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Albert Lea High School

Albert Lea, Minnesota
City
The historic downtown
The historic downtown
Motto: Land Between the Lakes
Location of the city of Albert Leawithin Freeborn Countyin the state of Minnesota
Location of the city of Albert Lea
within Freeborn County
in the state of Minnesota
Albert Lea, Minnesota is located in Minnesota
Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea, Minnesota
Location of the city of Albert Lea
within Freeborn County
in the state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 43°38′52.3″N 93°22′7.5″W / 43.647861°N 93.368750°W / 43.647861; -93.368750
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Freeborn
Settled 1855
Incorporated (village) 1859
Incorporated (city) 1878
Government
 • Mayor Vern Rasmussen Jr.
 • City Manager Chad Adams
 • City Attorney Lee Bjorndal
 • Public Safety Director Dwaine Winkels
Area
 • Total 14.42 sq mi (37.35 km2)
 • Land 12.59 sq mi (32.61 km2)
 • Water 1.83 sq mi (4.74 km2)  12.69%
Elevation 1,243 ft (379 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 18,016
 • Estimate (2015) 17,674
 • Density 1,431.0/sq mi (552.5/km2)
 • Demonym Albert Leans
Time zone Central (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) Central (UTC-5)
ZIP Code 56007
Area code(s) 507
FIPS code 27-00694
GNIS feature ID 0639247
Website cityofalbertlea.org

Albert Lea is a city located in Freeborn County, in the southeastern part of the State of Minnesota. It is also the county seat. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census.

The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, about 90 miles (140 km) south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of Fountain Lake, Pickerel Lake, Albert Lea Lake, Goose Lake, School Lake, and Lake Chapeau. Fountain Lake and Albert Lea Lake are part of the Shell Rock River flowage.

The city's early growth was based upon agriculture, farming support services and manufacturing and was a significant rail center. At one time it was the site of Cargill's headquarters. Other manufacturing included Edwards Manufacturing (barn equipment), Scotsman Ice Machines, Streater Store fixtures, and Universal Milking Machines. Like many U.S. towns much of the manufacturing base has diminished. A long-time center of the city's job opportunity was the Wilson & Company meat packing plant, later known as Farmstead and Farmland. This facility was destroyed by fire in July 2001. The largest employer is currently Mayo Clinic Health System with over 1,500 employees.

The city is named after Albert Miller Lea, a topographer with the United States Dragoons, who surveyed southern Minnesota and northern Iowa in 1835, including the current site of Albert Lea. Captain Nathan Boone, a son of Daniel Boone, was the scout for Lea's unit.

Albert Lea received national attention in 1959 after Local 6 of the United Packinghouse Workers of America went on strike against Wilson & Co. (one of the Big Four meatpacking plants at the time) over issues involving mandatory overtime requirements. When Wilson & Co. attempted to operate the plant with replacement workers, violence erupted and split the town. During the 109-day strike, Governor Orville Freeman acted to quell the violence by closing the plant, calling in the Minnesota National Guard, and (on December 11) declaring martial law. A Federal district court in Minneapolis ruled against the Governor on December 23, and the plant turned back to Wilson & Co. just days later.


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