Ortonville, Minnesota

Ortonville is a city in and the county seat of Big Stone County in the U.S. state of Minnesota at the southern tip of Big Stone Lake, along the South Dakota border. The population was 2,021 at the 2020 census. Big Stone Lake State Park is nearby.

History

Ortonville was platted in 1872 by and named for Cornelius Knute Orton. Ortonville was incorporated as a city in 1881. The Big Stone County Courthouse was built in 1902.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

U.S. Highways 12 and 75 bypass the city and Minnesota State Highway 7 is one of the main routes in the city.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Template:Sronly	%±
1890	768		—
1900	1,247		%
1910	1,774		%
1920	1,758		%
1930	2,017		%
1940	2,469		%
1950	2,577		%
1960	2,674		%
1970	2,665		%
1980	2,550		%
1990	2,205		%
2000	2,158		%
2010	1,916		%
2020	2,021		%
2021 (est.)	2,011		%
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census

File:Civil War Veterans, Fourth of July or Decoration Day, Ortonville, Minnesota. On review in center of town, ca. 1880 - NARA - 558761.jpg

Civil War veterans on review in Ortonville 4th of July celebration, 1880s

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,916 people, 884 households, and 509 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,090 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.0% White, 0.3% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 884 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.4% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.71.

The median age in the city was 49.8 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.5% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 28.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.5% male and 53.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,158 people, 923 households, and 594 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,125 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.68% White, 0.42% African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.

There were 923 households, out of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% 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 2.88.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 20.2% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 26.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,614, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $30,590 versus $20,179 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,132. About 7.2% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Presidential election results

2020 Precinct Results Spreadsheet

2016 Precinct Results Spreadsheet

2012 Precinct Results Spreadsheet

2008 Precinct Results Spreadsheet

2004 Precinct Results Spreadsheet

2000 Precinct Results Spreadsheet

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2020	style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|60.0% 648	style="text-align:center;" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|37.4% 404	2.6% 28
style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2016	style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|60.5% 617	style="text-align:center;" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|31.9% 325	7.6% 77
style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2012	style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|52.6% 535	style="text-align:center;" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|45.9% 467	1.5% 16
style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2008	style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|50.0% 545	style="text-align:center;" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|48.0% 523	2.0% 21
style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2004	style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|54.9% 628	style="text-align:center;" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|43.3% 495	1.8% 20
style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|2000	style="text-align:center;" style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|50.4% 545	style="text-align:center;" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|42.9% 464	6.7% 72

Education

Public schools in independent district 2903 (Ortonville Public School), which covers Ortonville, include Ortonville Secondary School and James Knoll Elementary School. The schools are housed in one building, making the public education in Ortonville K-12. Ortonville's athletic teams are called the Trojans, and the school's colors are orange and black. The district has no private schools.

The Ortonville Public Library is a part of the Pioneerland Library System.

There is no university in Ortonville, but high school students may take college-level courses via the College in the Schools program.

Media

Newspaper

The Ortonville Independent is a weekly newspaper published in Ortonville on Tuesdays. As of 2019, it had a circulation of 1,911 and was owned by the Kaercher Group.

AM radio

AM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner	City
1350 AM	KDIO	Real Country	Country	Armada Media	Ortonville

FM radio

FM radio stations
Frequency	Call sign	Name	Format	Owner	Target city/market	City of license
101.5 FM	KCGN	Praise FM	Contemporary Christian	Christian Heritage Broadcasting	Ortonville	Ortonville
106.3 FM	KPHR	Power 106.3	Classic Rock	Armada Media	Watertown	Ortonville

Notable people

• Samuel Russell Barr, Minnesota state legislator
• Agnes Gardner Eyre, pianist and composer
• Mike Hunt, former professional American football player.
• Dan Jurgens, comic book writer and artist, known for his work on the Superman comic books
• Edwin Joseph Martinson, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
• Liz Olson, member of the Minnesota House of Representatives

External links

• Official website