributaries, to the water nymphs and their uncle in the German legend of Undine...No more appropriate name could be given the new city, than that of the noble river at whose mouth it is located."[9] While it is uncertain that the city was intended to be called Mahkato, the Dakota called the river Makato Osa Watapa ("the river where blue earth is gathered"). The Anglo settlers adapted that as "Blue Earth River". Frederick Webb Hodge, in the Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, said the town was named after the older of the two like-named chiefs of the Mdewakanton nation of the Santee Dakota, whose village stood on or near the site of the present town.
Ishtakhaba, also known as Chief Sleepy Eye, of the Sisseton band, was said to have directed settlers to this location. He said the site at the confluence of the Minnesota and Blue Earth Rivers was well suited to building and river traffic, and yet safe from flooding.[10]
On December 26, 1862, United States Volunteers of the State of Minnesota carried out the largest mass execution in U.S. history at Mankato after the Dakota War of 1862. Companies of the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th Minnesota Infantry Regiments, and Minnesota Cavalry oversaw the hanging of 38 men: 35 Santee Sioux and 3 biracial French/native American, for their involvement in the war crimes committed during the uprising.[11] [12] The crimes included intentional killings, mutilations and rapes of hundreds of unarmed civilians. A USV military tribunal reviewed nearly 500 cases, of which 303 received a death sentence, but President Lincoln requested the court files. He reviewed them, placing the rape cases at the top, and pardoning 265. Episcopal Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple urged leniency to which Lincoln responded that he had to take a balanced approach. His position and dismissals were unpopular in Minnesota. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the event a large granite marker was erected that stood at the site until 1971, when the city took it down. Today, a different monument marks the execution site. Across the street are two monuments to the Native Americans in what it called Reconciliation Park. The Blue Earth County Library, Main street and Reconciliation Park cover the immediate vicinity of the execution site.
In 1880, Mankato was Minnesota's fourth-most populous city, with 5,500 residents.[13]
Former Vice President Schuyler Colfax died while traveling through Mankato on January 13, 1885.[14]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.142sqmi, of which 19.892sqmi is land and 0.35sqmi is water.[3] The Minnesota, Blue Earth, and Le Sueur rivers all flow through or near the city.
Mankato has a humid continental climate, type Dfa (hot summer subtype).[15] Winters are cold, with snow cover (continuous most winter seasons) beginning typically between mid-November and mid-December, ending in March most years. However, Mankato often receives less snow than areas to its north and east. For example, Minneapolis, 75miles northeast of Mankato, averages over 54inches of snow per winter season, compared to Mankato's seasonal average of 35inches. The coldest month, January, has an average monthly temperature around 14F. Dangerously low wind-chill temperatures are a significant hazard during the winter months, as Arctic air outbreaks rush into the area from Canada, borne on high winds; this can bring about ground blizzard conditions, especially in nearby rural areas.
Summers are warm, with occasional but usually brief hot, humid periods, often interspersed with pushes of cooler air from Canada, often preceded by showers and thunderstorms. The hottest month, July, has an average monthly temperature around 73F. Precipitation falls year round, but falls mostly as snow from December to February, sometimes March, and as showers and thunderstorms during the warmer season, from May to September. Mankato's average wettest months are from June to August, with frequent thunderstorm activity. Mankato lies on the northern fringe of the central United States’ main tornado belt, with lower risk than in Iowa and Missouri to the south. The highest-risk months for severe thunderstorms and (rarely) tornadoes, are May through July. However, a very unusual early tornado outbreak affected areas within 20miles of Mankato on March 29, 1998, when an F3 tornado hit St. Peter, 13miles to Mankato's north. On August 17, 1946, tornadoes struck southwestern areas of Mankato and the town of Wells to the southeast, killing 11 people.[16]
| White (NH) | 34,381 | 77.3% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 3,652 | 8.2% | |
| Native American (NH) | 162 | 0.4% | |
| Asian (NH) | 1,698 | 3.8% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 21 | 0.0% | |
| Some Other (NH) | 184 | 0.4% | |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 1,801 | 4.0% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,589 | 5.8% |
As of the 2010 census, there were 39,309 people, 14,851 households, and 7,093 families residing in the city. The population density was 2195.3PD/sqmi. There were 15,784 housing units at an average density of 881.3/sqmi. The city's racial makeup was 89.9% White, 4.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.9% of the population.
