Le Sueur

Le Sueur was named in honor of the French explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur. The community is known locally as the "Valley of the Jolly Green Giant" A large billboard, with the caption "Welcome to the Valley" and the Green Giant logo, remains even after the company and Green Giant label were bought by Pillsbury in 1979. In 2016, General Mills spun off Green Giant to B&G Foods and the canning is done in Montgomery, Minnesota. The old canning processing plant in Le Sueu was used until 1995. It is still used for Ag related research for corn varieties. The sugar snap pea variety was developed by a scientist at the Le sueur plant. The city has a total area of 5.62 square miles (14.56 km²) A small part of the city extends into Sibley County. The population was 4,213 at the 2020 census. The main routes in the community are U.S. Highway 169, State Highway 93, and Minnesota State Highway 112. It lies between Mankato and the Twin Cities, between the Minnesota River and the St. Louis River. It was once known by the French as Prairie La Fleche, or "prairie the arrow". It is believed this place name originates from a translation of the native Dakota name for the area, Wahinoge, or 'flint quarry', a material used to make arrowheads. In 1852, the first claim on the area that is now the city of Le Sueer was made by George W. Thompson. William Worrall Mayo was an early resident who began his practice in Leueur.

History

Le Sueur was named its current name in 1853 by the community there at the time after the explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur who explored this area from 1683 to 1722. Before this, the area was known by the French as Prairie La Fleche, or "prairie the arrow". It is believed this place name originates from a translation of the native Dakota name for the area, Wahinoge. The company, now known as Green Giant, was founded in 1903 as The Minnesota Valley Canning Company by 14 local merchants. In 1925, along with the introduction of "Green Giant Great Big Tender Peas", a company mascot based on Paul Bunyan was introduced called "The Jolly Green Giant". The new mascot spurred the company to change its name to Green Giant Co. in 1950. In January 1995, Pillsbury officially announced the closure of the entirety of the original Green Giant processing plant, with the exception of a Green Giant research center. Of note, the more-than-55-foot fiberglass Jolly Green giant statue resides not Le Sueu but 60 miles away in Blue Earth, Minnesota. William Worrall Mayo was an early resident who began his practice in Le Sueer. He eventually founded the world-famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, with his sons William and Charles. His old home, the Dr. William W. Mayo House, was restored to its mid-1800 appearance and turned into a museum; it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1867, a special act by Minnesota Legislature was able to remedy this by uniting both communities into one town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.62 square miles (14.56 km²) A small part of the city extends into Sibley County. U.S. Highway 169, Minnesota State Highway 93, and County Highway 22 are three of the main routes in the community. The city is located on the banks of the Red River, which flows into the Mississippi River. The Red River is a tributary of the Little Red River which flows through the city of Redwood Falls, which is located just south of the town of Wabasha. The town has a population of 2,816. The U.N. World Heritage Site is located in the city, and was established in the early 1900s. It is one of the oldest towns in Minnesota. It was the site of the World War II Battle of the Bulge, which took place in World War I. The Battle of Red Bulge was fought from 1858 to 1859 and involved the creation of a number of military camps, including the Battle of Wawasee, which was also known as "Red Bulge" and "Battle of Red River". The Battle was the first battle to be fought in the Red river valley, and the first to be won by the U. S. Army. The battle was also the first in the state of Minnesota, which has since been known as the "Red River Valley" or "The Red River Valley".

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 4,058 people, 1,640 households, and 1,08 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 90.6% White, 0.8% African American, 0,3% Native American, 5.9% Asian, 5,9% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. The city's median income was $42,372, and the median income for a family was $53,362. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.64% of the population. The average household size was 2.41, with the average family size being 2.97. The median age in theCity was 37.9 years. For every 100 females, there are 93.5 males. The per capita income for the city is $21,605, with 12.3% of those under 18 and 10.7% of people over 65 living below the poverty line. It is the only city in the state to have had a city census in the 1990s. It has a population of more than 3,000, with 1,500 people living in households. It also has the highest rate of obesity in the U.S. at 10.4%. It has the lowest rate of diabetes in the country at 2.7%. The city has a median age of 37 years, with 27.8 per cent of residents being under the age of 18.

