HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Warren is a city in and 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 Marshall County,
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. The population was 1,605 at the 2020 census.


History

Warren 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 1879, and named for Charles H. Warren, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation at Warren since 1880. Although several times larger than the next largest city in the county, Warren's prominence as the county seat has been threatened several times in its history. The original plan for the
Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , one of seven U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sa ...
(completed in 1905) branch line that passes through Warren called for it to run from
Thief River Falls Thief River Falls, sometimes referred to as Thief River or abbreviated as TRF, is a city in Pennington County in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,749 at the 2020 census. Thief River Falls is the county ...
to Argyle and then west. Argyle interests hoped the establishment of a railroad junction there would lead to the removal of the county seat from Warren to Argyle. Other interests prevailed, although the railroad line forms a
parabola In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits several superficially different mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactly the same curves. One descript ...
extending north from Thief River Falls, and then south to Warren, as if the plan changed while the line was being built.
/sup> In 1974, citizens of the eastern part of the county, noting Warren's location in the western quarter of the long county, and very nearly at its southern boundary, petitioned twice for the relocation of the county seat to Newfolden, Minnesota, Newfolden. Neither effort that year resulted in the question being put on the ballot, and in fact, voters in the interim had approved the construction of an addition to the courthouse in Warren. Warren was featured on a 2006 episode of the
History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
's ''
UFO Files ''UFO Files'' is an American television series that was produced from 2004 to 2007 for History (American TV network), The History Channel. The program covers the phenomena of Unidentified flying object, unidentified flying and Unidentified submer ...
'' episode "Alien Encounters." The unsolved case of a mysterious object impacting a county sheriff's car on August 27, 1979 was featured (see
Val Johnson Incident The Val Johnson Incident refers to an alleged encounter by Marshall County, Minnesota Deputy Sheriff Val Johnson with a UFO in 1979. Incident Johnson reported that while he was on patrol near Warren, Minnesota about 2 AM on August 27, 1979 he saw ...
). This same case was also featured in 2012 on the
Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...
's ''
Mysteries at the Museum ''Mysteries at the Museum'' is an hour-long television program on the Travel Channel which features museum artifacts of unusual or mysterious origins. Plot Each episode is focused on interesting and unusual artifacts held in museums. The show ...
'' episode "MGM Fire; UFO Car, Prophecy Sword"


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 , all land. The
Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...
flows in serpentine fashion through the city (hence its name), and both banks are developed, which has proved problematic as the city attempts
flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...
control. Some major floods in the city's history took place in 1896 (twice), 1969, 1974, 1979, 1996 (twice), and 1997. The streets of the original townsite of Warren are laid out on a
grid Grid, The Grid, or GRID may refer to: Common usage * Cattle grid or stock grid, a type of obstacle is used to prevent livestock from crossing the road * Grid reference, used to define a location on a map Arts, entertainment, and media * News g ...
parallel and perpendicular to the
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight railroads in North America. One of seven North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 35,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and nearly 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that ...
. Some newer additions, particularly those south of Bridge Street (Minnesota Highway 1) are laid out on a conventional north-south grid. The BNSF is the dividing line for the street system east and west, and Bridge Street is the dividing line north and south.
U.S. Highway 75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it once continued as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other sid ...
and
Minnesota State Highway 1 Minnesota State Highway 1 (MN 1) is a state highway across northern Minnesota, United States, which runs from North Dakota Highway 54 (ND 54) at the North Dakota state line (at the Red River in Oslo) and continues east to its eastern termin ...
are two 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, the city had 1,563 people, 681 households, and 743 families. 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 . The 743 housing units were at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.2%
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 ...
, 0.4%
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, 0.3%
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 ...
, 1.2% 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 0.5% 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 2.6% of the population. Of the 681 households, 27.8% had children under 18 years, 46.1% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 44.5 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 23.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.


2000 census

As of the 2000
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 ...
, 1,678 people, 699 households, and 432 families were in the city. The population density was . The city had 785 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.27%
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 ...
, 0.12%
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 ...
, 0.24% Native American, 0.06%
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 ...
, 1.01% 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 0.30% 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 2.62% of the population. Of the 699 households, 28.8% had children under 18 years, 49.6% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,250 and the median income for a family was $45,063. Males had a median income of $32,216 versus $20,625 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 $17,547. About 6.5% of families and 10.2% 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 11.5% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.


