Kerkhoven ( ) is a city in Swift 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, located roughly west of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

region of

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

along

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 or U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90 ...

. The population was 759 as per the 2010 census.

History

Kerkhoven 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 1870, and named for a railroad promoter. A post office has been in operation at Kerkhoven since 1871. Kerkhoven was incorporated in 1881. The city name is Dutch meaning church cemeteries. 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 (van=from, kerk=church and hoven=gardens or yards).The Kerkhoven Banner, June 1981, Section A, page 2 They were financial persons purchasing interest-bearing bonds, but not active promoters of the fledgling prairie railroad.

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.

Demographics

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 759 people, 329 households, and 206 families residing in the city. 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 352 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.1%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 2.5% from other races, and 0.1% from two or more races.

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 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 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, 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.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 759 people, 313 households, and 210 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 338 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.99%

, 0.13%

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 ...

, 0.40% Native American, 4.22% from other races, and 0.26% from two or more races.

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

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 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 $16,435. About 8.4% of families and 9.3% 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 15.0% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

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.

References

{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Swift County, Minnesota