Buffalo is a city in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

and the

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 Wright County. It is in the

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi, Minnesota River, Minnesota, and St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota), ...

metropolitan area, about 42 miles northwest 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 ...

on Buffalo Lake. Buffalo's population was 15,453 at the 2010 census and 18,168 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highways 25 and 55 are two of the main routes into the city.

History

Log Cabin and Wright County Heritage Center

Buffalo 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 1856 and named after nearby Buffalo Lake. A post office has been in operation in Buffalo since 1856. A mass shooting and bombing occurred at

Allina Health Allina Health ( ) is a nonprofit health care system based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It owns or operates 12 hospitals and more than 90 clinics throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Its subsidiary, Allina Medical Transportat ...

's Buffalo Crossroads medical clinic on February 9, 2021. Five people were shot and one woman died.

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 an area of ; is land and is water. The city is home to many lakes, including Buffalo Lake and

Lake Pulaski Lake Pulaski is a lake located in Wright County, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake Pulaski was named for Casimir Pulaski, a Polish military commander and American Revolutionary War hero. See also *List of lakes in Minnesota This is a list ...

Climate

The summers are long and warm, while the winters are windy and freezing. The temperature varies from 7 °F to 82 °F. The windiest part of the year lasts around 8.3 months, starting in September, with an average of 10.3 miles per hour.

Demographics

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $49,573 and the median income for a family was $59,250. Males had a median income of $39,960 versus $27,793 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 ...

was $21,424. About 4.6% of families and 5.1% 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 6.0% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,453 people, 5,699 households, and 3,970 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 6,044 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.1%

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 ...

, 0.8%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.0% 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 2.8% of the population. There were 5,699 households, of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.3% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.17. The median age in the city was 34.3 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.3% were from 25 to 44; 21.7% were from 45 to 64; and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

Arts and culture

Buffalo has a large variety of art and culture for its size. The Buffalo Community Theater has been producing plays since at least 1983. The Buffalo Community Orchestra has been part of the community since 1995 and has over 50 members. It is known for the "Concert in the Park" series it puts on every summer for free. The orchestra is also funded by businesses and residents of Buffalo and the surrounding area. Also in the area are the Wright County Chamber Chorus and the Wright Ringers bell choir. Buffalo is also home to many antique shop

that have sales the first Thursday of every month. During the winter, the Civics Center houses two ice sheets and an outdoor rink. It is used for open skating, youth and adult hockey, and figure skating. The Buffalo Youth Hockey Association and the Buffalo Figure Skating Club both use the Civics Center as their home rink.

Government

Buffalo has a city council with five members, including the mayor. The mayor is elected every two years and presides over council meetings. As of March 2020, the mayor is Teri Lachermeier. As of 2023, the other council members are Brad Dahl, Steve Downer, George Fantauzza, and Jameson Wakefield. Aside from the mayor, council members serve four-year terms, with elections for two at a time every two years. Buffalo and Wright County are in Minnesota's 6th congressional district.

Education

The local school district is Buffalo–Hanover–Montrose Schools. It is composed of schools in Buffalo,

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, and Montrose. There are six elementary schools: Discovery Center, Northwinds, Parkside, Tatanka, Hanover, and Montrose. There is a middle school
Buffalo Community Middle School
and a high school, Buffalo High School. There is also a private Catholic school, St. Francis Xavier School, for grades K–8.

Media

KRWC 1360 AM has served Buffalo and the Wright County area since 1971 and is just outside city limits. It provides local and national news and broadcasts high-school sports for Buffalo and surrounding communities. It also airs

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

, classic rock, and contemporary

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

. There are two local newspapers, ''The Drummer'' and ''The Wright County Journal Press''.

References

External links

City Website
{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Wright County, Minnesota County seats in Minnesota Populated places established in 1856 1856 establishments in Minnesota Territory