Editing Brewster, Minnesota

{{short description|City in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Brewster
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = Brewster, MN.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = 
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map = Nobles_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Brewster_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Brewster, Minnesota
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             =

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Minnesota]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Minnesota|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Nobles County, Minnesota|Nobles]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = Mayor - Council
|leader_title             = Mayor
|leader_name              = Randy Schmitz{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_27.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=July 24, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 3.59
|area_land_km2            = 3.59
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.39
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.39
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 
|pop_est_as_of            = 
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 506
|population_density_km2   = 141.09
|population_density_sq_mi = 365.34

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 1483
|coordinates              = {{coord|43|41|50|N|95|27|52|W|region:US-MN|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 56119
|area_code                = [[Area code 507|507]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 27-07660<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2393412<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2393412}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
}}

'''Brewster''' is a city in [[Nobles County, Minnesota|Nobles County]], [[Minnesota]], United States. The population was 506 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2010 Census (City)">{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/all?q=Brewster%20city,%20Minnesota |access-date=2024-06-08 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[Image:Brewster, MN, topo map.jpg|thumb|left|Topographic map of Brewster, MN]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.36|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all  land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">{{cite web |title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=2012-11-13 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125061959/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archivedate=2012-01-25 }}</ref>  It is located one-half mile from the [[Jackson County, Minnesota|Jackson County]] line, on section 25 of [[Hersey Township, Minnesota|Hersey Township]].  The population was 502 at the 2000 census.

'''Main highways include:'''
*[[Image:MN-60.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 60]]
*[[Image:County 1.png|20px]] Nobles County Road 1
*[[Image:County 14.png|20px]] Nobles County Road 14

==History==
[[Image:Brewster Public School.jpg|thumb|left|First public school in Brewster, Minnesota]]
[[Image:Bank and General Store, Brewster 1909.jpg|thumb|left|Bank and General Store, Brewster, Minnesota]]
[[Image:Brewster postcard 1908.jpg|thumb|left|Brewster Postcard 1908]]
'''Founding of Brewster:'''  The town of Brewster was in established in the spring of 1872, but was known for many years as Hersey.  It was the first town established in Nobles County by the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad, and was named after General [[Samuel F. Hersey]], a lumber baron from Maine, and one of the railroad's directors.  The first resident was W. R. Bennett, who came to take charge of the railroad station.  T. J. Smith put up the first store which was run by A. J. Timlin for many years.  Mr. A. O. Conde established a lumber yard and a grain business, Martin Heiser opened a second store, a hotel was opened by a Mr. Humphrey, and John Iverson established a blacksmith shop.  All of this occurred in 1872, the same year that A. J. Timlin became postmaster.

'''Source of name: ''' In 1880, the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad was purchased by the [[Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway]], or the [[Omaha Road]], and there was already a station named Hersey on the latter road's track in Wisconsin.  In order to avoid confusion, the name of Hersey was changed, briefly to Nobles County Station.  Soon thereafter, the name Brewster was settled upon.  There is some confusion regarding the choice of name.  E. F. Drake, president of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad once stated that the name "was changed to Brewster after a director of the Omaha Road."  But a brochure later put out by the Chicago and North Western Railway Company stated that "the present name was given in honor of [[Brewster, Massachusetts|Brewster]], a town in [[Barnstable County, Massachusetts]], which was named in honor of [[Elder William Brewster]], one of the first settlers of [[Plymouth Colony]]."<ref>{{cite book|author=Chicago and North Western Railway Company|title=A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OspBAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA169|year=1908|page=169}}</ref>

'''Incorporation:'''  By the fall of 1898, it was found that 180 people lived in the community of Brewster.  Thus it was decided that the time had come for incorporation.  An election was held on December 14, 1898, and out of the 28 ballots cast, only one was opposed to idea of municipal government.  On January 9, 1899, Leon Morris assumed duties as the first president of Brewster Village.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/anillustratedhi00minngoog A. P. Rose's History of Nobles County]</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 234
|1910= 311
|1920= 405
|1930= 396
|1940= 467
|1950= 478
|1960= 500
|1970= 563
|1980= 559
|1990= 532
|2000= 502
|2010= 473
|2020= 506
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2012-11-13}}</ref> of 2010, there were 473 people, 207 households, and 130 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|347.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 218 housing units at an average density of {{convert|160.3|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 95.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.2% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 1.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.7% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 0.4% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 5.3% of the population.

There were 207 households, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.2% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.95.

The median age in the city was 39.5 years. 27.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 502 people, 204 households, and 138 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|417.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 218 housing units at an average density of {{convert|181.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the city was 97.01% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.40% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.20% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.99% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.40% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.19% of the population.

There were 204 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $44,625. Males had a median income of $28,229 versus $22,019 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $16,263.  About 6.5% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 27.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Politics==
Brewster is located in [[Minnesota's 1st congressional district]], represented by [[Jim Hagedorn]], a [[Republican Party of Minnesota|Republican]]. At the state level, Brewster is located in [[Minnesota Senate|Senate]] District 22, represented by [[Republican Party of Minnesota|Republican]] [[Bill Weber (Minnesota politician)|Bill Weber]], and in [[Minnesota House of Representatives|House]] District 22A, represented by Republican [[Joe Schomacker]].{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

==Local politics==
The mayor of Brewster is Randy Schmitz.  City council members are Mike Bourquin, Ed Busch, John Garmer and Andy Bedbury.<ref>[http://www.lakesnwoods.com/Brewster.htm Lakes N Woods - Minnesota Community Info]</ref> Brewster is located in Hersey Township and is represented by Nobles County Commissioner [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718213135/http://www.co.nobles.mn.us/Departments/AdministrationOffice/Commissioners/tabid/780/mid/2060/ProjectId/69/wildRC/0/Default.aspx Marvin Zylstra].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101230123006/http://www.brewstermn.net/ City of Brewster]

{{Nobles County, Minnesota}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Cities in Nobles County, Minnesota]]