| Official Name: | Kerkhoven |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | Kerk |
| Motto: | "A Small Town with Big Possibilities." |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Minnesota |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Swift |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Kordell Van Heuveln |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.16 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.16 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.83 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.83 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 805 |
| Population Density Km2: | 373.08 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 966.39 |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1102 |
| Coordinates: | 45.1925°N -95.3203°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 56252 |
| Area Code: | 320 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 27-32876 [2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2395519 |
| Website: | http://www.cityofkerk.com/ |
Kerkhoven [3] is a city in Swift County, Minnesota, United States, located roughly 100miles west of the Twin Cities region of Minneapolis/St. Paul along U.S. Route 12. The population was 759 as per the 2010 census.[4]
Kerkhoven was platted in 1870, and named for a railroad promoter.[5] A post office has been in operation at Kerkhoven since 1871.[6] Kerkhoven was incorporated in 1881.
The city name is Dutch meaning church cemetery. It is from the persons who purchased bonds (Kerkhoven and Co. of Holland in 1864) of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (later the Great Northern etc.). The family name originally was van Kerckhoven (Kerk=church and hoven=garden or yard).[7] They were financial persons purchasing interest-bearing bonds, but not active promoters of the fledgling prairie railroad.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.82sqmi, all land.[8]
As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 759 people, 329 households, and 206 families residing in the city. The population density was 925.6PD/sqmi. There were 352 housing units at an average density of 429.3/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.1% White, 0.3% Native American, 2.5% from other races, and 0.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.3% of the population.
There were 329 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.4% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% 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 2.97.
The median age in the city was 40.1 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.
As of the census of 2000, there were 759 people, 313 households, and 210 families residing in the city. The population density was 1023.5sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 338 housing units at an average density of 455.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 94.99% White, 0.13% African American, 0.40% Native American, 4.22% from other races, and 0.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.74% of the population.
There were 313 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,375, and the median income for a family was $40,179. Males had a median income of $27,262 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,435. About 8.4% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Kerkhoven is home to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Junior Senior High School on the western side of the community. The current building (which replaced the 1904 McKinley Building complex) was constructed in 1994 during 1993-1994, adjacent to the old one. The original structure was demolished in the summer of 1994. The new and current building started during the 1994-1995 school year. The local high school (Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Fighting Saints) claimed the 2008 Minnesota High School Football Class A Championship by defeating Royalton, and reigned as 2009 Minnesota Class A Wrestling Champions.