Economy

Despite the devastation of Green Giant's departure, unemployment is low due to expansions to the pre-existing Le Sueur Inc. foundry and Davisco creamery and Cambria, a manufacturer of natural quartz surfaces. A Mars pet food plant existed in Le SueUR shortly until it was closed in 2009. The town is home to a number of small businesses, such as a bakery, a foundry, and a cheese factory. The city is also home to an international airport, which was once a major hub for air travel. The airport was once the site of the U.S. Air Force Base, which is now a major airport for the city. The area is also the birthplace of the city's first mayor, who was elected to office in 1968. The current mayor is a former mayor of the town, who served from 1973 to 1986. It is located on the banks of the Rhône River, which runs through the town's downtown area. It was once known as the "Davisco River" because of the creamery, which opened in the early 20th century. It has since been renamed the "Le Sueur River" in honor of its former owner, Davisco Inc., which was founded in the mid-19th century and still exists today. It also has a large number of smaller businesses, including a cheese plant, a pet food factory, and an ice cream factory, which closed in the late 1990s. The community is also known for its large amounts of natural stone, which has been used to make ice cream for decades.

Education

Le Sueur-Henderson School District serves 1,076 students in Le Sueur and Henderson. Park Elementary School serves Kindergarten-3rd grade; Hilltop serves 4th-5th grade; Le Sueu-HENDerson Secondary School serves 6th-12th grade. St. Anne's Catholic School, a private Catholic elementary school, serves students from pre-kindergarten to 5thgrade. Despite being a Catholic institution, St.Anne's admits students from all Christian denominations. The school district is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan School District, which also serves the city of Henderson. The district was formed in the 1950s and has been in operation since the 1960s. It is one of the largest school districts in the state, with more than 1,000 students in the district. It also has the largest enrollment of any school district in the United States, with over 1,200 students in 2007-2008. It was the first school district to open in the U.S. since the 1970s, when it was founded by the state of Kansas. It has since been the largest district in Kansas, with nearly 1,100 students in 2008-2009. The system also has a secondary school, which serves students in 6th to 12th grade, as well as an elementary school. It opened in the 1990s and now has two elementary schools, one for 4th and 5th grade and one for 6th and 6th. In 2009, the district added a sixth elementary school to the system, serving students in 7th and 8th grade through 12th.

Places of worship

The City of Le Sueur holds six churches total with a Catholic church, a Methodist church, an Evangelical church, and three Lutheran churches. On July 26, 1862, the Saint Anne's Roman Catholic parish was established by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis with Father Venn as its first pastor. At the original founding of the church, the majority of attendants were of French ethnicity. The Zion United Church of Christ was formed from the two churches present in the Le Sueu area at the year of 1868, A German native Lutheran church and a New Knoxville, Ohio native Reform church. Church services were held in German until a 1931 vote changed it to English. A few years after the Zion church's merger, a wave of Swedish immigration spurred the formation of the First Lutheran Church, in 1883. In 1955, the Grace Lutheran Church was founded as a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. In 1978, the Word of Life Lutheran Brethren Church was formed. The church existed only among church members' houses until a church building was purchased, the first Lutheran Church's previous building, in 1980. The Le Sueer United Methodist Church was plotted in its current location in 1996. The city also holds the Le sueur Evangelical Church, which was founded by a group of Le sueurs in the 1950s and is still in existence today. The City also has a Catholic Church, the St. Anne's Catholic Parish, and the First Catholic Church.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Le Sueur, Le Sueur County, Minnesota = 87. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 15. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 100. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Le Sueur = 3.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 4,213 individuals with a median age of 37.3 age the population grows by 8.34% in Le Sueur, Le Sueur County, Minnesota population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 810.50 residents per square mile of area (312.91/km²). There are average 2.43 people per household in the 1,708 households with an average household income of $47,290 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.80% of the available work force and has dropped -3.58% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 24.04%. The number of physicians in Le Sueur per 100,000 population = 85.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Le Sueur = 29.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 39 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 93. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 197. 84 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Le Sueur, Le Sueur County, Minnesota which are owned by the occupant = 70.01%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 42 years with median home cost = $113,850 and home appreciation of -11.37%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $9.05 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,765 per student. There are 15.8 students for each teacher in the school, 363 students for each Librarian and 697 students for each Counselor. 6.25% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 13.72% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 4.21% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).