Waconia ( ) is a city in
Carver County
Carver County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is mostly farmland and wilderness with many unincorporated townships. As of the 2020 census, the population was 106,922. Its county seat is Chaska. Carver County is named for ...
,
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 ...
, United States. Waconia attracts visitors to nearby
Lake Waconia, a lake locally renowned for its fishing and recreation opportunities.
The city's population was 13,033 at the
2020 census.
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.
Minnesota State Highways
5 and
284; and
Carver County Highway 10 are the main routes in Waconia.
Demographics
2000 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 2000, there were 6,814 people, 2,568 households, and 1,848 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,646 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.06%
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 ...
, 0.34%
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 ...
, 0.12%
Native American, 0.65%
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 ...
, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.00% 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 0.82% 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 ...
or
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 1.28% of the population.
There were 2,568 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.0% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were occupied by one person and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.12.
The city population had a wide age variety; with 29.9% being under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $55,705, and the median income for a family was $67,703. Males had a median income of $43,535 versus $29,488 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 $26,996. About 2.9% of families and 3.8% 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 3.7% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
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 10,697 people, 3,909 households, and 2,748 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 4,112 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.7%
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 ...
, 1.1%
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 1.1%
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 1.1% 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 ...
or
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 2.5% of the population.
There were 3,909 households, of which 45.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% 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, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.31.
The median age in the city was 34.9 years. 32.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.7% were from 25 to 44; 20.7% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
Economy
Top employers
According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), the top employers in the city are:
Politics
Education
Waconia Public Schools operates five schools. There are also two private schools within Waconia to make seven total:
* Southview Elementary, grades K–5
* Bayview Elementary, grades K–5
* Laketown Elementary, grades K-5
* Waconia Middle School, grades 6–8
* St. Joseph Catholic Education Center, grades PreK–8
* Trinity Lutheran School, grades K–8
*
Waconia High School, grades 9–12
History
A post office has been in operation at Waconia since 1860. The city took its name from
Lake Waconia.
National Register of Historic Places gallery
Waconia has several buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
(see:
National Register of Historic Places listings in Carver County, Minnesota). One of the more prominent listings is for
Coney Island of the West on Lake Waconia, where cottages, boathouses and resort hotels attracted tourists, especially from 1884 until the late 1920s, when the rise of the automobile allowed people to travel farther away for summer vacations.
File:2009-0713-Waconia-CityHall.jpg, Waconia City Hall
Waconia City Hall is located at 201 South Vine Street in Waconia, Minnesota, United States. The contemporary building was completed in 2004, and replaced the Old Waconia City Hall, a historic building constructed in 1909 that has been converted int ...
File:2009-0713-Waconia-WMainHouses.jpg, West Main Street Houses, from left to right 417, 429, and 453 W. Main St.
File:2009-0713-Waconia-EmileAmblard.jpg, Emile Amblard Guest House
File:2009-0713-MN17-Waconia-ConeyIslandW.jpg, Coney Island of the West on Lake Waconia across from Waconia
File:2009-0713-Waconia-MockFactory.jpg, Mock Cigar Factory and House
File:2009-0713-Waconia-CharlesMaiser.jpg, Charles Maiser House
Popular culture
* In the film ''
Drop Dead Gorgeous'', 1st Street near St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Waconia is used when the swan float explodes in the parade.
Notable people
*
Robert O. Ashbach, Minnesota state legislator and businessman
*
Jenn Bostic
Jenn Bostic (born January 3, 1986 as Jennifer Christiana Bostic) is an American country music and Christian music singer-songwriter, based in Nashville, Tennessee.
In 2012, her song " Jealous of the Angels" was released. Her album, ''Jealous'' ...
, singer and songwriter
*
Bill Diessner, Minnesota state legislator and physician
*
Aaron Elling
Aaron John Elling (born May 31, 1978, in Waconia, Minnesota) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Wyoming.
Elling has also been a me ...
, football player
*
Don Herbert
Donald Jeffry Herbert (July 10, 1917 – June 12, 2007), better known as Mr. Wizard, was the creator and host of ''Watch Mr. Wizard'' (1951–65, 1971–72) and ''Mr. Wizard's World'' (1983–90), which were educational television programs for c ...
, Mr. Wizard and host of ''Mr. Wizard's World''
*
Noah McCourt, politician, disability advocate and speaker
*
Susie Schmitt Hanson, (1860–1956) milliner, dressmaker and entrepreneur
*
Bob Stinson
Robert Neil Stinson (December 17, 1959 – February 18, 1995) was an American musician best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the American rock band The Replacements.
Biography
Early life
Bob Stinson was born on December 17 ...
, musician, lead guitarist for
The Replacements
*
Henry Wagener, Minnesota state legislator and farmer
*
Maxx Williams
Maxx Williams (born April 12, 1994) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Minnesota and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
College career
Williams was ...
, NFL tight end for the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, was born in Waconia
*
Shane Wiskus
Shane Michael Wiskus (born October 1, 1998) is an American artistic gymnast who represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Additionally, he represented the United States at the 2019 World Championships and is a three-time NCAA Ch ...
, artistic gymnast, represented Team USA at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Carver County, Minnesota
Cities in Minnesota
Dakota toponyms