Harmony, Minnesota
Encyclopedia
Harmony is a city in Fillmore County
, Minnesota
, United States
. The population was 1,020 at the 2010 census. The town bills itself as the "Biggest Little Town in Southern Minnesota" and features the largest Amish
community in the state.
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of its land.
U.S. Highway 52
and Minnesota Highway 139
are two of the main routes in the community.
of 2000, there were 1,080 people, 477 households, and 299 families residing in the city. The population density
was 948.9 people per square mile (365.8/km²). There were 500 housing units at an average density of 439.3 per square mile (169.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.98% White, 0.19% African American, 0.09% Asian, 0.46% from other races
, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 477 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,260, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $27,188 versus $22,768 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $16,859. About 8.4% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.
, Ohio
, where they were becoming over-populated. They could buy land in southern Minnesota for $300–$700 an acre
-Now 4,000+ per acre. Harmony is the hub of Minnesota's Amish Country, with many Amish owned and operated businesses in the area providing a wide range of Amish goods & services.
.
. Fillmore Central's total enrollment for the school years of 2005-2006 are 641 students. Their predicted enrollment is 604 students for the school years of 2006-2007.
in Harmony. It is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the SE Minnesota library region.
Trail system. The JEM Theatre, a recently renovated movie theater originally built in 1940, is the only one operating in Fillmore County. There are 3 Antique shops in town. Generations of Harmony- A 50 dealer mall on hwy 52- North side of town. OLD Crow Antiques on hwy 52/corner of Main-A house full of primitives & garden decor(w/a Furniture warehouse on Main st).I Love Antiques-on South Main across from the bank- a traditional antique store.
s in the Midwest and features ancient fossil
s older than some dinosaur
s, a 60 feet (18.3 m) waterfall
in the largest room in the cave, and a wedding chapel
. There have been over 400 wedding
s in the cave since it opened. Outside the cave there are 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of picnic grounds, a sluice box where tourists can mine for gem
s and fossils, and a gift shop
with a selection of toys for children. There are also precious stones and large polished fossils.
Fillmore County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 21,122 people, 8,228 households, and 5,718 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 8,908 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 1,020 at the 2010 census. The town bills itself as the "Biggest Little Town in Southern Minnesota" and features the largest Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
community in the state.
Geography
Harmony is located at 43°33′37"N 92°0′35"W. According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of its land.
U.S. Highway 52
U.S. Route 52 in Minnesota
U.S. Highway 52 enters the state of Minnesota at the unincorporated community of Prosper, north of the town of Burr Oak, Iowa. The route is marked north–south in Minnesota along its independent segment from the Iowa state line to downtown St. Paul...
and Minnesota Highway 139
Minnesota State Highway 139
Minnesota State Highway 139 is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 139 at the Iowa state line and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S...
are two of the main routes in the community.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,080 people, 477 households, and 299 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 948.9 people per square mile (365.8/km²). There were 500 housing units at an average density of 439.3 per square mile (169.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.98% White, 0.19% African American, 0.09% Asian, 0.46% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% of the population.
There were 477 households out of which 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.75.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 30.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,260, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $27,188 versus $22,768 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $16,859. About 8.4% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 16.0% of those age 65 or over.
Amish
Amish came to Minnesota in the 1970s from Wayne CountyWayne County, Ohio
Wayne County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States, and is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. As of the 2010 census, the population was 114,520. Its county seat is Wooster....
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where they were becoming over-populated. They could buy land in southern Minnesota for $300–$700 an acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
-Now 4,000+ per acre. Harmony is the hub of Minnesota's Amish Country, with many Amish owned and operated businesses in the area providing a wide range of Amish goods & services.
Trail connection
Harmony is the southern terminus of the Harmony-Preston Valley segment of the Blufflands State TrailBlufflands State Trail
Blufflands State Trail is a paved multi-use rail trail system in southeast Minnesota. The trail system consists of two main segments, the Root River segment, and Harmony-Preston Valley segment. The trails are used mainly for bicycling, hiking, and inline skating in the summer, and for cross...
.
Schools
Fillmore Central School District (#2198) is a public district that has one school in Harmony, the High School (7-12th grade). The Elementary (PK-4th grade) and the Middle School (5-6th grade) are located in nearby PrestonPreston, Minnesota
Preston is a city in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,325 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Fillmore County. The Root River runs through it, and Mystery Cave State Park is nearby...
. Fillmore Central's total enrollment for the school years of 2005-2006 are 641 students. Their predicted enrollment is 604 students for the school years of 2006-2007.
Libraries
The Harmony Public Library is the public libraryPublic library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
in Harmony. It is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the SE Minnesota library region.
Tourism/Recreation
Harmony is the starting point of Amish Tours of Harmony for a tour of Amish country.The Amish are the focal point of local tourism & shopping with many Amish owned businesses in the surrounding area. The Harmony-Preston State Trail connects the town to the renowned Root RiverRoot River (Minnesota)
The Root River flows for through the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota and is a tributary of the Upper Mississippi River. It is an excellent river for canoeing...
Trail system. The JEM Theatre, a recently renovated movie theater originally built in 1940, is the only one operating in Fillmore County. There are 3 Antique shops in town. Generations of Harmony- A 50 dealer mall on hwy 52- North side of town. OLD Crow Antiques on hwy 52/corner of Main-A house full of primitives & garden decor(w/a Furniture warehouse on Main st).I Love Antiques-on South Main across from the bank- a traditional antique store.
Niagara Cave
Nearby Niagara Cave is one of the largest caveCave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
s in the Midwest and features ancient fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s older than some dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s, a 60 feet (18.3 m) waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
in the largest room in the cave, and a wedding chapel
Wedding chapel
A wedding chapel is a place, other than a legal court, and usually also, other than a church, where couples can get legally married. A church may also be used as a wedding chapel, but churches are usually called that by the marrying couple when the ceremony only involves those contracting matrimony...
. There have been over 400 wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
s in the cave since it opened. Outside the cave there are 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of picnic grounds, a sluice box where tourists can mine for gem
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s and fossils, and a gift shop
Gift shop
A gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collections and other souvenirs....
with a selection of toys for children. There are also precious stones and large polished fossils.