Monticello, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Monticello is a city in Wright County
, Minnesota
, United States
. Monticello was founded in 1856 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006. The population was 12,759 at the 2010 census. The name Monticello is derived from the Italian
word for "Little Mountain," it translates literally to English
as hillock or small hill. The name Monticello was chosen because the city is situated at the base of a little mountain. In Monticello, an elementary school, a church and two businesses include Little Mountain in their name.
Monticello is located on the Mississippi River
at the northern edge of Wright County. Each winter, hundreds of trumpeter swan
s nest near Mississippi Drive Park in Monticello as the Mississippi River is heated from warm water discharged by the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant
.
In anticipation of rapid population growth
, Monticello created a comprehensive growth plan in 1996. A new high school was constructed in 1999. A new interchange was completed in 2006 on the east end of town, allowing residents full access to Interstate 94
from County Road 18. Since 2002, many retail outlets have been constructed, including a Wal-Mart Supercenter, a SuperTarget store, a Muller Family Movie Theatre, a new bowling alley, The Home Depot, Applebee's, Taco John's and an Arby's. This planned growth has also brought new auto dealerships, hotels, and industrial development. Monticello continues to attract new construction and business opportunities. A new Mills Fleet Farm
store was planned for 2008 on the east end of Chelsea Road, but that endeavor was never realized. A 2004 annexation
agreement with Monticello Township
is expected to help sustain Monticello's growth for the next twenty years.
Monticello has many fine walking trails and parks, and it has one of the most impressive community centers in outstate Minnesota. The facility is widely used by local residents. Monticello's local newspaper is the Monticello Times.
Foods Company, received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
for business performance excellence in 1999 and 2005. Sunny Fresh is one of the few nationwide businesses and the only food company to win this award twice. For more information visit www.baldrige.nist.gov.
The Great American Smokeout
day, held annually by the American Cancer Society
, was based on an idea of the editor of the Monticello Times, Lynn R. Smith. He promised to publish the names of 300 people who pledged to quit smoking for one day (January 6, 1974) on the front page of the Times. This caused a sensation and led to Minnesota's first statewide D-day (Don't Smoke Day). In 1976, the California
chapter of the American Cancer Society held a similar Don't Smoke Day, encouraging almost one million people to quit that day. After that, starting in 1977, the Great American Smokeout day has been a national event, held on the third Thursday each November (one week before Thanksgiving).
On July 1, 1997 Monticello and its surrounding cities were hit with severe storms
. According to the local news stations, the storm was classified as straight line winds. However, many residents disagreed, believing a tornado tore up their hometown. Later data showed that there were actually 17 tornadoes that evening. The damages to the town were extreme as debris from damaged buildings was scattered everywhere, rooftops were lifted from homes, trees were uprooted, and power poles toppled. Although the damage to buildings have been repaired, the extensive loss of mature trees has significantly altered the landscape of Monticello.
On May 3, 2006 the Monticello Middle School had an electrical fire from the large amount of rain settling on the roof. The smoke damage to the school caused the school to be closed for the rest of the school year. As a result, middle school and high school students had to share usage of the high school building on an alternate-day schedule. The school year did not get extended, and the clean up was completed in time for the 2006-07 school year. http://www.monticellotimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=10&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=13392&TM=85947.91 http://www.monticellotimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=10&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=13448&TM=85947.91
, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²), all of it land. Lake Maria State Park
is nearby. The city's latitude is 45.305 degrees North and its longitude is 93.793 degrees West. Its elevation is 922 feet. It is in the Central time zone.
estimates, there were 11,414 people, 2,944 households, and 2,066 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,264.6 people per square mile (488.4/km²). There were 3,030 housing units at an average density of 487.0 per square mile (188.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.96% Caucasian, 0.33% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races
, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.03% of the population.
There were 2,944 households out of which 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 15.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,384, and the median income for a family was $53,566. Males had a median income of $41,057 versus $25,854 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,229. About 4.2% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
(1,314 est.), is Wright County's third largest school. The nickname for the school's athletic teams is the Magic. Its main rival is Buffalo High School
(1,596).
Boys' basketball is a notable MHS athletic program. The team made several trips to the state tournament in the 1990s and from 2004 to 2006. The team's highest tournament finish is 4th place, igniting humorous theories of a possible "4th place curse". Two Minnesota high-school basketball Players of the Year have come out of Monticello: Nate Holmstadt and Joel Przybilla
. The 7-foot Pryzbilla went on to play for the University of Minnesota
and is now a center in the NBA
for the Charlotte Bobcats
. Varsity tennis has also gone to state each year from 2004-2010. Track and Swimming are also noted to be at very high standards. The girls cross country team is currently rated 3rd in the nation (2011) and has had a great deal of success the last few years.
