New York Mills is a city in Otter Tail 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 1,294 at the 2020 census.

History

New York Mills 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 1883. The city was originally built up chiefly by

Finns Finns or Finnish people (, ) are a Baltic Finns, Baltic Finnic ethnic group native to Finland. Finns are traditionally divided into smaller regional groups that span several countries adjacent to Finland, both those who are native to these cou ...

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.

Climate

Transportation

U.S. Route 10 U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. Despite the "0" as the last digit in the number, US 10 is no longer a cross- ...

serves as a main route in the city.

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

’s ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

'', which operates between

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, passes through the town on

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest stations are located in Staples, to the southeast, and Detroit Lakes, to the northwest.

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 1,199 people, 533 households, and 287 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 602 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.8%

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 ...

, 1.8% Native American, 0.3% from other races, and 2.8% 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 1.8% of the population. There were 533 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.4% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.2% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 38.9 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22% were from 25 to 44; 22.6% were from 45 to 64; and 22.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,158 people, 492 households, and 276 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 535 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.53%

, 0.09%

, 0.35% Native American, 0.17% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population. 27.4% were of

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 ...

, 25.5% Finnish, 13.5% Norwegian, and 5.4% Swedish ancestry. There were 492 households, out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were

living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.9% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 27.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 20.6% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 31.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,596, and the median income for a family was $35,536. Males had a median income of $29,286 versus $18,333 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 $15,949. About 11.7% of families and 17.1% 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 21.7% of those under age 18 and 19.0% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and economic development

New York Mills was founded in 1884 by Finnish immigrants. Major industries include agriculture (row crops, grain and dairy farming), Lund Boat Company fishing boat manufacturers, and a variety of service professions. Tourism is an increasingly important economic factor in the area; Otter Tail County contains 1,048 of the state's lakes,

New York Mills Regional Cultural Center

Faced with the economic challenges and decreasing population of many rural communities, New York Mills decided to invest in a Regional Arts Center in an attempt to bring tourism to the area. In 1991, the city contributed $35,000 to the Regional Arts Retreat and Cultural Center to convert a downtown mercantile building into a multi-use arts and cultural facility. As a per-capita investment, this expenditure was the equivalent of Minneapolis giving $13.7 million to an arts facility. The center, remodeled through a community-wide volunteer effort, opened in June 1992, as a nonprofit arts organization founded by John Davis. Further renovations include a hardwood maple floor in the main gallery and an outdoor deck completed in 2005. While other communities withered in the face of declining populations and deteriorating main streets, New York Mills has remained stable economically, and the Cultural Center continues to draw people, activity, revenue and national attention.

Programs

* Artist-In-Residence Program * Education/Outreach programs * Gallery Exhibits * “Great American Think-Off” Annual Philosophical Debate * Literary and Theater Events * Music Concert Series * Sculpture Park

Past exhibiting artists

* Robin Barcus Slonina * Charles Beck * Betsy Bowen * Duane & Bambi Goodwin * Eric Johnson * Kent Kapplinger * Maxwell MacKenzie * David Salmela * Charvis Harrell

Notable people

* Peter Hayes, indie rock guitarist and singer * Janet Karvonen, pioneer for girls' basketball * Dean Simpson, businessman, Minnesota state legislator, and mayor

References

External links

ExploreNewYorkMills.com -- New York Mills, MN -- Visitor Information siteCity of New York Mills website
{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Otter Tail County, Minnesota Populated places established in 1883 1883 establishments in Minnesota Finnish-American culture in Minnesota