St. James, Minnesota

St. James is a city in and the county seat of Watonwan County, Minnesota, United States.[6] The population was 4,605 at the 2010 census.[7]

St. James, Minnesota
City
The Watonwan County Courthouse in St. James
Location of St. James within Watonwan County and state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 43°58′56″N 94°37′41″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Watonwan
Government
• Type	Mayor – Council
• Mayor	Gary Sturm
Area [1]
• Total	2.35 sq mi (6.10 km^2)
• Land	2.33 sq mi (6.03 km^2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.06 km^2)
Elevation	1,079 ft (329 m)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	4,605
• Estimate  (2019)[3]	4,400
• Density	1,889.22/sq mi (729.38/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	56081
FIPS code	27-57040[4]
GNIS feature ID	0650613[5]
Website	www.ci.stjames.mn.us

Minnesota State Highways 4, 30, and 60 are three of the main routes in the city.

History

In 1870, the directors of the St. Paul and Sioux City railroads chose the future townsite of St. James as the midpoint for a new railroad linking the two cities. Named for James Purington, an early settler,[8] the new city was incorporated in 1871.[9] It was the hometown of Minnesota Governor Winfield Scott Hammond, a Democrat who served in 1915. In the 1940s, Theodore S. Mondale, the father of future Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale, was the pastor at First Methodist Church of St. James. Tony Downs Foods Co. has been a major employer since 1947, processing poultry and frozen meals.

St. James contains two properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Grand Opera House (completed in 1892) and the Watonwan County Courthouse (completed in 1896).[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.43 square miles (6.29 km²); 2.40 square miles (6.22 km²) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km²) is water.[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	444		—
1890	939		111.5%
1900	2,607		177.6%
1910	2,102		−19.4%
1920	2,673		27.2%
1930	2,808		5.1%
1940	3,400		21.1%
1950	3,861		13.6%
1960	4,174		8.1%
1970	4,027		−3.5%
1980	4,346		7.9%
1990	4,364		0.4%
2000	4,695		7.6%
2010	4,605		−1.9%
2019 (est.)	4,400	[3]	−4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 4,605 people, 1,839 households, and 1,145 families living in the city. The population density was 1,918.8 inhabitants per square mile (740.9/km²). There were 2,039 housing units at an average density of 849.6 per square mile (328.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.8% White, 0.7% African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 14.9% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.0% of the population.

There were 1,839 households, of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.7% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the city was 37.8 years. 27.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 23.3% were from 45 to 64; and 17.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 4,695 people, 1,845 households, and 1,186 families living in the city. The population density was 2,050.3 people per square mile (791.6/km²). There were 2,006 housing units at an average density of 876.0 per square mile (338.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.24% White, 0.40% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 14.27% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.77% of the population.

There were 1,845 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,196, and the median income for a family was $40,993. Males had a median income of $30,036 versus $19,391 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,336. About 9.0% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transport

The city owns and operates the St. James Municipal Airport.[12]

Notable people

• Moses K. Armstrong, businessman and legislator
• Peter Eckerstrom, Arizona Court of Appeals judge
• Henry Norman Graven (1893-1970), United States District Court judge, was born in St. James.
• Winfield Scott Hammond (1863–1915) 18th Minnesota Governor 1915, established his home and his law practice in St. James.
• Mike Kingery, born March 29, 1961 in St. James, Minnesota, is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1986–1992 and 1994–1996.
• Gary Mielke, born January 28, 1963 in St. James. Former pitcher for the Texas Rangers.
• Lowell John Bean, born in St. James on April 26, 1931. Professor of Anthropology, author of many books and articles about California Indians.

Media

Television

Channel	Callsign	Affiliation	Branding	Subchannels		Owner
(Virtual)				Channel	Programming
2.1	K26CS-D (KTCA Translator)	PBS	TPT 2	2.2 2.4	Minnesota Channel PBS Kids	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
2.3	K29IE-D (KTCI Translator)	PBS	TPT Life	2.5	TPT Now	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
4.2	K35KI-D	Start TV				Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
5.1	K30FN-D (KSTP Translator)	ABC	5 Eyewitness News	5.7	Heroes & Icons	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
5.2	K14KE-D (KSTC Translator)	Ind.	45 TV	5.3 5.4 5.6	Me-TV Antenna TV This TV	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
9.2	K23MF-D (WFTC Translator)	Ind.	FOX 9 Plus	9.3 9.1	Movies! FOX	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
9.9	K35KI-D (KMSP Translator)	FOX	FOX 9	9.4 9.5	Buzzr Light TV	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
11.4	K32GX-D (KARE Translator)	NBC	KARE 11	11.5 11.6 11.7	Court TV True Crime Network Quest	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
16.1	K31KV-D	CTV		16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 23.5	Action Heartland AMG Biz Grit	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
17.1	K17MW-D	Youtoo America				Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
18.1	K18NE-D					Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
19.1	K19LI-D	Laff				Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
23.1	K34JX-D (WUCW Translator)	CW	CW 23	23.2 23.3 23.4	Comet Charge! TBD	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
23.6	K21DG-D	CTV 2				Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
24.1	K24JV-D	Retro TV				Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
28.1	K28OH-D					Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
41.1	K20LP-D (KPXM Translator)	ION	ION	41.2 41.3 41.4 41.5 41.6	Qubo Ion Plus ION Shop QVC HSN	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota
45.1	K22MQ-D	TBN		45.2 45.3 45.4 45.5	Hillsong Channel JUCE TV Smile Enlace	Cooperative Television Association of Southern Minnesota

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
7. "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
8. Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 165.
9. Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 576.
10. "Minnesota National Register Properties Database". Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved 2017-12-29.
11. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
12. "St. James Municipal Airport". Retrieved 2019-03-12.

External links

• Media related to St. James, Minnesota at Wikimedia Commons
• City Website
• St. James Public Schools
• St. James Chamber of Commerce
• St. James Plaindealer newspaper site