Zumbrota is a city in Goodhue 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, along the North Fork of the

Zumbro River The Zumbro River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota in the United States. It is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, acces ...

. The population was 3,252 at the 2010 census. It promotes itself as "the only Zumbrota in the world."

History

Zumbrota was claimed as a town in 1856 by Joseph Bailey and D.B. Goddard. The name Zumbrota appears to have resulted from a corruption of the French name for the local

, ''Rivière des Embarras'' (Obstruction River), coupled with the Dakota ''toŋ'' (village). Zumbrota is home to the Zumbrota Covered Bridge, the last functioning

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

in the state of Minnesota. It was originally installed in 1869, one year before the arrival of railroads to the area. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Zumbrota Public Library was the first tax-supported library in Minnesota. The city of Zumbrota celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2006.

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 , of which is land and is water.

U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major U.S. Highway in the Central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows a north ...

and Minnesota State Highways 58 and 60 are the three main highways in the city.

Climate

Demographics

2010

As of the 2010 Census, there were 3,252 people, 1,349 households, and 882 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 1,437 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.8%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.7% 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 1.6% of the population. There were 1,349 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% 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, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% 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 2.96. The median age in the city was 38.2 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000

At the 2000 Census, there were 2,789 people, 1,141 households, and 741 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,191 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.38%

, 0.82%

, 0.14% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 1.18% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population. There were 1,141 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were

living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,678, and the median income for a family was $53,750. Males had a median income of $34,821 versus $25,647 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 $22,786. About 6.6% of families and 8.0% 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 10.7% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

Christ Lutheran Church is a member of the

Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...

(WELS) in Zumbrota. United Redeemer Lutheran Church and Land's Lutheran Church are member churches of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

(ELCA) in Zumbrota. St. Paul's Catholic Church and First Congregational United Church of Christ, a member of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a socially liberal mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Restorationist, Continental Reformed, and Lutheran t ...

(UCC), are also in Zumbrota.

Education

Zumbrota-Mazeppa High School was established when the Zumbrota Public Schools and the Mazeppa Public Schools merged in 1987. The primary, middle, and high schools are all in Zumbrota while the elementary school is in Mazeppa. Christ Lutheran School is a Christian elementary school (Pre-K-8) of the

(WELS) in Zumbrota.

Parks and recreation

Zumbrota's Covered Bridge Park features ball parks, bike trails, a swimming pool, a large kids play structure, camping, and the only authentic

in Minnesota. It also has a frisbee golf course, a skate park, and an ice rink during the winter.

Festivals

The Covered Bridge festival is an annual community wide festival held on the third weekend in September. It includes a grand parade, craft and vendor fair, food trucks, a fireworks festival, 5K/10K fun run and half marathon, and many more activities.

Notable people

* Charles Clarence Beck, chief artist of the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

book superhero Captain Marvel * Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley, football coach for the NFL *

Kenneth O. Chilstrom Kenneth Oscar Chilstrom (April 20, 1921 – December 3, 2022) was a United States Air Force officer, combat veteran, test pilot, and author. He was the first USAF pilot to fly the XP-86 Sabre, chief of fighter test at Wright Field, commandant of ...

, United States Air Force officer * William Bruce Dickey, businessman and Minnesota state legislator *

Oliver J. Lee Oliver J. Lee (January 7, 1876 – August 11, 1947) was an American educator, farmer, and politician. Lee was born in Leon Township, Goodhue County, Minnesota and went to the Goodhue County public schools. He graduated from the Red Wing Semi ...

, businessman, educator, and Minnesota state legislator *

Genevieve Stearns Genevieve Stearns (1892–1997) was a biochemist, most recognized for her accomplishments in research and advocacy for nutrition, especially for women and children. Early life and education Stearns was born in Zumbrota, Minnesota, to parents ...

, nutrition researcher

References

External links

City website''News Record''
- Zumbrota Newspaper
Historic State TheatreZumbrota Area Historical Society
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Goodhue County, Minnesota Zumbro River Populated places established in 1856 1856 establishments in Minnesota Territory