Breckenridge is a city and

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Wilkin 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 3,430 at the 2020 census. Breckenridge's twin city is Wahpeton,

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

. It is part of the Wahpeton, ND—MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Bois de Sioux River and the Otter Tail River join at Breckenridge and Wahpeton to form the

Red River of the North The Red River (), also called the Red River of the North () to differentiate it from the Red River of the South, Red River in the south of the continent, is a river in the north-central United States and central Canada. Originating at the confl ...

History

Breckenridge 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 Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1857, and named for John Cabell Breckinridge, a U.S. senator from Kentucky and the 14th Vice President of the United States. Breckenridge was also staunchly pro-slavery and was a Major General in the Confederate Army. A post office has been in operation at Breckenridge since 1857. Breckenridge was incorporated in 1908. The city contains one property listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, the 1928 Wilkin County Courthouse.

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 city has a total area of , all land. U.S. Route 75 and Minnesota State Highways 9 and 210 are three of the main routes in the city. Additionally, the city was situated on the Twin Cities to Seattle main line of the Great Northern Railway. As a result, the Breckenridge station was served by numerous passenger trains through the years until 1979. The city continues to see freight rail traffic on the now

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

line.

Demographics

As of the 2022

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, there are 1,441 estimated households in Breckenridge with an average of 2.3 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $57,094. Approximately 20.7% of the city's population lives at or 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 ...

. Breckenridge has an estimated 64.8% employment rate, with 26.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 91.7% holding a high school diploma. The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (43.1%), Norwegian (23.0%), Polish (7.2%), Irish (6.5%), English (5.8%), French (except Basque) (1.9%), Italian (0.3%), Scottish (0.0%), and Subsaharan African (0.0%). The median age in the city was 41.3 years.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 3,430 people, 1,551 households, and 860 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 1,658 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 90.26%

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 ...

, 0.90%

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 ...

, 1.98% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.06%

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 ...

, 0.47% from some other races and 6.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.97% of the population. 21.0% of residents were under the age of 18, 3.1% were under 5 years of age, and 19.4% were 65 and older.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 3,386 people, 1,445 households, and 861 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,635 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.28%

, 0.21%

, 1.39% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.32% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.54% of the population. There were 1,445 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.4% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.5% 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 2.91. The median age in the city was 43.3 years. The demographic breakdown of the city is as follows: 23.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 3,559 people, 1,438 households, and 911 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,582 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.61%

, 0.14%

, 0.56% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.03%

, 0.39% from other races, and 1.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.71% of the population. There were 1,438 households, out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,054, and the median income for a family was $47,500. Males had a median income of $31,869 versus $21,328 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 $17,059. About 7.3% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Dick Enderle, professional football player * Heidi Heitkamp, former US Senator from North Dakota * Chuck Klosterman, writer and novelist * Errol Mann, professional football player, member of the Oakland Raiders

Super Bowl XI Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1976 Oakland Raiders season, Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1976 Minnesota Vikings season, Minnesota Vikings ...

team * Reuben N. Nelson, lawyer and politician * George Putnam, radio newsman * Fritz Scholder, Native American artist * Gerry Sikorski, politician * Cheryl Tiegs, professional model * Adrian P. Winkel, High Commissioner of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

References

External links

City of Breckenridge – official website

{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Wilkin County, Minnesota County seats in Minnesota Wahpeton micropolitan area John C. Breckinridge