Northfield, MN
| Northfield | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| Northfield, Minnesota | |
Downtown Northfield, September 2010
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| Motto: "Striving For Excellence Committed To Service" | |
 Location of the city of Northfield within Rice and Dakota Counties in the state of Minnesota |
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| Coordinates: 44°27′30″N 93°9′40″W / 44.45833°N 93.16111°WCoordinates: 44°27′30″N 93°9′40″W / 44.45833°N 93.16111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| Counties | Rice, Dakota |
| Founded | 1855 |
| Incorporated | 1868 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Rhonda Pownell |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.61 sq mi (22.30 km2) |
| • Land | 8.56 sq mi (22.17 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) 0.58% |
| Elevation | 912 ft (278 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 20,007 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 20,380 |
| • Density | 2,337.3/sq mi (902.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | Central (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 55057 |
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| FIPS code | 27-46924 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0648725 |
| Website | City of Northfield |
Northfield is a city in Dakota and Rice counties in the State of Minnesota. The city is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,007 during the 2010 census.
Northfield was platted in 1855 by John W. North. Northfield was founded by immigrants from New England known as "Yankees" as part of a New England colonization of what was then the far west. Northfield was an early agricultural center with many wheat and corn farms. The town also supported lumber and flour mills powered by the Cannon River. As the "wheat frontier" moved west, dairy operations and diversified farms replaced the wheat-based agriculture. The region has since moved away from dairy and beef operations. Today it produces substantial crops of corn, and soybeans, as well as producing hogs. The local cereal producer Malt-O-Meal is one of the few remnants of Northfield's historic wheat boom. The city's motto, "Cows, Colleges, and Contentment", reflects the influence of the dairy farms.
Since early in its history, Northfield has been a center of higher education. Carleton College (then Northfield College) was founded in 1866 on the northern edge of town by the Minnesota Conference of Congregational Churches whose Congregation consisted of the "Yankee" settlers who had largely founded the town. These were people descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s.St. Olaf College was founded in 1874 on the western edge of town by Norwegian Lutheran immigrant pastors and farmers, who were eager to preserve their faith and culture by training teachers and preachers. These two institutions, which today enroll a total of more than 5,000 students, make Northfield a college town.
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