Elbow Lake is a city and

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 ...

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States *Grant County, Arkansas *Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky *Grant County, Minnesota *Grant County, Nebraska *Grant C ...

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 1,276 at the 2020 census.

History

Elbow Lake 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 1886. The city took its name from nearby Elbow Lake.

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.

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

and Minnesota State Highways 55 and 79 are four of the main routes in the city. Elbow Lake is 12 miles west of Interstate Highway 94. Elbow Lake is located in telephone

area code 218 __NOTOC__ Area code 218 is a telephone area code in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) for the northern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is assigned to the largest of Minnesota's original two numbering plan areas (NPAs), although its ...

near

area code 320 Area code 320 is the telephone numbering plan code covering most of central Minnesota, excluding the Twin Cities metro. It was the fourth Minnesota area code, and the first new one in the state in 42 years. It was created in 1996 by carving out o ...

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, there were 1,176 people, 538 households, and 313 families residing in the city. 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 . There were 623 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.4%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.3% 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 1.7% 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 ...

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 1.2% of the population. There were 538 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% 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, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.8% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the city was 40.9 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64, and 18.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,275 people, 560 households, and 348 families residing in the city. The

was 944.9 people per square mile (364.7/km²). There were 624 housing units at an average density of 462.5 per square mile (178.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.41%

, 0.24% Native American, 0.47%

, 0.78% from

, and 1.10% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.33% of the population. There were 560 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were

living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.7% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 24.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,441, and the median income for a family was $38,611. Males had a median income of $28,839 versus $20,515 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 $16,429. About 6.3% of families and 7.7% 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 t ...

, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elbow Lake is part of the West Central Area School system, which also includes the communities of Barrett, Hoffman, Kensington, and Wendell, as well as many other communities. Elementary facilities are located in Elbow Lake and Kensington, while the secondary facility, which opened in the fall of 1995, is located in Barrett, seven miles from Elbow Lake.

Parks

Elbow Lake has several parks located within city limits that offer a variety of recreational opportunities, including softball fields, a volleyball court, lighted tennis courts, an ice skating rink with a warming house, a running track, playground equipment, picnic shelters, and a bandshell for summer entertainment. The Tipsinah Mounds Campground and park, located four miles east of Elbow Lake on Pomme de Terre Lake, offers a public swimming beach, playground equipment, and hiking and nature trails. There is an above ground tornado shelter located in the park. A public swimming beach is located at Fairhaven beach, also on Pomme de Terre Lake.

Libraries

Thorson Memorial Public Library is located in Elbow Lake. It is the only library in Grant County. The library is located in the Scofield Memorial Building, built-in 1933 with funding from the

Public Works Administration The Public Works Administration (PWA), part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recove ...

(PWA) and donated funds. The building was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2016. Thorson Memorial Library is a member of Viking Library Regional Library System.

References

External links

Elbow Lake Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Grant County, Minnesota County seats in Minnesota