Ortonville is a city in Big Stone County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

at the southern tip of

Big Stone Lake Big Stone Lake ( dak, Íŋyaŋ Tháŋka Bdé) is a long, narrow freshwater lake and reservoir on the border between western Minnesota and northeastern South Dakota in the United States. Description The lake covers , stretching from end to end ...

, along the border with

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. The population was 2,021 at the 2020 census. It is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of Big Stone County.

Big Stone Lake State Park Big Stone Lake State Park is a state park of Minnesota, United States, on the shore of Big Stone Lake, the headwaters of the Minnesota River. It is home to wildlife including deer, raccoons, squirrels, meadowlarks, sedge wrens, pheasants, b ...

is nearby.

History

Ortonville 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 Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted in 1872 by Cornelius Knute Orton, and named for him. Ortonville was incorporated as a city in 1881. The

Big Stone County Courthouse The Big Stone County Courthouse in Ortonville, Minnesota is the center of government for Big Stone County, Minnesota. The county was established by the Minnesota Legislature in 1862, but the government was not organized until 1873, when Governor ...

was built in 1902.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. U.S. Highways 12 and 75 bypass the city and a state highway,

Minnesota State Highway 7 Minnesota State Highway 7, or Trunk Highway 7, (MN 7, TH 7) is a state highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 28 near Beardsley and continues east to its terminus with MN 100 and County Road&nb ...

are three of the main routes in the city.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 1,916 people, 884 households, and 509 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,090 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 0.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.0% of the population. There were 884 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.4% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.71. The median age in the city was 49.8 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 28.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,158 people, 923 households, and 594 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,125 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.68%

, 0.42%

, 0.88% Native American, 0.09%

, 0.28% from

, and 0.65% from two or more races.

of any race were 0.56% of the population. There were 923 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% 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 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,614, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $30,590 versus $20,179 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $17,132. About 7.2% of families and 9.2% 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 t ...

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Education

Public schools in independent district 2903 ( Ortonville Public School) include Ortonville Secondary School and James Knoll Elementary School. The schools are housed in one building, making the public education in Ortonville

K-12 K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...

. The athletic teams in Ortonville are called the Trojans, and the school's colors are orange and black. There are no

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

s in this district. The Ortonville Public Library is a part of the Pioneerland Library System. There is no University in Ortonville, but high school students are able to take college level courses through the public high school via the

College in the Schools A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a University system, constituent part of one. A college may be a academic degree, degree-awarding Tertiary education, tertiary educational institution, a part of a coll ...

program.

Media

Newspaper

The '' Ortonville Independent'' is a weekly newspaper published in Ortonville on Tuesday. It has a circulation of 1911 in 2019 and is owned by the Kaercher Group.

AM radio

FM radio

Notable people

Samuel Russell Barr Samuel Russell Barr (May 19, 1914 – July 26, 2001) was an American businessman and politician. Barr was born in Forsyth, Rosebud County, Montana. He graduated from Ortonville High School in Ortonville, Big Stone County, Minnesota. Barr liv ...

, Minnesota state legislator * Agnes Gardner Eyre, pianist and composer * Sarah Hart (née Gengler), a perpetrator of the

Hart family murders The Hart family murders was a murder–suicide which took place on March 26, 2018, in Mendocino County, California, United States. Jennifer Hart and her wife, Sarah Hart, murdered their six adopted children: Ciera (aged 12), Abigail (14), Jerem ...

; 1997 Ortonville High School graduate (from neighboring Big Stone City, SD). *

Dan Jurgens Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw and Booster Gold. Jurgens ...

, comic book writer and artist, known for his work on the Superman comic books * Edwin Joseph Martinson, member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

Liz Olson Liz Olson is an American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 7B in northeastern Minnesota. She became majority whip in 2019. ...

, member of the

* Mike Hunt (American football), former professional American football player.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Cities in Big Stone County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota County seats in Minnesota