Austin is a city in and the county seat of
Mower County, Minnesota
Mower County () is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,029. The county seat is Austin. Mower County comprises the Austin Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Rochester-Austin ...
, United States. The population was 26,174 at the
2020 census.
The town was originally settled along the
Cedar River and has two artificial lakes,
East Side Lake and Mill Pond. It was named for Austin R. Nichols, the area's first European settler. It is part of the
Rochester, Minnesota metropolitan area.
Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods Corporation, doing business as Hormel Foods or simply Hormel, is an American multinational food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally fo ...
Corporation is Austin's largest employer, and the city is sometimes called "SPAM Town USA". Austin is home to Hormel's corporate headquarters, a factory that makes most of North America's
SPAM
Spam most often refers to:
* Spam (food), a consumer brand product of canned processed pork of the Hormel Foods Corporation
* Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages
** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages
...
tinned meat, and the
Spam Museum
The Spam Museum is an admission-free museum in Austin, Minnesota, dedicated to Spam, a brand of canned precooked meat products made by Hormel Foods Corporation. The museum tells the history of the Hormel company, the origin of Spam, and its p ...
. Austin is also home to the
Hormel Institute
The Hormel Institute is a biomedical research center located in Austin, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1942, the institute is a division of the University of Minnesota with scientists focusing primarily on cancer research. The Hormel Institu ...
, a leading cancer research institution operated by the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
with significant support from the
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...
.
History

Fertile land,
trapping
Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch and often kill an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including for meat, fur trade, fur/feathers, sport hunting, pest control, and w ...
, and ease of access brought first trappers and then the early pioneers to this region. The rich gameland attracted Austin Nichols, a trapper who built the first log cabin in 1853. At that time there were "about twenty families in the area."
More settlers began to arrive by
wagon train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...
in 1855, and by 1856 enough people were present to organize Mower County.
In 1856 the settlement adopted the name "Austin", in honor of its first settler. That year the first hotel opened to travelers and the first physician, Dr. Ormanzo Allen, moved to town. The first newspaper, the ''Mower County Mirror'', was started in 1858.
Mills, powered by the Cedar River, were the first industries in Austin. They provided much-needed flour and lumber. Growth was slow during the first two decades, but the
Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad arrived in the late 1860s, hastening economic development.
The town's first schoolhouse was constructed in 1865, and the first bank opened the following year.
In 1891 George A. Hormel opened a small family-owned butcher shop in Austin, which eventually grew into today's
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...
company,
Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods Corporation, doing business as Hormel Foods or simply Hormel, is an American multinational food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally fo ...
. By 1896 area doctors, with the help of local Lutheran congregations, formed the Austin Hospital Association, later becoming St. Olaf Hospital, and (since 1995) part of
Mayo Clinic Health System.
In 1897 Charles Boostrom opened Austin's first college, the
Southern Minnesota Normal College
Southern Minnesota Normal College, was a normal school and business school located in Austin, Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota that operated from 1897 to 1925. It was founded with the Austin School of Commerce.
The school was founded in 1896 by Ch ...
and Austin School of Commerce. It closed in 1925, and the city was without an institution of higher education until Austin Junior College opened in 1940. In 1964 it became part of the State College and University System and is now
Riverland Community College.
In 1913 the Minnesota Legislature made a parcel of land into Horace Austin State Park. At the time, the land was "one of the beauty spots of Southern Minnesota, but of late years has not been cared for and in places the banks have been disfigured by dumping along the shore of the stream," according to the bill's author, Senator Charles F. Cook. The park was converted to a state "scenic wayside" in 1937, then transferred to city ownership in 1949.
In the 1930s Austin Acres was built with funding from the
Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Department of the Interior.
The Austin Parks Board was formed in the 1940s to oversee the growing number of green spaces within the city.

In 1971 the
Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, a nature preserve also including the Hormel Arboretum, was purchased from
Geordie Hormel with a state grant. In 1973 the city opened
Riverside Arena, the city's first indoor ice arena, now home to a variety of ice activities including the
Austin Bruins junior hockey team.
