This page will help you find a list of the nearest surrounding towns, villages, cities nearby or within a 45 mile distance (72.41 km) of Austin (Minnesota) to the north, south, east, or west of Austin; typically within a one to two hour commute or drive. The government, education, hospitality, and retail sectors comprise much of the remainder of Austin's employment base. [49] Summerset Theatre, a community theater company organized in 1968, also presents several shows per year. The Austin Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors an annual Independence Day Freedom Fest. Minnesota Interstates: North-South interstates include: Interstate 35. In the summer of 1984 a tornado destroyed Echo Lanes Bowling Alley as it swept through southeast Austin. [72] The nearest commercial international airports are located in Rochester (RST), 35 miles away, and the Twin Cities (MSP), 95 miles distant. There were 10,131 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.7% were non-families. [58], The addition of Packer Dome, a seasonal athletic facility built in 2015, has already enhanced sport and recreation options in Austin. At the time, the land was "one of the beauty spots of Southern Minnesota, but of late years has not been cared for and in places the banks have been disfigured by dumping along the shore of the stream," according to the bill's author, Senator Charles F. [23] One goal is to make the downtown business district more of a destination, aided in part by the Spam Museum's relocation to Main Street in 2016. [19] Dave Pirner of the Minneapolis band Soul Asylum wrote a song about the strike, "P-9". Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Austin, Mower County, Minnesota, September 1917 Library of Congress . [54], Several other teams, clubs, and activities are prominent in Austin, including the Southern Minnesota Bicycling Club,[55] the Austin Curling Club,[56] the Minnesota Southbound Rollers (female roller derby),[57] and the Southeast Minnesota Warhawks of the Southern Plains Football League. The racial makeup of the city was 92.6% White, 0.81% African American, 0.18% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.09% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Austin is also home to a community choir (Northwestern Singers[45]) and several community bands (Austin Community Band, Austin Community Jazz Band,[46] and the Austin Big Band[47]). Austin was once a railroad town. Growth was slow during the first two decades, but the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul railroad arrived in the late 1860s, hastening economic development. In 1964 it became part of the State College and University System and is now Riverland Community College. Welcome to Church Finder® - the best way to find Christian churches in Austin MN. Austin previously was represented in Junior hockey by the Austin Mavericks, a team that first participated in the Midwest Junior Hockey League from 1974 to 1977 and following a league merger competed in the United States Hockey League from 1977 to 1985. View detailed trail descriptions, trail maps, reviews, photos, trail itineraries, directions and more on TrailLink. The #1 Best Value of 10 places to stay in Austin. Austin is part of Nielsen's Rochester-Mason City-Austin designated market area. The Cedar River, along with Dobbins Creek and Turtle Creek, flow through Austin, and many homes and businesses were constructed in flood plains. [35] Though most famous for SPAM, Hormel also produces many other brands, such as Jennie-O turkey, Muscle Milk, Skippy peanut butter, and Dinty Moore beef stew.[36]. In 1897 Charles Boostrom opened Austin's first college, the Southern Minnesota Normal College and Austin School of Commerce. [8] The town's first schoolhouse was constructed in 1865 and the first bank opened the following year. The worst damage in Austin was about three miles north of downtown. The twister dissipated shortly after hitting town, but did notable damage in both cities. A tornado or straight-line winds took down massive amounts of branches and trees on 27 June 1998, uprooting smaller trees and knocking large branches across streets. Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps. A community recreation center is in progress, as is a tourism and visitor center. It holds over 80,000 volumes.