Windom is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Cottonwood 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 4,798 at the 2020 census. It is the

of Cottonwood County and is situated in the Coteau des Prairies. Although a mostly small, rural farming community, Windom is host to several parks including a disc golf course at Mayflower Park. The Des Moines River flows through Windom and serves as a gentle, rapid-free

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

spot.

History

Windom was platted on June 20, 1871, by A.L. Beach, an engineer for the Sioux City and St. Paul Railroad. Twelve lots were created and sold for $100 on the first day. It was incorporated as a village in 1875 and reincorporated on September 9, 1884. Judson W. Bishop named the city after

William Windom William Windom may refer to: * William Windom (politician) (1827–1891), U.S. representative from Minnesota * William Windom (actor) (1923–2012), his great-grandson, American actor See also * William Windham (disambiguation) {{hndis, Wi ...

, who served as a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from Minnesota from 1881 to 1883 and was

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

under Presidents

James Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until Assassination of James A. Garfield, his death in September that year after being shot two months ea ...

, Chester Arthur and

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

Geography

Windom lies above sea level. 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. Windom is on the Coteau des Prairies, a ridge extending from

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

separating Cottonwood County into two watersheds. The watersheds drain into the

and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

rivers. The Des Moines River flows through Windom.

Climate

The record high in Windom was set on August 1, 1988, at . The record low was set on January 7, 1988, at . The maximum precipitation was , on September 23, 2010.

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 4,646 people, 1,994 households, and 1,201 families residing 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 2,171 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.1%

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 ...

, 1.4%

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 ...

, 0.3% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3%

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 ...

, 3.7% from other races, and 1.1% 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 8.0% of the population. There were 1,994 households, of which 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.8% were non-families. 35.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% 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 2.91. The median age in the city was 42.6 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,490 people, 1,910 households, and 1,195 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,089 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.15%

, 0.24%

, 0.33% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.11%

, 0.85% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population. There were 1,910 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were

living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% 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 2.87. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,744, and the median income for a family was $43,350. Males had a median income of $30,053 versus $21,270 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 $17,155. About 5.7% of families and 9.6% 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 13.1% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Windom is in Minnesota's 7th congressional district, represented by

Michelle Fischbach Michelle Louise Helene Fischbach (; born November 3, 1965) is an American politician and attorney serving since 2021 as the United States Representative, U.S. representative from Minnesota's 7th congressional district. The district, which is heav ...

, a Republican. At the state level, Windom is in

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

District 22, represented by Republican

Bill Weber William Weber (May 8, 1957 – December 13, 2024) was an American television sports commentator best known for his work on TNT and NBC NASCAR broadcasts. Weber was also the lead announcer for Champ Car World Series events and other auto ra ...

, and in

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

District 22B, represented by Republican

Rod Hamilton Rodney W. "Rod" Hamilton (born March 25, 1968) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 22B, which includes all or portions of ...

. Windom operates under a Mayor-Council plan. The council consists of 5 members representing two wards that are each separated into two

precincts Precinct may refer to: * An electoral precinct * A police precinct * A religious precinct * A arcade (architecture)#shopping arcades, shopping arcade or shopping mall ** A Pedestrian zone Places * A neighborhood, in Australia * A unit of public ...

. Four of the council members represent an individual precinct and serve four-year terms; the fifth is an

at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...

candidate and serves a two-year term. Before a new city charter was introduced on June 20, 1984, council members in Windom were called alderpersons. The mayor of Windom is Hilary Mathis.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Highway 71, Minnesota Highway 60, and Minnesota Highway 62 are three of the main routes through the city.

Economy

On December 1, 1987, Windom adopted the Minnesota "Star City" program to promote economic development and pursue the "Star City" designation.City of Windom Resolution #90-09 The city received the designation in August 1988. Windom's largest employers are

Toro Toro may refer to: Places *Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy *Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria *Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan *Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...

, Windom Public Schools-ISD 177, and Fortune Transportation with 600, 176, and 175 employees respectively. Windom is home to one of eight Toro manufacturing facilities. It is also the headquarters of Big Game Treestands. Windom has a labor force of 2,378, of whom 2,295 are employed; 85 are unemployed, creating an unemployment rate of 3.5%. The largest industries are educational services, health care and social assistance, with 26.3% of the employed population, and manufacturing, with 18.6% of the employed population.

Media

The town is served by the ''Cottonwood County Citizen'', a weekly newspaper. The town is also served by three radio stations licensed to the town, two commercial and one non-commercial.

Education

Windom is home to several schools: Windom Area Middle/High School, Winfair Elementary School, Bridges Preschool and Red Rock Ridge ALC. It also has two private or church preschools: Busy Bees and Sunshine School.

Windom Area Middle/High School

Windom Area Middle/High School is the main Middle/Highschool in Windom,MN. Windom Area Middle/High School was home to students grade 4-12 due to renovations in 2003.Windom Area High School, Windom, Minnesota
/ref> The building originally only housed grades 5-12 after the renovations, but had to accommodate 4th-grade students starting in 2011 due to overcrowding in the elementary school building. Now it houses 5-12 again starting in 2020. Roughly 300 students attend the high school (grades 9-12) and 350 attend the middle school (grades 5-8). The school is led by Principal Bryan Joyce and Superintendent Jamie Frank.WAHS Staff Listing
/ref>

Entertainment

Riverfest

Windom holds an annual summer festival, Riverfest, during the second weekend of June. A pageant crowns a Miss Riverfest, a First Runner-Up, Miss Photogenic, Miss Congeniality and a Little Miss Riverfest. Other activities include fireworks, Vickie Schendel 5K Walk/Run, tennis tourney, fishing tourney, turtle races, kiddie tractor pull, street dance, and a grand parade.

Winter-River-Fest

In February 2011 Windom started a new festival, "Winter-River-Fest." Activities included a chili feed, open fires, dodgeball, snow sculpting, and the Darn Cold Croquet Contest.

Notable people

* Larry Buhler - Professional football player * Shorty Elness - Professional football player * Dennis C. Frederickson - businessman and Minnesota state legislator * Elaine Harder - Minnesota state legislator * Aaron Horkey - Artist *

Johnny Olson John Leonard Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer. Olson is perhaps best known for his work as an announcer for game shows, particularly the work he did for Mark Goodson-Bill Todman P ...

- Game show announcer * Maria Schneider - Grammy Award-winning jazz composer

References

* Brown, John A. ''History of Cottonwood and Watonwan Counties, Minnesota: Their People, Industries, and Institutions.'' B.F. Bowen & Co.: Indianapolis, 1916.

External links

City of Windom – Official Website

Finding Windom
Community Guide

{{authority control * Cities in Cottonwood County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota County seats in Minnesota Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Minnesota