In August 1985, 1,500 Hormel meatpackers
went on strike at the Austin plant after management demanded a 23% cut in wages. In the early 1980s, recession had impacted several meatpacking companies, decreasing demand and increasing competition which led smaller and less-efficient companies to go out of business. In an effort to keep plants from closing, many instituted wage cuts. Wilson Food Company declared bankruptcy in 1983, allowing them to cut wages from $10.69 to $6.50 and significantly reduce benefits. Hormel Foods had avoided such drastic action, but by 1985, pressure to stay competitive remained. A protracted battle between union employees and Hormel continued until June 1986, one of the longest labor struggles of the 1980s. In January 1986 some workers crossed the picket lines, leading to riots; the conflict escalated to such a point that Governor
Rudy Perpich
Rudolph George Perpich Sr. (born Rudolph George Prpić; June 27, 1928 September 21, 1995) was an American politician who served as the governor of Minnesota from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1991. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor ...
called in the National Guard to keep the peace. The strike received national attention and a documentary,
''American Dream'', was filmed during the 10-month conflict. The movie was released in 1990 and won Best Documentary Feature at the 63rd Annual
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
.
Dave Pirner
David Anthony Pirner (born April 16, 1964) is an American songwriter, singer, and producer best known as the lead vocalist and frontman for the alternative rock band Soul Asylum.
Early life and work
Pirner was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and ...
of the Minneapolis band
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit " Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dave Pirner ...
wrote a song about the strike, "P-9". It is on the band's 1989 album ''
Clam Dip & Other Delights
''Clam Dip & Other Delights'' is a 1989 EP by the Minneapolis band Soul Asylum. The title and cover art are parodies of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass's album '' Whipped Cream & Other Delights''. It was a humorous nod to their new record lab ...
''. Hormel never gave in to the workers' demands, and when the strike ended in June 1986, 700 employees were left without work.
21st century

Austin completed a new $28 million courthouse and jail in 2010, a new intermediate school in 2013, and has a major redevelopment project at the site of the former Oak Park Mall.
The city is embarking on a community development project, Vision 2020. This grassroots movement was chartered in 2011 to implement ten major new community initiatives that could be completed by 2020. It includes a variety of projects related to economic development, heath and wellness, education, and tourism. A community recreation center is in progress, as is a tourism and visitor center. One goal is to make the downtown business district more of a destination, aided in part by the Spam Museum's relocation to Main Street in 2016.
In 2015 the
National Association of Realtors
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is an American trade association for those who work in the real estate industry. it had over 1.5 million members, making it the largest trade association in the United States including NAR's institute ...
named Austin one of the "Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live."
Major floods

Austin has a long history of flooding. The Cedar River, along with
Dobbins Creek and
Turtle Creek, flow through Austin, and many homes and businesses were constructed in
floodplain
A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
s. A series of floods between 1978 and 2010 resulted in a major flood mitigation program. This involved the purchase and demolition of buildings within the floodplain, converting low-lying areas of town to parks, and the installation of a
flood wall
A floodwall is a freestanding, permanent, engineered structure designed to prevent encroachment of floodwaters. Floodwalls are mainly used on locations where space is scarce, such as cities or where building levees or dikes (dykes) would in ...
to protect downtown.
After two major floods in July 1978, city officials and local residents decided to take action. Locals organized the Floodway Action Citizens Task Source (FACTS), which met with local and state leaders, as well as members of the Army Corps of Engineers, but it was decided that major flood prevention measures would not be cost-effective. A Community Development Block Grant was won from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, allowing for the buyout of homes lying in the flood plain. City planners also vowed to no longer build new structures in the existing flood plains. In 1983 and 1993 major floods again damaged many Austin homes and businesses. Over 400 homes were affected and a new round of buyouts took place through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
The worst flooding on record came when the Cedar River crested at in the spring of 2000. Many of the worst-hit parts of town were now void of homes and businesses, but there was still damage and extensive clean-up was required. Flooding came again in September 2004, resulting in two fatalities. Additional protection (dikes) were added along the Cedar River as a result.
The most recent round of serious flooding came in 2010, after which a plan was developed for a permanent flood wall to protect downtown from the floodwaters of the Cedar River and Mill Pond. The wall was completed in 2014.
