Nisswa ( ) is a city in Crow Wing 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 1,971 at the 2010 census. Nisswa is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area, near Gull Lake.

History

Smiley Township was founded in 1900, but local resident Leon Lum convinced residents to rename it ''Nisswa'', from the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

word "nessawae" (which means "in the middle" or "three"), when the town was incorporated as a village in 1908. Nisswa became a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

on December 4, 1946. Nisswa has become a popular tourist destination due to its shops, resorts, and lakes in close proximity. The Paul Bunyan State Trail, a

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

, runs through Nisswa.

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 , of which is land and is water. Surrounded by lakes, Nisswa is part of the Brainerd Lakes Area. Some of these are Nisswa Lake, Roy Lake, Gull Lake, Lake Hubert, Clark Lake, Round Lake, and North Long Lake. Minnesota Highway

371 __NOTOC__ Year 371 (CCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Petronius (or, less frequently, year 1124 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...

serves as a main route in the city. Others include County Roads 13, 18, 77, and 115.

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 1,971 people, 876 households, and 607 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 1,474 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.7%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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 ...

, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.6% 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 0.5% of the population. There were 876 households, of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% 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, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% 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 2.69. The median age in the city was 50.6 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 34.7% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,953 people, 819 households, and 577 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,532 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.87%

, 0.26%

, 0.10% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.10% from other races, and 0.41% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.41% of the population. There were 819 households, of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were

living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $48,306, and the median income for a family was $54,931. Males had a median income of $37,772 versus $29,412 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 $26,265. About 2.7% of families and 4.9% 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 6.5% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those 65 or older.

Politics

Events

;Run for the Lakes Marathon The Run for the Lakes Marathon is a 26.2 mile footrace that typically takes place in April. The race weekend also hosts a

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

, a 10K, and a 5K. Turtle Races During the summer months, turtle races take place on a weekly basis. This has been an annual tradition in Nisswa since 1963.

Education

Almost all of Nisswa's students are educated at Brainerd Public Schools. The rest attend

Pequot Lakes Public Schools Pequot Lakes Public Schools, also known as ISD 186, is a school district headquartered in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. In addition to Pequot Lakes its attendance area includes Breezy Point, Jenkins, most of Crosslake, a portion of Lake Shore, and ...

. The zoned high school for the Brainerd district is Brainerd High School while

Pequot Lakes High School Pequot Lakes High School (PLHS) is a 912 high school located a few blocks west of Minnesota State Highway 371 towards the southern end of the city of Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, United States. The school was built at its present location in 1976, a ...

serves the Pequot Lakes district.

Notable people

* Jennifer Carnahan, politician *

Adrianne Lenker Adrianne Elizabeth Lenker (born July 9, 1991) is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter of the band Big Thief, as well as an established solo artist. She has released several solo albums, including ''A ...

, musician

References

External links

City of Nisswa, MN – Official WebsiteNisswa Chamber of Commerce – Visitor Information siteRun for the Lakes Marathon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nisswa, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota Cities in Crow Wing County, Minnesota Brainerd, Minnesota micropolitan area