Karlstad ( ) is a city in Kittson 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 710 at the 2020 census.

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

and

Minnesota State Highway 11 Minnesota State Highway 11 (MN 11) is a highway in northwest and north-central Minnesota, which runs from North Dakota Highway 66 at the North Dakota state line (near Drayton, North Dakota) and continues east to its eastern terminus at the com ...

are two of the main arterial routes in the city. The city's slogan is "The Moose Capital of the North".

History

A post office called Karlstad has been in operation since 1905. The city was named after

Karlstad Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 67,122 inhabitants in 2020 with 97,233 inhabitan ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Enterprise

Karlstad's largest employers are Wikstrom Telephone Company (Wiktel) and Mattracks. Wiktel provides internet and phone services for much of northwestern Minnesota, including the regional telephone directory. The company has a long history in Karlstad, dating to the early 1900s. It was founded by the Wikstrom family. Mattracks manufactures and markets track conversion systems. Mattracks Innovation Center is housed in the location of the former Germundson's Home Furnishings. Other businesses include stores, restaurants, bars, and insurance and accounting services. The local economy is primarily agricultural. From 1951 through 1995, the town had its own hospital.

Events

Karlstad holds an annual Kick'n Up Kountry Music Festival and Moosefest.

Education

Karlstad has two schools: Tri-County Public Schools and Heritage Christian School. Both serve grades K-12. Tri-County combines with Marshall County Central Schools of

Newfolden, Minnesota Newfolden is a city in Marshall County, Minnesota, United States, along the Middle River. The population was 352 at the 2020 census. Old Mill State Park is nearby. History A post office called Newfolden has been in operation since 1896. T ...

, 17 miles south, for its athletic programs. The name of the consolidated team is the Northern Freeze. Girls and boys track are also combined with Badger School and Greenbush Middle River School. Baseball and softball have included Stephen-Argyle School District in their sports coops. The Northern Freeze coop has proved a success for all schools involved. The Freeze, since the coop, have advanced to the State Tournament three times: in volleyball (2006, sixth place), baseball (2009) and girls' basketball (2010, fourth place).

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 , all land.

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 760 people, 331 households, and 189 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 399 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.1%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 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 0.4% of the population. There were 331 households, of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 39.6% 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 2.16 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the city was 47.5 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 24.8% were from 45 to 64; and 27.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.4% male and 54.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 794 people, 340 households, and 199 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 394 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.86%

, 0.63% Native American, 0.13% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.38% of the population. 47.5% were of Norwegian, 19.9%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

and 9.9%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

ancestry. There were 340 households, out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 27.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45. For every 100 females, there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $25,208, and the median income for a family was $35,469. Males had a median income of $29,444 versus $20,893 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 $13,274. About 9.2% of families and 13.4% 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 14.4% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

Ned Beatty Ned Thomas Beatty (July 6, 1937 – June 13, 2021) was an American actor. In a career that spanned five decades, he appeared in more than 160 film and television roles. Throughout his career, Beatty gained a reputation for being "the busiest ac ...

- American actor

References

External links

City of KarlstadHeritage Christian SchoolTri-County Schools
{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Kittson County, Minnesota