Major tornadoes

On Monday, August 20, 1928, an F-2 sized tornado touched down on Winona Street (1st Avenue). The damage ran from the southern edge of Austin High School to the Milwaukee Road railyards on the city's east side. St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Carnegie Library, Main Street, the spire on Austin's former courthouse, Grand Theatre (replaced in 1929 by the Paramount Theatre), Austin Utilities, Lincoln School, and several boxcars at the Milwaukee railyards were damaged or destroyed. Austin residents noticed debris raining out of the sky, such as straw and laundry.
Another F-2 touched down in August 1961, at 808 18th Street SW. It quickly gained strength once on the ground, becoming an F-3 at 17th Street SW, where it destroyed a garage. The twister lifted briefly, touching down in the city fairgrounds and hitting the grandstand roof, tearing off parts and damaging beams.
In the summer of 1984, a tornado destroyed Echo Lanes Bowling Alley as it swept through southeast Austin. Neighboring Bo-Dee Campers also suffered considerable damage, and Schmidt TV was destroyed.
A tornado or straight-line winds took down massive amounts of branches and trees on Saturday, June 27, 1998, uprooting smaller trees and knocking large branches across streets. Several side streets in northwest Austin became impassable, including 8th Avenue NW (near Sumner Elementary School) and 14th Street NW (between I-90 and 8th Avenue). The event caused disruption in Sunday church services the next morning, and many congregations organized cleanup activities instead of regularly scheduled events.
A tornado touched down in Glenville on May 1, 2001, gaining strength before it turned into a F-3 headed for Austin. The twister dissipated shortly after hitting town, but did notable damage in both cities.
On Wednesday, June 17, 2009, an EF2 tornado touched down outside Austin and moved across the northwest and northern parts of the city, gradually weakening as it moved east. The worst damage in Austin was about north of downtown. The visitors center at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center sustained damage, losing 300 trees. There were a few minor injuries.
Geography
Austin is in western Mower County in southeastern Minnesota. It is east of
Albert Lea, southwest of
Rochester, south 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 ...
, and north of the
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
border. The city is bordered to the south by
Austin Township, to the east by
Windom and
Red Rock townships, and to the north by
Lansing Township and the city of
Mapleview. Austin is bordered to the west by
Oakland Township in
Freeborn County
Freeborn County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea, Minnesota, Albert Lea. Freeborn County compri ...
.
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, Austin has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.79%, are water.
Its
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...
is approximately . The
Cedar River, a tributary of the
Iowa River
The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and i ...
, flows southward through the east side of the city. Tributaries within the city include Turtle Creek from the west and
Dobbins Creek from the east.
Climate
Austin has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
typical of the
Upper Midwest
The Upper Midwest is a northern subregion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed upon, the region is usually defined to include the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wi ...
. Winters are cold and snowy; summers are warm with moderate to high humidity. On the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
, Austin falls in the
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
zone (''Dfb'') and is in USDA
plant hardiness
Hardiness of plants describes their ability to survive adverse growing conditions. It is usually limited to discussions of climatic adversity. Thus a plant's ability to tolerate cold, heat, drought, flooding, or wind are typically considered measu ...
zone 4b. Below is a table of average high and low temperatures in Austin.
Demographics
2020 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 2020 there were 26,174 people, 10,980 households, and 10,181 families residing in the city.
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 24,718 people, 10,131 households, and 6,114 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 10,870 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.8%
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 ...
, 3.0%
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 2.4%
Asian, 0.2%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 4.8% from
other races, and 2.4% 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 15.4% of the population.
There were 10,131 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% 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, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.05.
The median age in the city was 37. 25.6% of residents were under 18; 8.8% were between 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 or older. The city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 23,314 people, 9,897 households, and 6,076 families residing in the city and 10,261 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 92.6%
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 ...
, 0.81%
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 ...
, 0.18%
Native American, 2.22%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 3.09% from
other races, and 1.09% 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 was 6.12% of the population. There were 9,897 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18. The average household size was 2.29; the average family size was 2.90. The median income for a household in the city was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $42,691. Males had a median income of $31,787 versus $23,158 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 $20,651. About 7.5% of families and 10.9% 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 ...
.