The Moose Sherritt Ice Arena, attached to the Middle School
, was completed in 2005 due to the efforts of the Monticello-Annandale-Maple Lake Youth Hockey Organization, community members, the mayor, the city council, the school board, businesses and the Sherritt family. "Moose" Sherritt played for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings
and the USHL's Minneapolis Millers
among other teams in the 1940s.
Wright County, Minnesota
Wright County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1855. As of 2010, the population was 124,700. Its county seat is Buffalo.-History:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Monticello was founded in 1856 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2006. The population was 12,759 at the 2010 census. The name Monticello is derived from the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
word for "Little Mountain," it translates literally to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as hillock or small hill. The name Monticello was chosen because the city is situated at the base of a little mountain. In Monticello, an elementary school, a church and two businesses include Little Mountain in their name.
Monticello is located on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
at the northern edge of Wright County. Each winter, hundreds of trumpeter swan
Trumpeter Swan
The Trumpeter Swan, Cygnus buccinator, is the largest native North American bird, if measured in terms of weight and length, and is the largest living waterfowl species on earth. It is the North American counterpart of the European Whooper Swan.-Description:Males typically measure from and weigh...
s nest near Mississippi Drive Park in Monticello as the Mississippi River is heated from warm water discharged by the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant
Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant
The Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant is a nuclear power plant located in Monticello, Minnesota, along the Mississippi River. The site, which began operating in 1971, has a single nuclear reactor of the General Electric BWR-3 design generating 613 megawatts, but studies are ongoing to...
.
In anticipation of rapid population growth
Population growth
Population growth is the change in a population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals of any species in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....
, Monticello created a comprehensive growth plan in 1996. A new high school was constructed in 1999. A new interchange was completed in 2006 on the east end of town, allowing residents full access to Interstate 94
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 is the northernmost east–west Interstate Highway, connecting the Great Lakes and Intermountain regions of the United States. I-94's western terminus is in Billings, Montana at a junction with Interstate 90; its eastern terminus is the U.S...
from County Road 18. Since 2002, many retail outlets have been constructed, including a Wal-Mart Supercenter, a SuperTarget store, a Muller Family Movie Theatre, a new bowling alley, The Home Depot, Applebee's, Taco John's and an Arby's. This planned growth has also brought new auto dealerships, hotels, and industrial development. Monticello continues to attract new construction and business opportunities. A new Mills Fleet Farm
Mills Fleet Farm
Mills Fleet Farm is a retail chain of 31 large stores in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. The stores sell hunting and fishing equipment, appliances, housewares, automotive goods, apparel, hardware, lawn and garden supplies, paint, pet supplies, sporting goods, tools, and farm...
store was planned for 2008 on the east end of Chelsea Road, but that endeavor was never realized. A 2004 annexation
Municipal annexation in the United States
Municipal annexation is a process whereby a city government expands the city limits into adjacent areas not already incorporated into cities, villages or other municipalities, and sometimes when they were...
agreement with Monticello Township
Monticello Township, Minnesota
Monticello Township is a township in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,139 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 43.5 square miles , of which, 40.1 square miles of it is land and...
is expected to help sustain Monticello's growth for the next twenty years.
Monticello has many fine walking trails and parks, and it has one of the most impressive community centers in outstate Minnesota. The facility is widely used by local residents. Monticello's local newspaper is the Monticello Times.
Major Events
One of Monticello's largest employers, Cargill Kitchen Solutions(formerly Sunny Fresh Foods), a CargillCargill
Cargill, Incorporated is a privately held, multinational corporation based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Founded in 1865, it is now the largest privately held corporation in the United States in terms of revenue. If it were a public company, it would rank, as of 2011, number 13 on the Fortune 500,...
Foods Company, received the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recognizes U.S. organizations in the business, health care, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. The Baldrige Award is the only formal recognition of the performance excellence of both public and private U.S. organizations given by...
for business performance excellence in 1999 and 2005. Sunny Fresh is one of the few nationwide businesses and the only food company to win this award twice. For more information visit www.baldrige.nist.gov.
The Great American Smokeout
Great American Smokeout
The Great American Smokeout is a social engineering experiment on the third Thursday of November in the United States encouraging Americans to stop tobacco smoking. The American Cancer Society held its first Smokeout in San Francisco's Union Square Nov.16th 1977...
day, held annually by the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
, was based on an idea of the editor of the Monticello Times, Lynn R. Smith. He promised to publish the names of 300 people who pledged to quit smoking for one day (January 6, 1974) on the front page of the Times. This caused a sensation and led to Minnesota's first statewide D-day (Don't Smoke Day). In 1976, the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
chapter of the American Cancer Society held a similar Don't Smoke Day, encouraging almost one million people to quit that day. After that, starting in 1977, the Great American Smokeout day has been a national event, held on the third Thursday each November (one week before Thanksgiving).
