Belle Prairie Township is a township in Morrison County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 1,647 at the 2000 census. Belle Prairie Township was organized in 1858. Belle Prairie is a name derived from French meaning "beautiful prairie". Our Lady of the Angels Academy, located in the township, was added to the

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in 2005.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (2.24%) is water.

Minnesota State Highway 371 Minnesota State Highway 371 (MN 371) is a state highway in central and north-central Minnesota. The route connects Minnesota's northern lakes region with the central part of the state. It runs north–south from U.S. Highway 10 ...

serves as a main route in the township.

Demographics

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 1,647 people, 590 households, and 483 families residing in the township. 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 603 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.91%

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, 0.36%

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 ...

, 0.12% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population. There were 590 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.4% 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, 4.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.10. In the township the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $50,156, and the median income for a family was $56,797. Males had a median income of $38,073 versus $26,250 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 township was $21,809. About 2.9% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Townships in Morrison County, Minnesota Townships in Minnesota