Religion

The city has three
Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...
churches (two affiliated with the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant Lutheran church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. , it has approxim ...
and one affiliated with the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), also known as the Missouri Synod, is a traditional, confessional Lutheran denomination in the United States. With 1.8 million members, it is the second-largest Lutheran body in the United States. The LC ...
), a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
parish and cemetery, an Evangelical Covenant church, a
United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...
church, and an
Assembly of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
church, as well as a non-denominational church. In the rural area surrounding the city, there are three small Lutheran churches.


Economy

Agriculture and agribusiness have been the mainstays of Warren throughout its history. In fact, for most of its history, there has been no other industry at all. Although the
Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...
has a short growing season, which is often made even shorter due to floods, the area has excellent crop yields which help make farming in the area less risky than in other areas with poorer soil. The principal crops are wheat, soybeans, potatoes, and sugar beets. Warren was at one time home to the largest independent elevator in Minnesota. Northwest Grain Cenex Harvest States Cooperative has a large elevator on the Soo Line, and the American Crystal Sugar Co. operates a sugar beet terminal just north of Warren during harvest. Warren has three bank branches, the largest being a branch of Community Bank of the Red River Valley, headquartered in East Grand Forks.


Education and culture

Warren is home of the Warren-Alvarado-Oslo school district. The district has one six-year high school and one elementary school, both located in Warren. Both buildings have been called superior facilities for a district its size. The high school, built in 1954, includes a 1000-seat auditorium. The elementary school, built in 1970, was originally an "open school" design where the classrooms were separated by chalkboard partitions rather than walls, although a few walls were installed in 1987. In the late 2000s, the school board went on to add on a new gymnasium. Warren has a public library, the Godel Memorial Library, and is home to the Marshall County Historical Society, the Marshall County Fair, and the Warren Riverside Country Club (9-hole, par 4, grass greens).


Transportation

The Warren City Council voted to build an
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
in 1965 for an estimated cost of $109,000. A dedication ceremony took place in August 1966.


Notable people

Some notable people who have lived in Warren: *
Julius J. Olson Julius J. Olson (February 22, 1875 – May 22, 1955) was a lawyer and justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Biography Julius Johann Olson was born on the island of Dønna in Nordland, Norway. He emigrated to Lake Park, Minnesota at age eigh ...
– Minnesota Supreme Court justice and chief justice * Oscar Knutson – Minnesota Supreme Court chief justice *
John J. Herrick John Jerome Herrick (June 23, 1920 – August 2, 1997) was an officer in the United States Navy who was commander of the U.S.S. Maddox during the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in August 1964. Herrick gave the order to return fire on three Viet Cong pa ...
– captain who led the craft fired upon in the
Gulf of Tonkin incident The Gulf of Tonkin incident ( vi, Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ) was an international confrontation that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War. It involved both a proven confrontation on August 2, 1964, carried out b ...
*
Gerome Kamrowski Gerome Kamrowski (January 29, 1914 – March 27, 2004) was an American artist and pioneer in the Surrealist and Abstract Expressionist Movements in the United States. Early life and education Gerome Kamrowski was born in Warren, Minnesota, on ...
– abstract painter *
Joseph Steffan Joseph Charles Steffan (born July 29, 1964) is an American lawyer and gay activist. He was expelled from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1987 shortly before graduation after disclosing his homosexuality. He sued the U.S. Department of D ...
– civil rights activist * Paul Nelson – magazine editor and music critic *
Carl Panzram Charles "Carl" Panzram (June 28, 1891 – September 5, 1930) was an American serial killer, spree killer, mass murderer, rap ist, child molester, arsonist, robber, thief, and burglar. In prison confessions and in his autobiography, Panzr ...
– serial killer, was born south of the city in rural Polk County but his connection to Warren is unknown * Val Johnson – former sheriff's deputy known for his UFO encounter


References


Further reading

* Solum, Nancy, ed. ''Self-Portrait of Marshall County: A History of One Minnesota County and Many People Who Made That History.'' Dallas: Taylor, 1976. * Stevens, Charles L. ''Warren and Vicinity in the Eighties: Some Recollections of Happenings in This Section Nearly Fifty Years Ago.'' Warren, Minn.: Warren Register, 1928. * ''Warren, Plains to Plenty: A Story of 75 Eventful Years'', Warren, Minn: Sheaf Printing, 1956.


External links


City of Warren

Marshall County Fair


{{Authority control Cities in Marshall County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota County seats in Minnesota 1879 establishments in Minnesota