On July 1, 1997 Monticello and its surrounding cities were hit with severe storms
Southeast Michigan Tornado Outbreak
The Southeast Michigan Tornado Outbreak occurred on July 2, 1997 in the built-up area of Detroit, Michigan. There were 13 tornadoes in total, 3 dragged through neighborhoods and downtown, hitting northern Detroit between I-96 and Eight Mile Road, Hamtramck and Highland Park. The storms killed 7,...
. According to the local news stations, the storm was classified as straight line winds. However, many residents disagreed, believing a tornado tore up their hometown. Later data showed that there were actually 17 tornadoes that evening. The damages to the town were extreme as debris from damaged buildings was scattered everywhere, rooftops were lifted from homes, trees were uprooted, and power poles toppled. Although the damage to buildings have been repaired, the extensive loss of mature trees has significantly altered the landscape of Monticello.
On May 3, 2006 the Monticello Middle School had an electrical fire from the large amount of rain settling on the roof. The smoke damage to the school caused the school to be closed for the rest of the school year. As a result, middle school and high school students had to share usage of the high school building on an alternate-day schedule. The school year did not get extended, and the clean up was completed in time for the 2006-07 school year. http://www.monticellotimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=10&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=13392&TM=85947.91 http://www.monticellotimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=10&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=13448&TM=85947.91
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.1 km²), all of it land. Lake Maria State Park
Lake Maria State Park
Lake Maria State Park is a state park of Minnesota, USA, west of Monticello. The park was created in 1963 to provide a wilderness area within easy drive of Minneapolis – Saint Paul. The park's amenities are designed primarily for hikers, backpackers, and horseback riders and consequently use...
is nearby. The city's latitude is 45.305 degrees North and its longitude is 93.793 degrees West. Its elevation is 922 feet. It is in the Central time zone.
Demographics
As of the 2006 U.S. censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
estimates, there were 11,414 people, 2,944 households, and 2,066 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,264.6 people per square mile (488.4/km²). There were 3,030 housing units at an average density of 487.0 per square mile (188.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.96% Caucasian, 0.33% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.55% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.03% of the population.
There were 2,944 households out of which 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 31.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 15.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,384, and the median income for a family was $53,566. Males had a median income of $41,057 versus $25,854 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,229. About 4.2% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Athletics
Monticello High SchoolMonticello High School (Minnesota)
Monticello High School is a public high school located in Monticello, Minnesota, United States.The principal is Joel Lundin. The current high school was constructed in the late '90's and opened in September 1999. Monticello High School is Wright County's third largest school...
(1,314 est.), is Wright County's third largest school. The nickname for the school's athletic teams is the Magic. Its main rival is Buffalo High School
Buffalo High School
Buffalo High School is located off the intersection of County Road 35 and Dague Avenue in Buffalo, Minnesota. A constantly-growing area, along with three communities contributing students, has helped BHS grow into a large sized school of over 1,800 students with a staff of approximately...
(1,596).
Boys' basketball is a notable MHS athletic program. The team made several trips to the state tournament in the 1990s and from 2004 to 2006. The team's highest tournament finish is 4th place, igniting humorous theories of a possible "4th place curse". Two Minnesota high-school basketball Players of the Year have come out of Monticello: Nate Holmstadt and Joel Przybilla
Joel Przybilla
Joel Przybilla is an American professional basketball player. A 7'1" center, he last played for the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA.- High school career :...
. The 7-foot Pryzbilla went on to play for the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and is now a center in the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
for the Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
. Varsity tennis has also gone to state each year from 2004-2010. Track and Swimming are also noted to be at very high standards. The girls cross country team is currently rated 3rd in the nation (2011) and has had a great deal of success the last few years.
The Moose Sherritt Ice Arena, attached to the Middle School
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, was completed in 2005 due to the efforts of the Monticello-Annandale-Maple Lake Youth Hockey Organization, community members, the mayor, the city council, the school board, businesses and the Sherritt family. "Moose" Sherritt played for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
and the USHL's Minneapolis Millers
Minneapolis Millers (AHA)
The Minneapolis Millers were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Minneapolis Arena. The Millers originated in the Central Hockey League as a semi-professional team from the 1925-26 season. The team moved to the American Hockey Association along with...
among other teams in the 1940s.