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Frazee, Minnesota

Coordinates: 46°43′41″N 95°42′03″W / 46.72806°N 95.70083°W / 46.72806; -95.70083
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Frazee, Minnesota
Downtown Frazee
Downtown Frazee
Nickname(s): 
"The Hive", "Turkey Town"
Motto(s): 
"Home of the World's Largest Turkey", "Stingers up"
Location of Frazee, Minnesota
Location of Frazee, Minnesota
Coordinates: 46°43′40.85″N 95°42′3.16″W / 46.7280139°N 95.7008778°W / 46.7280139; -95.7008778
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountyBecker
Settled1870
Platted1873
IncorporatedJanuary 6, 1891
Named forRandolph Lafayette Frazee
Government
 • MayorMike Sharp
 • CouncilmembersAndrea Froeber
Mark Kemper
Andrew Daggett
Jim Rader
Area
 • City
1.110 sq mi (2.880 km2)
 • Land1.073 sq mi (2.778 km2)
 • Water0.039 sq mi (0.102 km2)
Elevation1,385 ft (422 m)
Population
 • City
1,335
 • Estimate 
(2023)[5]
1,308
 • Density1,219.63/sq mi (470.90/km2)
 • Metro
35,283
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code
56544
Area code218
FIPS code27-22472
GNIS feature ID0643899[3]
Sales tax7.375%[6]
Websitefrazeecity.com

Frazee (/frˈz/ fray-ZEE) is a city in Becker County, Minnesota, United States. It is the second-most-populous city in Becker County. The population was 1,335 at the 2020 census.[4]

History

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The community was originally named Detroit and later Third Crossing before adopting the name Frazee. With Becker County not formally organized until 1871, it was the earliest settlement in the area. The city was incorporated on January 6, 1891.[7] It was named after Randolph Lafayette Frazee, owner of a sawmill.[8]

Frazee was the birthplace of Kieth Engen, a noted operatic bass.[9][10]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.110 square miles (2.87 km2), of which 1.073 square miles (2.78 km2) is land and 0.039 square miles (0.10 km2) is water.[2]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
188097
19001,000
19101,64564.5%
19201,277−22.4%
19301,041−18.5%
19401,16712.1%
19501,021−12.5%
19601,0836.1%
19701,015−6.3%
19801,28426.5%
19901,176−8.4%
20001,37717.1%
20101,350−2.0%
20201,335−1.1%
2023 (est.)1,308[5]−2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
2020 Census[4]

As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 640 estimated households in Frazee with an average of 2.4 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $49,000. Approximately 22.1% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Frazee has an estimated 60.6% employment rate, with 9.5% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 85.1% holding a high school diploma.[12]

The top five reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were English (97.8%), Spanish (0.0%), Indo-European (1.6%), Asian and Pacific Islander (0.5%), and Other (0.1%).

The median age in the city was 31.1 years.

2020 census

[edit]
Frazee, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / ethnicity (NH = non-Hispanic) Pop. 2000[13] Pop. 2010[14] Pop. 2020[15] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 1,277 1,167 1,098 92.74% 86.44% 82.25%
Black or African American alone (NH) 9 18 30 0.65% 1.33% 2.25%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 41 69 66 2.98% 5.11% 4.94%
Asian alone (NH) 13 8 9 0.94% 0.59% 0.67%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Other race alone (NH) 3 0 0 0.22% 0.00% 0.00%
Mixed race or multiracial (NH) 21 55 97 1.53% 4.07% 7.27%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 13 33 35 0.94% 2.44% 2.62%
Total 1,377 1,350 1,335 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 census, there were 1,335 people, 543 households, and 327 families residing in the city.[16] The population density was 1,244.2 inhabitants per square mile (480.4/km2). There were 606 housing units at an average density of 564.8 per square mile (218.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.07% White, 2.32% African American, 5.24% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from some other races and 7.94% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.62% of the population.[17]

2010 census

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As of the 2010 census, there were 1,350 people, 540 households, and 325 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,273.6 inhabitants per square mile (491.7/km2). There were 595 housing units at an average density of 561.3 per square mile (216.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.07% White, 1.56% African American, 5.11% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from some other races and 4.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.44% of the population.

There were 540 households, of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.8% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00.

