Hutchinson, Minnesota

Hutchinson is a city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States, along the South Fork of the Crow River. The population was 14,178 at the 2010 census.

History
The Hutchinson Family Singers (John, Asa, and Judson Hutchinson) are credited with founding the town in November 1855.

The town was besieged during the Sioux Uprising in 1862. Chief Little Crow was shot by a farmer a few miles north and west of Hutchinson a year later.

Historic Hutchinson, an organization with the mission “To restore, to preserve and to protect the living and structural history and spirit of the Hutchinson area and to showcase these assets now and for the future,” has created a historical tour of Hutchinson. More information can be obtained at the Historic Hutchinson official website and additional photographs can be found here.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.8 square miles (20.3 km²), of which, 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) of it (5.12%) is water.

Minnesota State Highways 7, 15, and 22 are three of the main routes in the city.

Major bodies of water include the Crow River which flows through the downtown, Otter Lake, and Campbell Lake. Started by the Hutchinson brothers, Hutchinson has the nation's second oldest city park system (only New York City's Central Park is older).

Economy
Data from the top 31 employers in Hutchinson show the following distribution of employment: Manufacturing jobs are with Hutchinson Technology(1100 employees, computer and peripheral equipment) and 3M (1300 employees, Flags and vinyl, Scotch tapes). The Goebel Fixture Co. employees 125 in a unique niche market, producing cabinetry fixtures for department stores nationwide.
 * Manufacturing (3959)
 * Retail (1178)
 * Medical (826)
 * School and Local Government (450)
 * Utilities (122)
 * Printing/Publishing (116)
 * Agricultural Service (75)
 * Food/Gardening Products (66)
 * Construction (30)
 * Wholesalers (21)

The town's agricultural roots, notably as the birthplace of the Geier Hitch, are fast becoming a dim memory.

The retail and service economy has grown from agricultural supply and processing to also include a combination of local manufacturing, shopping, and a growing restaurant and food service industry with multiple new options opening recently. It also has an excellent hospital and medical center which offer primary care as well as full access to specialty care.

Education
Hutchinson is home to a campus of Ridgewater College, a comprehensive community and technical college (another campus is in Willmar, MN). The original use of the campus was for an Area Vocational Technical Institute. The Vo-Tech was merged with a similar institute in Willmar, and ultimately the Willmar Community College was joined to the two Vo-Techs to form Ridgewater, a member of the MnSCU system. Although begun as a technical institute, since the creation of Ridgewater the Hutchinson campus has shown a steady increase in the number of "transfer" (versus "technical") programs, faculty, and students. From 2004 to 2006, significant remodeling included the installation of new facilities for the school's nursing programs, plus new biology, chemistry, and physics laboratories. A notable and unique technical program on the Hutchinson campus is Nondestructive Testing.

Including the New Century Charter School, there are five public schools. The school names and grades for Independent School District #423 are as follows: West Elementary (Pre-1), Park Elementary (2-5), Hutchinson Middle School (6-8), and Hutchinson High School (9-12).

Notable natives

 * John W. Foss - U.S. Army General and former United States Army Training and Doctrine Command commander
 * John Jeremiah McRaith - Bishop of the diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky
 * Cory Sauter - Retired NFL Quarterback
 * Nate Swift - Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad player.
 * Lindsay Whalen - ''Professional basketball player in the WNBA
 * Lydon Murtha - Miami Dolphins NFL
 * Mitch Erickson - Seattle Seahawks NFL
 * Les Kouba - Wildlife painter

Demographics
According to the 2000 United States Census, there were 13,080 people, 5,333 households, and 3,418 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,763.6 people per square mile (680.6/km²). There were 5,667 housing units at an average density of 764.1 per square mile (294.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.24% White, 0.36% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.36% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 5,333 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 19.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,278, and the median income for a family was $53,784. Males had a median income of $36,800 versus $24,862 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,970. About 3.1% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.