Economy

With
Hormel
Hormel Foods Corporation, doing business as Hormel Foods or simply Hormel, is an American multinational corporation, multinational food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A ...
's corporate headquarters and main production facility in Austin, food processing plays a dominant role in the city's economy. Hormel and Quality Pork Processors, a contract food processing firm serving Hormel, are by far the city's largest private employers. Though most famous for SPAM, Hormel also produces many other brands, such as Jennie-O turkey, Muscle Milk, Skippy peanut butter, and Dinty Moore beef stew.
The government, education, hospitality, and retail sectors comprise much of the remainder of Austin's employment base.
Hormel's consistent and steady growth have resulted in below-average unemployment rates for Austin and Mower County in recent years. As of February 2016 the unemployment rate was 3.7% in Austin and Mower County, below both the state and national average.
Austin-area businesses and community actively supported an application to participate as a test community in the
Google Fiber
Google Fiber, Inc., sometimes stylized as GFiber, is a fiber broadband Internet service operated by Alphabet Inc. servicing a growing number of households in cities in 19 states across the United States. In mid-2016, Google Fiber was estimated ...
project, begun in 2010. Though unsuccessful in their bid, the adoption of high-speed fiber optic and wireless internet throughout Austin is one of the Vision 2020 committee's goals.
Austin's retail business struggled during the
Great Recession
The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009. , including the demise of the Oak Park Mall. As of 2017 the business climate had improved, including a major redevelopment of the former mall site. Downtown remains vibrant as well, including construction of a new SPAM Museum in 2016.
Top employers

According to Austin's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (2022), the top employers in the city are:
Arts and culture

Music
Austin is home to several long-standing performing arts organizations, including the Austin Symphony Orchestra, which was established in 1957. The Austin Artist Series, one of the Midwest's largest and longest-running concert and performance series, was established in 1945. The
Historic Paramount Theatre hosts a variety of local and regional performances, and
Austin High School's music programs have been recognized for decades as among the state's best. Austin is also home to a community choir (Northwestern Singers) and several community bands (Austin Community Band, Austin Community Jazz Band, and the Austin Big Band). Austin has produced many professional musicians of regional and national acclaim, including
John Maus,
Trace Bundy,
Charlie Parr,
Martin Zellar,
Matthew Griswold, and
Molly Kate Kestner.
In 2015 the
MacPhail Center for Music
The MacPhail Center for Music is one of the nation's oldest and largest community-based music education centers. Located in the Mill District of Downtown East, Minneapolis, Minnesota, the school has over 16,000 students, providing instruction ...
, based in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
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 ...
, opened its first outstate location in Austin, at Riverland Community College. MacPhail's Austin campus provides individual instruction on nearly a dozen musical instruments for adults and children, as well as large ensembles and early childhood music instruction.
Theater
The Frank W. Bridges Theatre is home to an active theatre program at Riverland Community College, while Matchbox Children's Theatre, established in 1975, provides shows year-round for both adults and children. Summerset Theatre, a community theater company organized in 1968, also presents several shows per year.
ArtWorks Center
The Austin ArtWorks Center, established in 2014, hosts gallery exhibits, educational classes, performance space, and a retail gallery. It is operated by the Austin Area Commission for the Arts, which also sponsors the Austin ArtWorks Festival, an annual celebration of visual, performing, and literary arts. The center is in the First National Bank Building, which opened in 1896.
Architecture

Austin has several historically and architecturally significant buildings, including Austin High School,
St. Augustine's Church, Roosevelt Bridge, the Historic Paramount Theatre, the
Hormel Historic Home
The Hormel Historic Home, also known the Cook-Hormel House or simply The Hormel Home, is a historic Italianate style home with Neoclassical architecture, Classical Revival facade located in Austin, Minnesota. The home was built in 1871 and was ...
, the Arthur W. Wright House, and several blocks of buildings on Main Street.
The
S. P. Elam Residence (1950) was designed by
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...
, and is the second largest example of his
Usonian style of architecture.
Literature
Austin is the setting of Allen Eskens' novel The Life We Bury, published in 2014 by Seventh Street Books in New York.
