Ottertail is a city in Otter Tail County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. The population was 629 at the 2020 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), 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 Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Minnesota State Highways 78 and

108 108 may refer to: * 108 (number) * AD 108, a year * 108 BC, a year * 108 (artist) (born 1978), Italian street artist * 108 (band), an American hardcore band * 108 (emergency telephone number), an emergency telephone number in several states in Ind ...

are two of the main routes in the community.

Climate

Like the rest of Minnesota, Ottertail has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

. It is above the line between the hot and cool summer types of the climate, which means the climate classification is ''Dfb'' on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

. Winters are long and very cold and nights average subzero Fahrenheit. Summers are warm but frequently that weather gets broken up by convective rainfall.

History

Ottertail 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 Surveys to show the distance and bea ...

ted in 1903, and named for nearby Otter Tail Lake. “Otter Tail” City appeared on the United States Census as early as 1860.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 572 people, 245 households, and 171 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 401 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.2% Native American, and 0.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 245 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.75. The median age in the city was 47.7 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 35.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 451 people, 190 households, and 133 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 323 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 99.56%

and 0.44% Native American. 42.8% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 23.7%

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

and 7.7%

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 ...

ancestry. There were 190 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% 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 2.82. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $18,438 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $18,612. About 10.2% of families and 12.7% 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 t ...

, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{Coord, 46, 25, 32, N, 95, 33, 26, W, type:city_region:US-MN, display=title Cities in Otter Tail County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota