Sleepy Eye, Minnesota
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Sleepy Eye is a city located in Brown County, Minnesota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 3,515.
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Geography
MNMap-doton-Sleepy_Eye.png
Location of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.1 km² (2.0 mi²). 4.3 km² (1.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.7 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 14.29% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 3,515 people, 1,479 households, and 942 families residing in the city. The population density is 812.7/km² (2,099.9/mi²). There are 1,591 housing units at an average density of 367.8/km² (950.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.03% White, 0.23% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.90% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. 7.80% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,479 households out of which 31.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% are married couples living together, 7.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% are non-families. 34.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 19.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.37 and the average family size is 3.08.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,123, and the median income for a family is $48,500. Males have a median income of $31,612 versus $22,907 for females. The per capita income for the city is $20,175. 8.1% of the population and 4.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Sleepy is named after Chief Sleepy Eye, or "Ish Tak Ha Ba," a man known as a compassionate person with droopy eyelids (maybe only one), thus the name.
The Chief was one of four Sioux Indians (four Ojibwe also attended) chosen to meet President James Monroe in 1824 in the nation's capital. Later, he was an integral player in the 1851 signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, which gave all land but a 10-mile swath on each side of the upper Minnesota River to the U.S. government. His recommendations to traders led to the successful settlement of Mankato, away from flood areas, and the Chief eventually settled his people near the lake now known as Sleepy Eye Lake.
Notable residents and events
Sleepy Eye is also known as the hometown of Jeffrey Herbert Fischer, grandson of Herbert Fischer, and a 6-foot-1-inch dynamic post player for the St. Mary's Knights. He was, and is, No. 52.
Many watchers of "Little House on the Prairie" will also recognize Sleepy Eye as an important trade post for the citizens of Walnut Grove. In fact, the first telephone line to reach Walnut Grove from Minneapolis was called the "Sleepy Eye Line" in one episode.
Ralph John Fritz, a longtime Twin Cities sportscaster, is from Sleepy Eye.
Residents of Sleepy Eye made headlines in the late 1980s by trying to ban MTV in the town.
External links
- City website (http://www.sleepyeye-mn.com/)
- History of Chief Sleepy Eye (http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/mncultures/sleepyeye.html)