Places of interest
* Mower County Fairgrounds and Mower County Fair
* Buffy the Cow
* SPAM Museum
* Jay C. Hormel Nature Center
* Hormel Historic Home
* St. Augustine's Church
* Austin ArtWorks Center
* Austin High School and Knowlton Auditorium
* Mower County Historical Society
* Historic Paramount Theatre
* Sola Fide Observatory
* East Side Lake
* Bandshell Community Park
* Todd Park
* Austin Country Club (private)
* Meadow Greens Golf Course (public)
* The Elam House (Frank Lloyd Wright home)
* Christ Episcopal Church
* Packer Dome (seasonal)
* Vintage Bicycle Collection at Rydjor Bike Shop
* Hormel Institute
* Roosevelt Bridge
Sports
The
Austin Bruins are a
North American Hockey League
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...
team that began play during the 2010–11 season. The team finished 1st in the Central Division in the 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15 seasons, and advanced to the Robertson Cup Finals in 2014 and 2015, though ultimately losing the championship both times. The Bruins play their home games at
Riverside Arena. Austin previously was represented in Junior hockey by the
Austin Mavericks, a team that first participated in the
Midwest Junior Hockey League from 1974 to 1977 and following a league merger competed in the
United States Hockey League
The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the Midwestern United States and Great Plains, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. Th ...
from 1977 to 1985.
Austin is home to two amateur baseball clubs, the Austin Blue Sox and Austin Greyhounds. The Riverland Community College Blue Devils field six intercollegiate athletic teams.
Several other teams, clubs, and activities are prominent in Austin, including the Southern Minnesota Bicycling Club, the Austin Curling Club, the Minnesota Southbound Rollers (female roller derby), and the Southeast Minnesota Warhawks of the Southern Plains Football League.
Riverside Arena
The Riverside Arena is a 2,500-seat multipurpose
arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
which opened in 1973. It is home to the
Austin High School Packers boys' and girls' ice hockey teams as well as the Austin Bruins.
In 2010, a
Jumbotron
A jumbotron, sometimes referred to as jumbovision, is a video display using large-screen television technology (video wall).
The original technology was developed in the early 1980s by Mitsubishi Electric and Sony, which coined JumboTron as a ...
, lasers and upgraded lighting were installed. The rink underwent a major overhaul in 2015 when the concrete surface was relaid and the original cooling and dehumidifying equipment replaced.
Packer Dome
Packer Dome, a seasonal athletic facility built in 2015, provides sport and recreation facilities in Austin. It is operated by Austin Public Schools and was funded in large part by the Hormel Foundation as part of the Vision 2020 community development project.
Parks and recreation
Austin has an extensive network of 28 parks and green spaces, which the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry oversees. These range from small, passive spaces like Sterling Park (manicured but lacking recreational equipment) to the 507-acre Jay C. Hormel Nature Center.
Jay C. Hormel Nature Center
Established in 1971, the Hormel Nature Center is in western Mower County, within Austin's city limits. It features restored and remnant prairie, hardwood forest, wetlands and meandering streams. There are more than ten miles of trail, giving visitors the opportunity to see deer, mink, raccoons, salamanders, many different birds and other native wildlife. It features an Interpretive Center, open daily, where visitors can learn about the history and biology of the area through hands-on exhibits, interactive displays and live educational animals. The Nature Center offers equipment rental throughout most of the year: canoes and kayaks in the summer and cross-country skis and snowshoes while snow conditions are good.
Other parks
Horace Austin Park, in downtown, is the most centrally located and has a blend of modern amenities, including playground equipment, the municipal pool, and trails and green spaces surrounding Mill Pond. Austin has parks in all four of its quadrants and many are connected by a trail system, including three of the largest: Bandshell Community Park, Driesner Park, and Todd Park. Todd Park is a popular summer recreation space, with several sand volleyball courts and 11 softball and baseball diamonds.
Bandshell Community Park is the site of Austin's annual Independence Day celebration, which draws thousands of residents for two days of music, carnival games, and evening fireworks.
Government and politics

The city is independent from
Austin Township to the south and
Lansing Township to the north.
Austin is in
Minnesota's 1st congressional district
Minnesota's 1st congressional district spans southern Minnesota from the border with South Dakota to the border with Wisconsin. It is a primarily rural district built on a strong history of agriculture, though this is changing rapidly due to pop ...