[69]. Austin is located at the intersection of Interstate 90 and U.S. Route 218. Austin is served by the Austin Municipal Airport, a public-owned, public-use airport located on the east edge of the city. Austin is located at the intersection of Interstate Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 218 in the southeastern part of the state. [79] Tours of the institute are available but must be arranged through Discover Austin, the local convention and visitors bureau. Preliminary new FEMA Digital FIRMs (if the area has a map update in progress) Find locations of FEMA Letters of Map Amendments. Austin, MN Campground Map. [48], The Frank W. Bridges Theatre is home to an active theatre program at Riverland Community College, while Matchbox Children's Theatre, established in 1975, provides shows year-round for both adults and children. The worst flooding on record came when the Cedar River crested at 23.4 feet in the spring of 2000. A map of Minnesota showing the locations of all 75 state parks and state recreation areas, plus state waysides. In 2000 there were 23,314 people, 9,897 households, and 6,076 families residing in the city and 10,261 housing units. The campus also provides emergency and urgent care services, a complete pharmacy, and a recently expanded pediatrics department. In the 1930s Austin Acres was built with funding from the Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Department of the Interior. Sep 1917. [16] The park was converted to a state "scenic wayside" in 1937, then transferred to city ownership in 1949. University of Minnesota - Duluth. After two major floods in July 1978, city officials and local residents decided to take action. Two new buildings were completed in 2010, a $28 million campus in downtown Austin. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and it has two man-made lakes called East Side Lake and Mill pond. In 1983 and 1993 major floods again damaged many Austin homes and businesses. It features an Interpretive Center, open daily, where visitors can learn about the history and biology of the area through hands-on exhibits, interactive displays and live educational animals. ... Homes for sale in Austin, MN have a median listing price of $132,450. [75] This train last ran on September 30, 1965, ending all passenger train service to Austin. Paul Minnesota area Campground: 507-607-0620 or Book Now! Paul Minnesota area Campground: 507-607-0620 or Book Now! Austin, MN Real Estate & Homes for Sale. The southern part of the city is in Austin Township while the northern part is in Lansing Township; the city is politically independent of both. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and it has two man-made lakes called East Side Lake and Mill pond.Hormel Foods Corporation is the largest employer in Austin, where its factory makes most of North America's Spam tinned meat. [37][38], Austin-area businesses and community actively supported an application to participate as a test community in the Google Fiber project, begun in 2010. Clockwise from top: Downtown Austin, St. Augustine's Church, Paramount Theater, Spam Museum, Hormel Historic Home, ‡This populated place also has portions in adjacent county or counties, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Austin, Minnesota, "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File", "Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live", "Horace Austin State Park beginnings at the Minnesota Legislature", "25 years ago, Hormel strike changed Austin, industry", "Despite Settlement, It's Still Not Over : Hormel Strike May Divide Town for Years to Come", "On the Move: A Minnesota City Creatively Battles Repetitive Flooding", "Moist Continental Mid-latitude Climates - D Climate Type", "Unemployment inches up across the region", "A history of the First National Bank - Austin Daily Herald", "Stones and ice; Austin Curling Club slides into Riverside Arena", "Public invited to check out the new dome", http://www.ci.austin.mn.us/park-recreation/park-information/horace-park, https://www.washingtonpost.com/election-results/minnesota-1st-congressional-district/, "Local Television Market Universe Estimates", "Hayward waits for bridge to complete Blazing Star Trail", "Hormel Institute expansion includes new learning center", "Drummer follows musical path from Austin to Africa", "The Life and Times of Rotarian James Wheeler Davidson, FRGS", "Jason Gerhardt excited about upcoming birth of son", "Burdie Haldorson Bio, Stats, and Results", "Young Austin, Minn., author finds fame — and fortune — publishing her work online", http://www.austindailyherald.com/2016/05/a-lasting-impact-austin-native-making-waves-in-science/, "Molly Kate Kestner talks about staying grounded", "Matthew Griswold writes songs about war", "Minnesota Author Biographies Project : mnhs.org", "Reding, Leo John - Legislator Record - Minnesota Legislators Past & Present", "Austin, a city and the county-seat of Mower county, Minnesota, U.S.A.", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Austin,_Minnesota&oldid=997027318, 1853 establishments in Minnesota Territory, Articles with dead external links from April 2020, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox settlement with unknown parameters, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Mower County Fairgrounds