Taylors Falls is a city in Chisago 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, located at the junction of U.S. Highway 8 and Minnesota State Highway 95. The population was 1,055 at the 2020 census.

History

Taylors Falls 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 1850 or 1851, and incorporated in 1858. The city was named for Jesse Taylor, a territorial politician. A post office has been in operation in Taylors Falls since 1851. During the logging era, Taylors Falls was the site of numerous log jams, most notably the

1886 St. Croix river log jam On June 13, 1886, a log jam developed in the St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota), St. Croix River, close to Taylors Falls, Minnesota, and St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. The river was used to transport large quantities of logs from the forests u ...

, a major tourist attraction.

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 a total area of , of which is land and is water. Taylors Falls is located adjacent to St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, at the Dalles of the St. Croix River, an area of forested bluffs and high cliffs. The first interstate state park in the United States, aptly named

Interstate Park Interstate Park comprises two adjacent state parks on the Minnesota–Wisconsin border, both named Interstate State Park. They straddle ''the Dalles'' of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River, a deep basalt gorge with gian ...

, was jointly founded by the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin in 1895, and straddles the border of the two states immediately south of the city.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 1,055. 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 490 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.8%

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 ...

, 1.3%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 0.9% Asian, 0.6% Native American, 0.4% from other races, and 5.0% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 1.3%

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.

2010 census

At the 2010 census there were 976 people in 413 households, including 261 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 457 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.4% White, 0.6% African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.5%. Of the 413 households 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.8% were non-families. 29.8% of households were one person and 8.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.89. The median age was 41.7 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 30% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 951 people in 369 households, including 247 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 386 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.48% White, 0.32% Native American, 7.05% Asian, 0.21% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74%. Of the 369 households 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.2% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.0% of households were one person and 11.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11. The age distribution was 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median household income was $35,250 and the median family income was $39,886. Males had a median income of $40,357 versus $24,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,615. About 11.5% of families and 20.0% 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 35.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable structures

Historic building in Taylor Falls include the Folsom House, located in the historic Angel Hill District, th
Old Jail
and the Taylors Falls Public Library. Taylors Falls also has the oldest public schoolhouse in Minnesota, built in 1852.

Parks and recreation

Interstate State Park is located on the east side of Taylors Falls. The park hosts scenic river views, canoeing, camping, fishing, rock climbing, and glacial potholes. The Minnesota side of Interstate State Park has a variety of bouldering, toprope, and traditional climbing ranging from 5.5 to 5.13.

In popular culture

Taylors Falls was the location where the main characters of Vilhelm Moberg's Swedish novel ''The Emigrants'' first settled. It was adapted into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

, and later a musical called Kristina från Duvemåla.

References

External links

City Website

Falls Chamber of Commerce

Taylors Falls
at the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...

. {{authority control Taylors Falls, Minnesota Cities in Chisago County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota St. Croix River (Wisconsin–Minnesota)