, represented by
Brad Finstad
Bradley Howard Finstad (born May 30, 1976) is an American politician, farmer, and agricultural consultant serving as the U.S. representative for since 2022. Finstad represents a large section of southern Minnesota situated along the border with ...
, a
Republican. It is in Minnesota Senate District 27, represented by Republican
Gene Dornink, and House District 27B, represented by Republican Patricia Mueller. Mueller is an Austin resident.
Austin is the seat of
Mower County and home to the Mower County Justice Center (courthouse) and Jail. Two new buildings were completed in 2010, a $28 million campus in downtown Austin.
The city of Austin is led by a
mayor-council form of government. All terms are four years.
Education
Schools and colleges
Austin Public Schools (Independent School District 492) serves more than 4,700 students in the Austin area. Pacelli Catholic Schools also provides a PreK-12 private education option. Austin High School, much of which was built in 1919, is well known for its distinctive architecture. A 1939 addition to the school includes Knowlton Auditorium, one of the largest high school auditoriums in Minnesota, seating 1,850. Post-secondary education is available at Riverland Community College, first established as Austin Junior College in 1940.
*
College
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
s
**
Riverland Community College
**
Maranatha Bible School (Lansing)
*
High Schools
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
**
Austin High School and Area Learning Center (Grades 9–12)
**
Pacelli High School (Grades 9–12)
*
Middle School
Middle school, also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school, is an educational stage between primary school and secondary school.
Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, middle school includes g ...
s (Junior High)
** Ellis Middle School
rades 7–8** I.J Holton Intermediate School
rades 5–6**
Pacelli Middle School (Grades 6–8)
*
Elementary School
A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...
s
** Pacelli Elementary School (Grades PreK-5)
** Banfield Elementary School (Grades 1–4)
** Neveln Elementary School (Grades 1–4)
** Southgate Elementary School (Grades 1–4)
** Sumner Elementary School (Grades 1–4)
** Woodson School (
Kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
only)
** Oakland Education Center (special services coop with Albert Lea Public Schools; formerly St. Edward's School)
* Other schools
**
Austin Area Catholic Schools
** Gerard Academy (ages 6–19)
** Oakland Baptist School
* Former school buildings
** Franklin School (original built in 1869, burned in 1890; new Franklin High School opened in 1891)
** Shaw Elementary School (opened, 1916; last year of operation, 1992; demolished, 1993)
** Webster School (Built in 1891, functions today as apartment homes)
** Lincoln Elementary School (Built in 1887; last year of operation, 1977); functions today as apartment homes)
** Queen of Angels School (now home to Community Learning Center and Early Childhood Family Education Center)
Public library

The Austin Public Library opened in 1884 in the basement of the Mower County Courthouse. In 1904 the city opened a newly constructed
Carnegie Library. This building was demolished in 1996 when a new library was opened at 323 4th Ave. NE. It holds over 80,000 volumes.
Media
AM Radio
FM Radio
Television
Austin is part of Nielsen's Rochester-Mason City-Austin designated market area. Austin has two television studios,
KAAL channel 6 (
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
), and
KSMQ-TV channel 15 (
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
). Other stations in the area include
Rochester stations
KTTC channel 10 (
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
) and
KXLT-TV channel 47, plus
KIMT Channel 3 (
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
) from
Mason City, Iowa
Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mason City is known for its musical heritage, a significant ...
.
Newspapers
A daily newspaper, the ''
Austin Daily Herald'', serves the community and has a circulation of approximately 7,000. ''Austin Living'' is a bimonthly magazine featuring culture and lifestyle stories about Austin. The ''
Post-Bulletin'', a daily newspaper from Rochester, is also widely read and distributed in Austin.
The documentary film ''
American Dream'' was filmed in Austin during the 1985–86 Hormel strike. It was released in 1990 and won Best Documentary Feature at the 63rd Annual
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Airports
Austin is served by
Austin Municipal Airport, a public-owned, public-use airport located on the east edge of the city. The nearest commercial international airports are located in Rochester (
RST), to the northeast, and the Twin Cities (
MSP), to the north.
Bus and mass transit
Southern Minnesota Area Rural Transit (SMART) provides bus transit within Austin and Mower County; daily routes, as well as on-demand pick-up and drop-off service is available. Rochester City Lines provides daily bus transportation between Austin and Rochester. For travel within the city, there is also local taxi service available.
Major highways
Austin is located at the intersection of
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
and
U.S. Route 218.
Minnesota State Highway 105
Minnesota State Highway 105 (MN 105) is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from Mitchell County Road S70 at the Iowa state line and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with Interstate Highway 90 outside Aust ...
runs from Austin south to
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
.
*
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
runs east-west through the north side of the city. The highway leads west to
Albert Lea and northeast to the
Rochester area.
*
U.S. Route 218 passes through the east side of the city as 21st Street, joins I-90 through the north side of the city between exits 180 and 177, and leaves through the northwest part of the city on 14th Street.
*
Minnesota State Highway 105
Minnesota State Highway 105 (MN 105) is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from Mitchell County Road S70 at the Iowa state line and continues north to its northern terminus at its interchange with Interstate Highway 90 outside Aust ...
passes through the southern and western sides of the city as 12th Street SW and West Oakland Avenue. It terminates at I-90 in the western end of the city.
Rail

Austin was once a railroad town. It was a division point and the site of car shops for the
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
, five lines of which met in Austin. The community was also served by the
Chicago Great Western
The Chicago Great Western Railway was a Class I railroad that linked Chicago, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Kansas City. It was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line called the Minnesota ...
's north–south mainline for trains between 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 ...
and Omaha. All lines served passengers, and the Milwaukee Road Depot was a busy station ferrying travelers to and from Austin. Passenger rail service on the Milwaukee Road through Austin between Calmar, Iowa and St. Paul ended in 1953, and Pullman sleeper service on the Milwaukee between Austin and Chicago ended in 1960. An overnight train on the Chicago Great Western between 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 ...
and Omaha called at Austin, with the southbound coming through late in the evening and the northbound train stopping early in the morning. This train last ran on September 30, 1965, ending all passenger train service to Austin. Freight service continues on the former Milwaukee Road mainline on that railroad's successor, the
Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad, a subsidiary of
Canadian Pacific
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
, but the Chicago Great Western was abandoned and torn up after the
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of t ...
acquired it in 1968.
Trails
Austin has an extensive network of paved recreational trails for biking and hiking. There are several miles of bike paths extending north to Todd Park and the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. There is also a mountain biking trail, completed in 2015, that hosted a Minnesota High School Cycling League competition in its inaugural year.
Extensions to these existing non-motorized trails will connect Austin to the Blazing Star Trail (west toward Albert Lea and
Myre-Big Island State Park) and the
Shooting Star State Trail (east toward Rose Creek, Adams, and Leroy).
Health care

The Mayo Clinic Health system operates a full-service hospital and clinic in Austin, the Austin Medical Center. Both primary care and specialty care services are available locally. The campus also provides emergency and urgent care services, a complete pharmacy, and a recently expanded pediatrics department. Before joining the Mayo system, Austin Medical Center was St. Olaf Hospital.
Th
Hormel Instituteis a medical research branch of the University of Minnesota. Established in 1942, it has become one of the world's leading cancer research facilities. In 2016 the institute was expanded to twice its original size. Tours of the institute are available but must be arranged through Discover Austin, the local convention and visitors bureau.
Notable people
*
Marc Anderson, musician
*
Josh Braaten, actor
*
Philip Brunelle, conductor, primarily of choral music
*
Trace Bundy, instrumental acoustic guitar player
*
James W. Davidson, explorer, writer, diplomat, and philanthropist
*
Richard Eberhart,
United States Poet Laureate
The poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, commonly referred to as the United States poet laureate, serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national consc ...
*
Shannon Frid-Rubin, violinist in
Cloud Cult
Cloud Cult is an experimental music, experimental indie rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, led by singer-songwriter Craig Minowa. The name originated from the ancient prophecies of indigenous North Amer ...
