Owatonna, Minnesota

Owatonna is a city in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 25,599 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Steele County. Owatonna is home to the Steele County Fairgrounds, which hosts the Steele County Free Fair in August.

Interstate 35 and U.S. Routes 14, and 218 are three of the main arterial routes in the city.

History
Owatonna was first settled in 1853 around the Straight River. The community was named after the Stright River, which in the Dakota language is Wakpá Owóthaŋna. The earliest the Owatonna area was settled was in 1854 and platted in September 1855, but it was incorporated as a town August 9, 1858, then as a city on February 23, 1865.

In 1883, Owatonna was the site of the State Fair and soon the county established its own fair in Owatonna, the Steele County Free Fair or SCFF, the largest free fair in Minnesota.

All the attention on the area in the late 19th century caused the city administration (and a fly-by-night corporation from which the city administrators profited) to devise a tourism and bottled water scheme in which a story centered around a "Princess Owatonna" was concocted. According to the story, Princess Owatonna, daughter of Chief Wabena, fell ill. She was so ill she couldn't lift her head to drink the smallest pool of water. The chief had heard of the wonderful curative effects of water bubbling from the ground in what is now Owatonna, and decided that only their magical restorative properties could save his daughter. After being given the water by her father, Princess Owatonna was miraculously cured, lending her name and image to both the town and the newly minted bottled water company. A statue of the princess appears in Owatonna's Mineral Springs Park, next to Maple Creek, a tributary of the Straight River, and a fountain where visitors can see the springs and drink the water that saved Princess Owatonna.

The Minnesota State School for Dependent and Neglected Children was built in 1886. The school took in orphans from around the state and taught them "the value of drill, discipline and labor." The children who died in the institution were interred in the graveyard behind the school. In 1945, the orphanage was closed and the facility began to serve handicapped children. In 1974, the City purchased the compound for its office space. Renamed "West Hills," it continues to serve as the city's administration complex and home to many nonprofit civic organizations including a senior activity center, the Owatonna Arts Center, two nonprofit day care centers, a chemical dependency halfway house, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, among others.

In 1995 the film Angus whose cast included Ariana Richards and James Van Der Beek was filmed on location in Owatonna, mostly at Owatonna Senior High School.

In July 2008, a Raytheon Hawker 800 corporate jet crashed near Owatonna resulting in eight deaths.

Economy
Owatonna is an economic center of Southern Minnesota, with diverse industries. Federated Insurance is the largest employer with 1521 employees, followed by Viracon which has 1434 employees. Both have their headquarters in Owatonna. Other large employers in the community are SPX Corporation, Jostens, Cabela's, Truth Hardware, ISD 761, Wenger Corporation, Owatonna Clinic - Mayo Health Systems, and Owatonna Hospital - Allina Hospitals And Clinics.

Government
Owatonna is governed by a Mayor and City Council. As of December 2009 its mayor is Thomas Kuntz.

The city is located in Minnesota’s 26th District, represented by Senator Michael J. Parry, a Republican. District 26 includes portions of Rice, Steele, and Waseca counties in the southeastern part of the state. He won a special election on January 26, 2010, succeeding Senator Dick Day, who resigned on January 8, 2010. Sen. Parry is currently a member of the following senate committees: Business, Industry and Jobs; Capital Investmen;, State and Local Government Operations and Oversight; Transportation; and also serves on the Finance Subcommittee for the Transportation Budget and Policy Division.

Owatonna also lies in House District 26A, represented by State Representative Kory Kath, a Democrat. He was first elected to that office in 2008, and was recently reelected to a second term. He is also an Economics and Political Science teacher at Owatonna High School.

Owatonna is located in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Mankato educator Tim Walz, a Democrat.

Public schools
Owatonna Public Schools

Elementary schools

 * Lincoln Elementary, Grades K-5
 * McKinley Elementary, Grades K-5
 * Washington Elementary, Grades K-5
 * Wilson Elementary, Grades K-5

Private schools

 * El Shaddai School, Grades K-12
 * Owatonna Christian School, Grades K-12
 * St. Marys Catholic School, Grades K-8

Higher education

 * Riverland Community College

National Farmers Bank
In the middle of Owatonna's downtown is the National Farmer's Bank, widely recognized as one of the premier pieces of the "Prairie School of Architecture" in America. Designed by Louis Sullivan, the building was finished in 1908 and features gold leaf arches, stained glass windows, and nouveau baroque art designs. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is now occupied by a branch of Wells Fargo Bank.

