Ottertail, Minnesota

Ottertail
City
Looking southwest along Main Street (State Hwy. 108)
Location of Ottertail, Minnesota
Coordinates: 46°25′36″N95°33′49″W / 46.42667°N 95.56361°W / 46.42667; -95.56361
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Otter Tail
Founded	1903
Area [1]
• Total	5.97 sq mi (15.47 km2)
• Land	4.28 sq mi (11.08 km2)
• Water	1.70 sq mi (4.39 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,355 ft (413 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	629
• Estimate  (2021) [4]	656
• Density	147.07/sq mi (56.79/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	56571
Area code	218
FIPS code	27-49210 [5]
GNIS feature ID	2396107 [2]

Ottertail is a city in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 629 at the 2020 census. ^[3]

History

Ottertail was platted in 1903, and named for nearby Otter Tail Lake. ^[6]

"Otter Tail" City appeared on the United States Census as early as 1860.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 5.10 square miles (13.21 km²), of which 4.28 square miles (11.09 km²) is land and 0.82 square miles (2.12 km²) is water. ^[7]

Minnesota State Highways 78 and 108 are two of the main routes in the community.

Climate

Like the rest of Minnesota, Ottertail has a humid continental climate. It is above the line between the hot and cool summer types of the climate, which means the climate classification is Dfb on the Köppen climate classification. Winters are long and very cold and nights average subzero Fahrenheit. Summers are warm but frequently that weather gets broken up by convective rainfall.

Climate data for Ottertail, Minnesota, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1961–present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	56 (13)	59 (15)	73 (23)	94 (34)	94 (34)	98 (37)	102 (39)	101 (38)	97 (36)	91 (33)	72 (22)	57 (14)	102 (39)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	40.5 (4.7)	44.3 (6.8)	58.1 (14.5)	74.2 (23.4)	84.8 (29.3)	88.2 (31.2)	89.8 (32.1)	89.0 (31.7)	84.7 (29.3)	76.8 (24.9)	58.6 (14.8)	42.7 (5.9)	91.9 (33.3)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	17.4 (−8.1)	23.4 (−4.8)	35.9 (2.2)	51.6 (10.9)	64.8 (18.2)	74.5 (23.6)	78.6 (25.9)	77.3 (25.2)	68.9 (20.5)	53.8 (12.1)	36.6 (2.6)	23.4 (−4.8)	50.5 (10.3)
Daily mean °F (°C)	7.7 (−13.5)	12.5 (−10.8)	25.5 (−3.6)	40.6 (4.8)	54.5 (12.5)	65.1 (18.4)	69.4 (20.8)	68.0 (20.0)	58.9 (14.9)	44.6 (7.0)	29.0 (−1.7)	15.2 (−9.3)	40.9 (5.0)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	−2.0 (−18.9)	1.6 (−16.9)	15.1 (−9.4)	29.7 (−1.3)	44.2 (6.8)	55.8 (13.2)	60.2 (15.7)	58.7 (14.8)	49.0 (9.4)	35.4 (1.9)	21.3 (−5.9)	7.1 (−13.8)	31.3 (−0.4)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−25.8 (−32.1)	−21.8 (−29.9)	−10.5 (−23.6)	14.6 (−9.7)	30.7 (−0.7)	43.6 (6.4)	50.4 (10.2)	48.8 (9.3)	35.7 (2.1)	22.7 (−5.2)	3.1 (−16.1)	−15.7 (−26.5)	−28.6 (−33.7)
Record low °F (°C)	−40 (−40)	−45 (−43)	−33 (−36)	−7 (−22)	18 (−8)	33 (1)	37 (3)	35 (2)	19 (−7)	10 (−12)	−21 (−29)	−38 (−39)	−45 (−43)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.62 (16)	0.62 (16)	1.24 (31)	2.23 (57)	3.43 (87)	4.76 (121)	4.27 (108)	3.29 (84)	3.16 (80)	2.69 (68)	1.07 (27)	0.79 (20)	28.17 (715)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	6.3	5.9	7.1	8.3	10.6	11.8	12.0	9.4	9.0	10.0	7.4	7.3	105.1
Source 1: NOAA [8]
Source 2: National Weather Service [9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	176		—
1920	223		26.7%
1930	221		−0.9%
1940	254		14.9%
1950	237		−6.7%
1960	164		−30.8%
1970	180		9.8%
1980	239		32.8%
1990	313		31.0%
2000	451		44.1%
2010	572		26.8%
2020	629		10.0%
2021 (est.)	656	[4]	4.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [10] 2020 Census [3]

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 572 people, 245 households, and 171 families living in the city. The population density was 133.6 inhabitants per square mile (51.6/km²). There were 401 housing units at an average density of 93.7 per square mile (36.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.0% White, 0.2% Native American, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population.

There were 245 households, of which 22.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.75.

The median age in the city was 47.7 years. 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.4% were from 25 to 44; 35.2% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 451 people, 190 households, and 133 families living in the city. The population density was 102.7 inhabitants per square mile (39.7/km²). There were 323 housing units at an average density of 73.6 per square mile (28.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 99.56% White and 0.44% Native American. 42.8% were of German, 23.7% Norwegian and 7.7% Swedish ancestry.

There were 190 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% 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 2.82.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $43,750. Males had a median income of $23,750 versus $18,438 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,612. About 10.2% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ottertail, Minnesota
3. "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 6, 2022.
4. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021". United States Census Bureau. June 24, 2022. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p.  397.
7. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
8. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Ottertail, MN". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
9. "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Grand Forks". National Weather Service. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.