*
Jason Gerhardt, actor
*
Jackie Graves, boxer
*
Matthew Griswold, songwriter and musician
*
Burdette Haldorson, basketball player and Olympian
*
Charles Robert Hansen, businessman, mayor of Austin, Minnesota, and Minnesota state senator
*
Vince Hanson, basketball player
*
Amanda Hocking
Amanda Hocking (born July 12, 1984) is an American writer of paranormal romance young adult fiction.
Early life
Hocking was born and raised in Austin, Minnesota. After high school, she studied human services while working in a group home for pe ...
, writer of
paranormal romance
Paranormal romance is a subgenre of both romantic fiction and speculative fiction. Paranormal romance focuses on romantic love and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, from the speculative fiction genres of fantasy, scien ...
young adult fiction
Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
*
Geordie Hormel, musician, composer, founder/owner of The Village Recorder music studio in Los Angeles
*
George A. Hormel
George Albert Hormel (December 4, 1860 – June 5, 1946) was an American entrepreneur, he was the founder of Hormel, Hormel Foods Corporation (then known as George A. Hormel & Co.) in 1891. His ownership stake in the company made him one of the we ...
, founder of
Hormel Foods
Hormel Foods Corporation, doing business as Hormel Foods or simply Hormel, is an American multinational food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally fo ...
*
James C. Hormel, United States ambassador to
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
, philanthropist, author
*
Jay Catherwood Hormel, president of Hormel Foods 1929–1954; son of founder George A. Hormel
*
Craig Hutchinson, film director and screenwriter
*
Hope Jahren, geochemist and geobiologist
*
Lee Janzen
Lee McLeod Janzen (born August 28, 1964) is an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the U.S. Open twice in 1993 and 1998. He currently plays on the PGA Tour Champions, and was an eight-time winner on the PGA Tour.
Earl ...
, professional golfer
*
Molly Kate Kestner, musician
*
Jennie Ellis Keysor, educator, writer
*
Larry Kramer
Laurence David Kramer (June 25, 1935May 27, 2020) was an American playwright, author, film producer, public health advocate, and gay rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to Lo ...
, football player and coach
*
Tom Lehman
Thomas Edward Lehman (born March 7, 1959) is an American professional golfer. A former #1 ranked golfer, his tournament wins include one major title, the 1996 Open Championship; and he is the only golfer in history to have been awarded the Pla ...
, professional golfer
*
John Madden
John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American professional football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them ...
, former
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
head coach, NFL commentator, and member of the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
*
John Maus, musician
*
Helen E. McMillan, Minnesota state legislator
*
Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore's early interest in astro ...
, professional golfer
*
Wilbur Moore, professional football player
*
Barry Morrow
Barry Morrow is an American screenwriter and producer. He wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay for ''Rain Man''. He is the father of Emmy Award-winning animator, writer, and storyboard artist, Clayton Morrow, and father-in-law of animator ...
, screenwriter and producer
*
Bob Motzko,
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
head men's ice hockey coach
*
Tim O'Brien, novelist
*
Charlie Parr, musician
*
Pat Piper, politician
*
Jeanne Poppe, member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...
*
Leo J. Reding, politician
*
William Pitt Root, poet
*
Paul Michael Stephani, serial killer
*
Frank Twedell, professional football player
*
Wally Ulrich, professional golfer
*
Sheldon B. Vance, U.S. ambassador to Zaire
*
Bree Walker, radio talk show host, actress, and disability-rights activist
*
Robert B. Westbrook, historian
*
Sandy Wollschlager, chemist and Minnesota state representative
*
Michael Wuertz, former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
with the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
and
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
*
Martin Zellar, musician and songwriter
References
External links
*
Austin Convention & Visitors BureauAustin Area Chamber of Commerce*
Further reading
*
* ''The 1985–1986 Hormel Meat Packers Strike in Austin, Minnesota'' by Frank Halstead. Pathfinder Press, 1985. .
* ''City of Austin: 150th Anniversary Pictorial.'' Turner Publishing Company, 2005. .
* ''Remembering Austin's yester years'' by Richard Hall. Mower County Historical Society, 1995.
* ''Once around the Mill Pond and Cedar River'' by Richard Hall. Mower County Historical Society, 2009.
{{Authority control
Cities in Minnesota
Cities in Mower County, Minnesota
County seats in Minnesota
Populated places established in 1853
1853 establishments in Minnesota Territory