and Mower County Fair, Austin High School and Knowlton Auditorium, Vintage Bicycle Collection at Rydjor Bike Shop, I.J Holton Intermediate School [Grades 5–6], Pacelli Elementary School (Grades PreK-5), Oakland Education Center (special services coop with Albert Lea Public Schools; formerly St. Edward's School), Franklin School (original built in 1869, burned in 1890; new Franklin High School opened in 1891), Shaw Elementary School (opened, 1916; last year of operation, 1992; demolished, 1993), Webster School (Built in 1891, functions today as apartment homes), Lincoln Elementary School (Built in 1887; last year of operation, 1977); functions today as apartment homes), Queen of Angels School (now home to Community Learning Center and Early Childhood Family Education Center). It was named for Austin R. Nichols, the area's first European settler. Austin has great accessibility through 7 exits off of I-90 - from Rochester, head wast or from Albert Lea/I35, head east. Austin has an extensive network of 28 parks and green spaces, which the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry oversees. The racial makeup of the city was 86.8% White, 3.0% African American, 0.3% Native American, 2.4% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 4.8% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. A protracted battle between union employees and Hormel continued until June 1986, one of the longest labor struggles of the 1980s. Austin residents noticed debris raining out of the sky, such as straw and laundry. Cobblestone Hotel & Suites - Austin. It was named for Austin R. Nichols, the area's first European settler. These range from small, passive spaces like Sterling Park (manicured but lacking recreational equipment) to the 507-acre Jay C. Hormel Nature Center. Austin, Mower County, Minnesota, 55912 USA Show Map. Several side streets in northwest Austin became impassable, including 8th Ave NW (near Sumner Elementary School) and 14th St. NW (between I-90 and 8th Ave). In 1913 the Minnesota Legislature made a 50-acre parcel of land into Horace Austin State Park. - 22. City planners also vowed to no longer build new structures in the existing flood plains. Detail at 1:1 from center of map Displays approximate resolution of the Street Map. It is on the band's 1989 album Clam Dip & Other Delights. The Official Whitepages. A series of floods between 1978 and 2010 resulted in a major flood mitigation program. Free Wifi. This grassroots movement was chartered in 2011 to implement ten major new community initiatives that could be completed by 2020. Extensions to these existing non-motorized trails will connect Austin to the Blazing Star Trail (west toward Albert Lea and Myre-Big Island State Park) and the Shooting Star State Trail (east toward Rose Creek, Adams, and Leroy). Hormel's consistent and steady growth have resulted in below-average unemployment rates for Austin and Mower County in recent years. Street & Road Map of Austin, Minnesota; Printed with archival inks. Austin is sometimes called "Spam Town USA", as it is home to Hormel's headquarters and is home to the Spam Museum. [39] Though unsuccessful in their bid, the adoption of high-speed fiber optic and wireless internet throughout Austin is one of the Vision 2020 committee's goals.[40]. Minnesota was admitted as the 32nd U.S. disclose upon May 11, 1858, created from the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory. [10], In 2015 Austin was named one of the "Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live"[11] and one of the "Best Small Cities in America". Track storms, and stay in-the-know and prepared for what's coming. [12], Fertile land, trapping, and ease of access brought first trappers and then the early pioneers to this region. View effective flood map layers (same as at FEMA Map Service Center site). Another F-2 touched down in August 1961, at 808 18th St. SW. The Hormel Institute is a medical research branch of the University of Minnesota. [42] The Austin Artist Series, one of the Midwest's largest and longest-running concert and performance series, was established in 1945. [76] Freight service continues on the former Milwaukee Road mainline on that railroad's successor, the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad, a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific, but the Chicago Great Western was abandoned and torn up after the Chicago and North Western Railway acquired it in 1968. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Austin Living is an award-winning bimonthly magazine featuring culture and lifestyle stories about Austin. The median income for a household in the city was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $42,691. Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Contact Discover Austin, Minnesota for assistance.