The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 18.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.4% male and 54.6% female.

Government

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Frazee is governed by the Statutory City Plan A form of government (in Minnesota, 601 cities operate under Plan A). This plan removes the clerk from the council and replaces that position with a fourth (or sixth) elected council member. The city council appoints the clerk and treasurer to indefinite terms of office. A mayor and four council members are elected to three-year terms. The council meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at the Frazee Event Center.[1][18]

Business and industry

[edit]
Water tower

Frazee's three largest employers are Frazee-Vergas Public Schools (160 employees), Frazee Care Center (160), and Daggett Truck Line (102). Daggett Truck Line has been operating for 80 years out of Frazee, carrying refrigerated and dry freight throughout the United States and southern Canada. It transports frozen foods, snack foods, pet food, produce, and manufactured goods. Its trucks return with processed foods or raw materials for local manufacturers.[19]

Transportation

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Major roads are U.S. Route 10, a four-lane divided highway connecting the twin cities of Minneapolis-Saint Paul to the east and Fargo-Moorhead to the west; and Minnesota State Highway 87, a two-lane secondary road running east from the city.

Frazee is on the Northern Pacific Railway's former main line, now the Northern Transcon of the BNSF. In 2015, this line carried an average of 49 trains per day.[20]

Amtrak's Empire Builder runs through town in each direction in the early morning; its closest station stop is Detroit Lakes, ten miles (16 km) away.[21][22]

The world's largest turkey

[edit]
"Big Tom" in 2018

Frazee is best known as the home of Big Tom: the World's Largest Turkey.[23] Frazee has long been part of the turkey industry. In 1984, turkey growers and committee members put up a giant turkey statue to honor the town. For $20,000, the group commissioned artist Shell Scott to construct the statue, which was built on a metal frame and covered in cement, fiberglass, cardboard, and insulation. The statue, named "Big Tom", was finished in 1986 and stood 22 feet (6.7 m) tall, earning Frazee the title "Home of the world's largest turkey."

Due to Big Tom's physical makeup, the statue needed frequent repairs. There were also complaints that Big Tom was not proportioned like a real turkey. The area committee decided it needed a new Big Tom and commissioned artist Dave Oswald. On July 1, 1998, during the removing process for Big Tom, the statue caught fire from a cutting torch that was being used to remove the wings.

On September 19, 1998, a new statue arrived in Frazee in three pieces on a flatbed trailer. The new "Big Tom" took eight hours to assemble, standing over 20 feet (6.1 m) tall and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide. It weighs over 5,000 pounds, having 1,000 pounds of steel reinforcement. It has 3,000 to 4,000 separate fiberglass feathers, which took the D.W.O. Fiberglass Company over 2,000 hours to make.

References

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  1. ^ a b "City Council Members". City of Frazee, Minnesota. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  3. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Frazee, Minnesota
  4. ^ a b c "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  6. ^ "Frazee (MN) sales tax rate". Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  7. ^ City history: The early years, City of Frazee.
  8. ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 28.
  9. ^ Kammersänger Kieth Engen im Alter von 79 Jahren gestorben[permanent dead link], Bayerische Staatsoper (September 10, 2004).
  10. ^ Ein Leben voller Musik, Münchner Merkur (as updated May 3, 2009).
  11. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing". www.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "Frazee, MN". www.censusreporter.org. Census Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  13. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Frazee city, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  14. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Frazee city, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  15. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Frazee city, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  16. ^ "US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  17. ^ "How many people live in Frazee city, Minnesota". USA Today. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  18. ^ "Frazee, Minnesota - The Best of the Lake Country!". City of Frazee, Minnesota. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  19. ^ "Daggett Truck Line website". Daggett Truck Line, Inc. of Frazee, MN. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  20. ^ Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations (June 2015). "Minnesota Freight Railroad Map" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  21. ^ "Empire Builder Schedule" (PDF). National Railroad Passenger Corporation. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  22. ^ "Amtrak's Empire Builder and Borealis" (PDF). Rail Passengers Association. Retrieved January 21, 2025.
  23. ^ "Official Website for the City of Frazee, Minnesota".

Further reading

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46°43′41″N 95°42′03″W / 46.72806°N 95.70083°W / 46.72806; -95.70083