Vernon Center is a city in Blue Earth 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 List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

, United States, along the

Blue Earth River The Blue Earth River ( dak, Makhátho Wakpá) is a tributary of the Minnesota River, long, in southern Minnesota in the United States. Two of its headwaters tributaries, the Middle Branch Blue Earth River and the West Branch Blue Earth River, a ...

. The population was 328 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Mankato Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...

- North Mankato

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has an area of ; is land and the remainder water. U.S. Route 169 serves as a main route in the community.

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010

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 ...

, the city had 332 people, 132 households and 90 families. 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 . Housing units numbered 142 at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.8%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, and 0.3% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population. 36.4% of 132 households had children under the age of 18 living in them, 59.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.8% were non-families. 25.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age was 34.4 years. 29.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 11.1% were 65 years of age or older. The population were 46.7% male and 53.3% female.

2000 census

At the 2000

, the city's population comprised 359 people, 132 households and 99 families, with a

of 727.2 per square mile (282.9/km). The 137 housing units were at an average density of 277.5 per square mile (108.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 99.72%

and 0.28%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

or Latino of any race were 1.39% of the population. 40.2% of 132 households had children under the age of 18 living in them, 68.9% were

living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.14. 29.0% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

was $50,703 and the median family income was $56,875. Males had a median income of $34,500 compared with $21,806 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 $20,693. None of the families and 1.5% of the population were living 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 no under eighteens and 1.8% of those over 64.

History

Vernon Center 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 1857. It was named after

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is ...

, the estate of George Washington. On the morning of October 25, 2005, the

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposit ...

in downtown Vernon Center, filled with 200,000

bushel A bushel (abbreviation: bsh. or bu.) is an imperial and US customary unit of volume based upon an earlier measure of dry capacity. The old bushel is equal to 2 kennings (obsolete), 4 pecks, or 8 dry gallons, and was used mostly for agri ...

s (5,000 metric tons) of corn, exploded, injuring six people. Flames from the explosion shot about 200 feet (60 meters) in the air.Dan Nienaber
"Explosion rocks Vernon Center grain elevator"
''Mankato Free Press'', October 25, 2005

Notable person

Benjamin Tibbets Kemerer Benjamin Tibbets Kemerer (December 9, 1874 – September 23, 1960) was an American Episcopalian bishop. Born in Vernon Center, Minnesota, Kemerer was a salesman and advertising manager. He went to Hamline University from 1890 to 1894 and then ...

, Episcopal bishop, was born in Vernon Center.

References

External links

Fictional short story takeoff on "Two Gentlemen from Verona" called "Two Guys from Vernon Center"
{{authority control Cities in Blue Earth County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area