Harmony, Minnesota

Harmony, Minnesota
—  City  —
Location of Harmony, Minnesota
Coordinates: 43°33′10″N 92°0′34″W / 43.55278°N 92.00944°W / 43.55278; -92.00944Coordinates: 43°33′10″N 92°0′34″W / 43.55278°N 92.00944°W / 43.55278; -92.00944
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Fillmore
Area
– Total	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
– Land	1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,352 ft (412 m)
Population (2010)[1]
– Total	1,020
– Density	948.9/sq mi (366.4/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	55939
Area code(s)	507
FIPS code	27-27188[2]
GNIS feature ID	0644677[3]

Main Avenue, Harmony

Greenfield Lutheran Church‎

Harmony, Minnesota signpost

Harmony is a city in Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,020 at the 2010 census.^[1] The town bills itself as the "Biggest Little Town in Southern Minnesota" and features the largest Amish community in the state.

Geography

Harmony is located at 43°33′37″N 92°0′35″W / 43.56028°N 92.00972°W / 43.56028; -92.00972. According to the United States Census Bureau, 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.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] 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.

Amish

Amish came to Minnesota in the 1970s from Wayne County, 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.

Trail connection

Harmony is the southern terminus of the Harmony-Preston Valley segment of the Blufflands State Trail.

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 Preston. 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 library in Harmony.^[4] It is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating, the SE Minnesota library region.^[5]

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 River 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 caves in the Midwest and features ancient fossils older than some dinosaurs, a 60-foot (18 m) waterfall in the largest room in the cave, and a wedding chapel. There have been over 400 weddings in the cave since it opened. Outside the cave there are 10 acres (40,000 m²) of picnic grounds, a sluice box where tourists can mine for gems and fossils, and a gift shop with a selection of toys for children. There are also precious stones and large polished fossils.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved 27 April 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ Address: 225 3rd Avenue SE, Harmony, MN 55919. Phone number: 507-886-8133
5. ^ Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO)

External links

• City website
• USGS aerial image via MSR Maps
• Harmony-Preston State Trail
• Fillmore Schools Website
• Online Library Catalog
• Southeastern Libraries Cooperating