Caledonia is a city and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Houston County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States and is part of the La Crosse,

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,847 at the 2020 census.

History

Caledonia was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1854–1855. The town was named by founder Colonel Samuel McPhail for the ancient Roman word for ''Scotland''. A post office has been in operation at Caledonia since 1855. Caledonia was incorporated in 1870, and was reincorporated in 1889.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land. Caledonia is located 17 miles southwest of La Crosse,

. Minnesota Highway 44 and Minnesota Highway 76 are two of the main routes in the community.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 2,847. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,366 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.2%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.6%

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,868 people, 1,247 households, and 740 families living in the city. The

was . There were 1,344 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.8%

, 1.3%

, 0.3% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population. There were 1,247 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 40.5 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.3% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64; and 20.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,965 people, 1,223 households, and 754 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,286 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.35%

, 0.40%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population. There were 1,223 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 34.2% 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 2.31 and the average family size was 3.00. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,455, and the median income for a family was $45,679. Males had a median income of $30,302 versus $20,091 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,953. About 5.2% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 12.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Caledonia is home to

Caledonia High School Caledonia High School (CHS) is a public high school located in Caledonia, Minnesota, United States, that serves Caledonia as well as the surrounding communities of Brownsville, Eitzen, Freeburg, and Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the north ...

. St. Mary's Catholic School (K-8) and St. John's Lutheran School (Pre-K-8) are private schools.

Notable people

* William F. Dunbar, first Minnesota State Auditor. * Isaac Fruechte, Wide Receiver for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

* Karl Klug, Defensive End for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

Dave Kunst Dave Kunst (born July 16, 1939) is the first person independently verified to have walked around the Earth. The walk was intended to be achieved along with his brother John, but during the event John was shot and killed by bandits, and Dave wounde ...

, First Person to Walk Around the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

* George Harold Lommen, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer * Maurice J. McCauley, Minnesota state representative * Ken Nelson,

Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...

member. * Samuel A. Rask, Minnesota state senator and businessman

References

External links

City of Caledonia
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Houston County, Minnesota County seats in Minnesota