Hector is a city in Renville 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 1,012 at the 2020 census.

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.

History

Hector was founded in 1878 when the Hastings and Dakota Railway Company constructed the railroad on the north side of the original town site. The ten-block town site survey was completed on September 14, 1878, on land owned by the Hastings and Dakota. The village was named after the township of Hector, which had been organized in June 1874. It was originally named Milford, but the name was changed when it was learned there was already another Milford in Minnesota. There was heated debate between those who favored the name Plainfield (after the stage stop and post office) and those who favored the name Hector, a township in New York on the east shore of Seneca Lake where many of the early settlers came from.

Hector, New York Hector is a town in the northeastern corner of Schuyler County, New York, United States. The population was 4,916 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Hector, as in Greek mythology. Hector is west of Ithaca. History The area was origi ...

, was named after the bravest of the ancient Trojan warriors whose story is told in Homer's "

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

". (Later research showed the other Milford was actually in South Dakota, so the town could have been named Milford after all.)

Demographics

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 1,151 people, 513 households, and 322 families living 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 573 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.9%

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 ...

, 0.6% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 0.3% 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 5.7% of the population. There were 513 households, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% 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, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.8% 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 2.78. The median age in the city was 43.4 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,166 people, 509 households, and 320 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 532 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.54%

, 4.03% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 5.23% of the population. There were 509 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,000, and the median income for a family was $41,477. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $22,159 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 $18,406. About 6.5% of families and 8.4% 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 11.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Dorothy Peterson Bergetta "Dorothy" Peterson (December 25, 1897 - October 3, 1979) was an American actress. She began her acting career on Broadway before appearing in more than eighty Hollywood films. Early years Peterson was born in Hector, Minnesota, the ...

, film actress, born in Hector

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 212 U.S. Route 212 (US 212) is a spur of U.S. Route 12, US 12. It runs for from Yellowstone National Park to Minnesota State Highway 62 (Hennepin–Dakota counties), Minnesota Highway 62 at Edina, Minnesota. It does not intersect US 12 ...

and

Minnesota State Highway 4 Minnesota State Highway 4 (MN 4) is a highway in southwest and west-central 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 O ...

are two of the main arterial routes in the city. Hector Municipal Airport The town is also served by rail via the Twin Cities and Western railroad's connection to both Minneapolis and St. Paul and points west.

References

External links

City of Hector Minnesota Website

ePodunk: Profile for Hector, Minnesota
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Renville County, Minnesota Populated places established in 1878 1878 establishments in Minnesota