Waite Park is a city in

Stearns County Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. Included within the Minnesota Territory since 1849, the county was founded by Europe ...

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 8,341 at the 2020 census.

History

Waite Park was incorporated in 1893. It was named for Henry Chester Waite, a state legislator. A post office was established at Waite Park in 1897, and remained in operation until 1972.

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 ; is land and is water.

Minnesota State Highway 23 Minnesota State Highway 23 (MN 23) is a state highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota. At in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1. This route, signed east–west, runs roug ...

and County 75 are two of Waite Park's main routes. Minnesota Highway 15 skirts Waite Park's southeastern border. Interstate Highway 94 is immediately southwest of Waite Park. Waite Park borders the west side of St. Cloud. Stearns County Quarry Park, a former granite quarry, is on Waite Park's south side. "The Ledge", a city-owned 6,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, opened in Waite Park in 2021. It hosts national acts, smaller concerts, and community events.

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

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 6,715 people, 3,127 households, and 1,538 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 3,424 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.6%

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 ...

, 6.6%

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, 3.6% Asian, 2.7% from other races, and 2.9% 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 4.5% of the population. There were 3,127 households, of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.9% 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, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 50.8% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% 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 2.83. The median age in the city was 32.6 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 16.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 20.1% were from 45 to 64; and 17.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.6% male and 52.4% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 6,568 people, 2,967 households, and 1,536 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,065 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.74%

, 0.72%

, 0.56% Native American, 3.50% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 1.20% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.01% of the population. There were 2,967 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% were

living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.2% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.80. In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 21.2% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,803, and the median income for a family was $43,415. Males had a median income of $27,066 versus $21,481 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 $17,796. About 7.9% of families and 12.1% 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 20.8% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In the 2020 presidential election,

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

won a 3% majority of Waite Park votes. In 2016,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

won by a 13% margin.

Education

Waite Park is in the St. Cloud Area School District. Most residents are zoned to Discovery Elementary School, while some blocks north of 3rd Street are zoned to Westwood Elementary School. The zoned middle school is North Middle School, and the zoned high school is Apollo High School.
Linked from here
- Compare to census maps. Waite Park was formerly home to the St. Cloud area campus of Globe University/Minnesota School of Business, a private career college.

References

External links

City Website
{{authority control Cities in Stearns County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota St. Cloud, Minnesota metropolitan area