There were 14,851 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.0% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 52.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% 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 2.91.
The median age in the city was 25.4 years. 16.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 32.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 16.6% were from 45 to 64; and 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The city's gender makeup was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.
As of the 2000 census, there were 32,427 people, 12,367 households, and 6,059 families residing in the city. The population density was 2132.5sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 12,759 housing units at an average density of 839.1sp=usNaNsp=us. The city's racial makeup was 92.55% White, 1.90% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.81% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.94% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.22% of the population.
There were 12,367 households, of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.0% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.90.
16.9% of the city's residents were under the age of 18; 32.5% were between age 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 15.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were age 65 or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,956, and the median income for a family was $47,297. Males had a median income of $30,889 versus $22,081 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,652. About 8.5% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.6% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
According to the City's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[20] the largest employers in the city are:
| Employer |
| Percentage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mankato Area Public Schools ISD #77 | 2,123 | 8.06% | |
| 2 | Immanuel St. Joseph's - Mayo Health System | 1,300 | 4.94% | |
| 3 | Minnesota State University, Mankato | 1,300 | 4.94% | |
| 4 | Walmart Distribution Center | 525 | 1.99% | |
| 5 | Blue Earth County | 491 | 1.86% | |
| 6 | Mankato Clinic | 425 | 1.61% | |
| 7 | Mankato Rehabilitation Center Inc. Industrial Operation | 375 | 1.42% | |
| 8 | Compeer Financial | 362 | 1.37% | |
| 9 | Johnson Outdoors-Mankato | 360 | 1.37% | |
| 10 | The City of Mankato | 313 | 1.19% | |
| — | Total employers | 7,574 | 28.75% |
The Blue Earth County Library, part of the Traverse des Sioux Library System, serves the city.
Mankato is in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Brad Finstad.[25] It is in Minnesota Senate district 19, represented by Nick Frentz, and Minnesota House district 19B, represented by Luke Frederick. Mankato voted overwhelmingly for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.[26]
The Mankato Area Public Schools are consolidated to include the cities of Mankato, North Mankato, Eagle Lake, and Madison Lake. There are ten elementary schools (Franklin, Eagle Lake, Kennedy, Washington, Roosevelt, Jefferson, Monroe, Hoover, Rosa Parks, and Bridges); two middle schools (Dakota Meadows Middle School and Prairie Winds Middle School); and two high schools (Mankato West High School and Mankato East High School).
Mankato has four parochial schools: Loyola Catholic School, Immanuel Lutheran Grade School and High School (K–12), Mount Olive Lutheran School (K–8) and Risen Savior Lutheran School (K–8). There is also a public charter school, Kato Public Charter School. The alternative school Central High, on Fulton Street, is another educational option.
The major daily newspaper in the area is the Mankato Free Press.
Public transportation in Mankato is provided by the Mankato Transit System. The city is served by Mankato Regional Airport, which has no commercial flights. Under MnDOT's 2015 State Rail Plan, Mankato is listed as a Tier 1 Corridor for regional rail service from Minneapolis and/or St. Paul. U.S. Highways 14 and 169 and Minnesota State Highways 22 and 60 are four of Mankato's main routes.
The following routes are within the city of Mankato.
The protagonist of Sinclair Lewis's 1920 novel Main Street, Carol Milford, is a former Mankato resident. Lewis describes Mankato as follows: "In its garden-sheltered streets and aisles of elms is white and green New England reborn", alluding to its many migrants from New England, who brought their culture with them. Lewis wrote a substantial portion of the novel while staying at the J.W. Schmidt House at 315 South Broad Street, as now marked by a small plaque in front of the building.[29]
In 1996, Don Descy created city-mankato.us as a teaching tool and example that not everything on the Internet should be believed.[30] [31]
In 2016 Food & Wine credited a 1930 Mankato church congregation cookbook as the first written record of a hotdish recipe. Many churches publish cookbooks with recipes submitted by their congregation as fund raisers.[32] The source included neither the name of the woman who invented the recipe nor the source. Mankato resident Joyce Nelson had a copy of the 1930 Lutheran church recipe book and it was found that the recipe was indeed included in that year's cookbook. Mrs. C. W. Anderson had submitted a recipe for a "HOT DISH" made with hamburger, onions, Creamette pasta, celery, a can of peas, tomato soup and tomatoes.[33] [34]