Motley is a city in

Morrison Morrison may refer to: People * Morrison (surname), people with the Scottish surname Morrison * Morrison Heady (1829–1915), American poet * Morrison Mann MacBride (1877–1938), Canadian merchant Places in the United States * Morrison, Colorad ...

and

Cass Cass may refer to: People and fictional characters * Cass (surname), a list of people * Cass (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Big Cass, ring name of wrestler William Morrissey * Cass, in British band Skunk Anansie * Cass, ...

counties 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 ...

. The population was 680 at the 2020 census. The main part of Motley is located within Morrison County; only a minor part of the city extends into Cass County. The Cass County portion of Motley is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Motley was laid out in 1874. A post office has been in operation at Motley since 1873. In 1881, the Northern Pacific Railway built a passenger station on the east side of 2nd Street (between Front Street and Main Street) and built a freight depot on the west side of 2nd Street. A spur line ran south from the mainline along 4th Avenue to a planing mill that was located on the bank of the Long Prairie River (just south of Cemetery Road). The spur line was removed by 1920.

Geography

Motley occupies the northwest corner of Morrison County, with a small portion extending east into Cass County. The city is bordered to the south by Motley Township in Morrison County, to the east and north by May Township in Cass County, and to the west by Villard Township in Todd County. U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota State Highways 64 and

210 Year 210 ( CCX) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Faustinus and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 963 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 210 for this y ...

are three of the main routes in the city. US 10 leads southeast to Little Falls, the Morrison

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 ...

, and west-northwest to Wadena. Highway 210 leads east to Brainerd; it departs westward from the city with US 10, but splits off to lead west to Hewitt. Highway 64 leads north from Motley to Akeley. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, Motley has a total area of , of which are land and , or 4.21%, are water. The

Crow Wing River The Crow Wing River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 29, 2012 tributary of the Mississippi River in Minnesota, United States. The river rises at an elevation ...

, which forms the Morrison–Cass County line, passes through Motley to the north and east of the city center, flowing easterly to join the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

southwest of Brainerd. The

Long Prairie River The Long Prairie River is a tributary of the Crow Wing River, long, in central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Crow Wing River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of in a generally rural region. Hi ...

, an east-flowing tributary of the Crow Wing, forms part of the southwest border of the city.

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 671 people, 305 households, and 167 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 338 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.5%

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 ...

, 0.1%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 1.6% from other races, and 3.3% 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 4.3% of the population. There were 305 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% 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, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.2% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.7% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 585 people, 258 households, and 167 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 270 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.95%

, 0.17%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population. There were 258 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were

living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.73. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 10.8% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,438, and the median income for a family was $29,659. Males had a median income of $24,063 versus $18,824 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 $12,220. About 19.2% of families and 18.9% 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 31.9% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

Almond A. White House, Front.jpg,

Almond A. White House The Almond A. White House is a historic house in Motley, Minnesota. Built in 1902, the Queen Anne architecture (United States), Queen Anne architecture is unique compared to other buildings in the town, and locally, it is referred to as the Motley ...

Hwy 10 at Beaulieu Street, looking south, Motley, Minnesota.jpg, Hwy 10 at Beaulieu Street, looking south Fire Department, Motley, Minnesota.jpg, Fire Department Post Office, Motley, Minnesota.jpg, Post Office

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Morrison County, Minnesota Cities in Cass County, Minnesota Brainerd, Minnesota micropolitan area