Green Isle Township, Sibley County, Minnesota Explained

Official Name:Green Isle Township, Minnesota
Settlement Type:Township
Pushpin Map:Minnesota#USA
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within the state of Minnesota
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Minnesota
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Sibley
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Total Km2:93.9
Area Land Km2:91.9
Area Water Km2:2.0
Area Total Sq Mi:36.3
Area Land Sq Mi:35.5
Area Water Sq Mi:0.8
Population As Of:2000
Population Total:556
Population Density Km2:6.0
Population Density Sq Mi:15.7
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation M:303
Elevation Ft:994
Coordinates:44.6783°N -94.0658°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:55338
Area Code:507
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:27-25676[1]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0664341[2]

Green Isle Township is a township in Sibley County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 556 at the 2000 census.

History

Green Isle Township was organized in 1858, and given a name allusive of Ireland, the Emerald Isle,[3] as many of its early settlers were from Ireland. One of the earliest settlers, Patrick O'Meara and his wife Margaret (née: Delaney) O'Meara, immigrated from County Galway, Ireland to the U.S. in 1840. They moved from the state of New York to the area that became Green Isle township in 1857, raising a large family and living out their remaining 50 years there. Patrick's obituary in the Green Isle Record in 1907 was titled "Sibley County Pioneer Dead", and stated that at the time of his arrival the area was "then but a wilderness".

The railroad tracks between Norwood and Morton, cutting through Green Isle Township, were originally built by the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway (M&StL) around 1880. This enabled Green Isle Township farmers to easily transport their grain to Minneapolis mills, or vegetables to Twin Cities markets.

By the early 1900s Green Isle township was divided into hundreds of separate farms.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.3sqmi, of which 35.5sqmi is land and 0.8sqmi (2.12%) is water. It is bordered on the east by Washington Lake Township, the south by Arlington Township, the west by New Auburn Township, and the north by Glencoe Township in McLeod County.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 556 people, 206 households, and 158 families residing in the township. The population density was 15.7sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 212 housing units at an average density of 6sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the township was 99.64% White, 0.18% African American and 0.18% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.18% of the population.

There were 206 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were married couples living together, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the township the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $49,375, and the median income for a family was $52,250. Males had a median income of $30,781 versus $24,545 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,371. About 1.2% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: U.S. Census website . . 2008-01-31 .
  2. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. 2008-01-31. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
  3. Book: Upham, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. 1920. Minnesota Historical Society. 519.