Hector, Minnesota

Hector, Minnesota
City
Motto: "A great place to live, work and play!"
Location of Hector, Minnesota Location of Hector, Minnesota
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Renville
Area
• Total	1.56 sq mi (4.04 km2)
• Land	1.56 sq mi (4.04 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	1,079 ft (329 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,151
• Estimate (2012)	1,120
• Density	737.8/sq mi (284.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	55342
Area code(s)	320
FIPS code	27-28124
GNIS feature ID	0644825
Website	http://hector.govoffice.com/

Hector is a city in Renville County, Minnesota, USA. The population was 1,151 at the 2010 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.56 square miles (4.04 km²), all of it land.

History

Hector was founded in 1878 when the Hastings and Dakota Railway Company constructed the railroad on the north side of the original town site. The ten block town site survey was completed September 14, 1878 on land owned by the Hastings and Dakota Railway Company.

The village was named after the township of Hector, which had been organized in June 1874. It had originally been named Milford, but found it necessary to change its name when it was learned there was already another Milford in Minnesota. After a hotly contested debate between those who favored the name Plainfield (after the stage stop and post office) and those who favored the name Hector, a township in New York on the east shore of Seneca Lake where many of the early settlers came from. Hector, New York was named after the bravest of the ancient Trojan warriors whose story is an important part of Homer’s epic, “Iliad”. So by succession, Hector was named after the brave Trojan warrior and it has always shown fighting spirit befitting its name. (Unbeknown to the village citizens, further research showed the other Milford was actually located in South Dakota, and they could have named their town Milford after all.)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	196		—
1890	354		80.6%
1900	654		84.7%
1910	866		32.4%
1920	830		−4.2%
1930	864		4.1%
1940	1,044		20.8%
1950	1,196		14.6%
1960	1,297		8.4%
1970	1,178		−9.2%
1980	1,252		6.3%
1990	1,145		−8.5%
2000	1,166		1.8%
2010	1,151		−1.3%
Est. 2014	1,089		−5.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,151 people, 513 households, and 322 families residing in the city. The population density was 737.8 inhabitants per square mile (284.9/km²). There were 573 housing units at an average density of 367.3 per square mile (141.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.9% White, 0.6% Asian, 2.3% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.7% of the population.

There were 513 households of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.78.

The median age in the city was 43.4 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,166 people, 509 households, and 320 families residing in the city. The population density was 755.7 people per square mile (292.3/km²). There were 532 housing units at an average density of 344.8 per square mile (133.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.54% White, 4.03% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.23% of the population.

There were 509 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% 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 2.29 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,000, and the median income for a family was $41,477. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $22,159 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,406. About 6.5% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Steve Neuman - Occasional sports and culture commentator for MinnPost and the Star Tribune RandBall blog, and co-host of The Sportive, Minnesota's leading independent sports podcast.

Infrastructure

Transportation

U.S. Route 212 and Minnesota State Highway 4 are two of the main arterial routes in the city.

External links

• City of Hector Minnesota Website
• City-Data.com
• ePodunk: Profile for Hector, Minnesota