State School Museum
The State School Museum is located at West Hills on the grounds of the former state orphanage, the Minnesota State School for Dependent and Neglected Children.

Junior Hockey
The Owatonna Express is a junior hockey team who play at Four Seasons Center and are a member of the North American Hockey League. Although having a similar name and logo, this team is unrelated to the former Southern Minnesota Express, that relocated to Michigan to become the Motor City Machine. The team is named the Owatonna Express instead of the Southern Minnesota Express because, "With the new team in Albert Lea joining the North American Hockey League this season, and others in the Twin Cities and Rochester possibly coming into the fray in the next few years, the Express are no longer the sole owners of southern Minnesota." The Express begin play in the 2008-2009 season.

The Owatonna Express completed their final season in early March 2011.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.7 square miles (32.8 km²), of which, 12.6 square miles (32.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.55%) is water. The oldest part of the city (including the downtown area) is located on a low lying area on the eastern bank of the Straight River, extending towards the south from Maple Creek. The city has grown in all directions, and now lies on both sides of the river, as well as above the ridge north of Maple Creek. Significant growth in recent years has occurred to the northeast, where homes have been built along the ravine of Maple Creek as well as alongside Brooktree Golf Course, to the north, and to the southeast. Geographical landmarks of note include Kaplan's Woods, a hardwood nature preserve on the southern border of the city, Cinder Hill, a steep 60 foot hill on Linn Avenue overlooking downtown that is used by local athletes for training, the Straight River dam, originally used to power a mill and now reconstructed to include a fish ladder, and the Forest Hill Cemetery, an old wooded cemetery on the ridge to the north of Maple Creek that marks the boundary between the oldest parts of the city and more recent developments.

Record rainfall events from Wednesday, September 22, 2010 to Friday, September 24, 2010 caused record flooding of the Straight River and Maple Creek in and near Owatonna, with developments in the floodplains of both streams being completely inundated.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,434 people, 8,704 households, and 5,936 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,779.9 people per square mile (687.4/km²). There were 8,940 housing units at an average density of 709.3 per square mile (273.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.09% White, 1.56% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.31% of the population.

There were 8,704 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% 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 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,660, and the median income for a family was $54,883. Males had a median income of $37,691 versus $25,511 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,513. About 4.3% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Culture and Society
Parts of the 1995 movie Angus were filmed in and around Owatonna, including Owatonna High School, its football team, and marching band.

In 1974, the City of Owatonna purchased the campus of the former Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children, which had been in operation from 1886 until 1945. The site was renamed West Hills, and now serves as an administrative center for the City of Owatonna, as well as housing several non-profit organizations in the various historic buildings, including the Owatonna Arts Center.

Notable natives

 * Ken Christianson, artist and musician, graduate of Owatonna Senior High.
 * Masanori Mark Christianson, art director and musician, graduate of Owatonna Senior High.
 * Lillian Colton, crop artist.
 * Sean Tillman a.k.a. Har Mar Superstar. Raised in Owatonna.
 * Casey Driessen, fiddler.
 * Theodore Marcus Hansen, Lutheran pastor and educator, pastor in Owatonna from 1948-1952.
 * Mike Hegstrand, professional wrestler, Hawk, One half of the Road Warriors, 1958-2003. Born in Owatonna, Resided on Xerxes Ave.
 * Don Laughlin, founder of the resort town of Laughlin, Nevada, born and raised in Owatonna.
 * E.G. Marshall, actor known for his role as the nervous Juror #4 in the Henry Fonda classic 12 Angry Men and as the lead in the TV series The Defenders, was born in Owatonna on June 18, 1910.
 * Craig Minowa, lead singer of Cloud Cult and founder of Minnesota record label Earthology Records.
 * Evan S. Tyler, North Dakota State Representative.
 * Harry Williams, successful songwriter, and sometime director for Mack Sennett graduated from Pillsbury Military Academy.
 * Travis Wiuff, a.k.a "Diesel", MMA fighter, UFC
 * Adam Young, a.k.a. Owl City
 * Austin Tofte, a.k.a Swimming With Dolphins
 * Noel Jenke, NFL player