Editing Frazee, Minnesota

{{Short description|City in Minnesota, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Frazee, Minnesota
|settlement_type          = [[City]]
|nickname                 = "The Hive", "Turkey Town"
|motto                    = "Home of the World's Largest Turkey", "Stingers up"
<!-- Images --------------->
|image_skyline            = Frazee MN Downtown from Amtrak.jpg
|imagesize                = 275px
|image_caption            = Downtown Frazee
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               = 
<!-- Maps ----------------->
|image_map                = Becker_County_Minnesota_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Frazee_Highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Frazee, Minnesota
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
<!-- Location ------------->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Minnesota]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Minnesota|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Becker County, Minnesota|Becker]]
<!-- Government ----------->
|government_footnotes     = <ref name="CityCouncil">{{cite web|title=City Council Members |url=https://frazeecity.com/process.php?option=com_members |publisher=City of Frazee, Minnesota |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
|leader_name              = Mike Sharp
|leader_title1            = [[Councillor|Councilmembers]]
|leader_name1             = Andrea Froeber<br>Mark Kemper<br>Andrew Daggett<br>Jim Rader
|established_title        = Settled
|established_date         = 1870
|established_title1       = Platted
|established_date1        = 1873
|established_title2       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
|established_date2        = January 6, 1891
|named_for                = Randolph Lafayette Frazee
<!-- Area ----------------->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024">{{cite web|title=2024 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_gaz_place_27.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 2.880
|area_land_km2            = 2.778
|area_water_km2           = 0.102
|area_total_sq_mi         = 1.110
|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.073
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.039
<!-- Population ----------->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_est           = 1308
|pop_est_as_of            = 2023
|pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2023"/>
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
|population_total         = 1335
|population_density_km2   = 470.90
|population_density_sq_mi = 1219.63
|population_urban         = 
|population_metro         = 35283
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = −6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = −5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_m              = 422
|elevation_ft             = 1385
|coordinates              = {{coord|46|43|40.85|N|95|42|3.16|W|region:US-MN_type:city|display=inline}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP Code]]
|postal_code              = 56544
|area_code                = [[Area code 218|218]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 27-22472
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0643899<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|0643899}}</ref>
|blank2_name              = [[Sales tax]]
|blank2_info              = 7.375%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avalara.com/taxrates/en/state-rates/minnesota/cities/frazee.html|title=Frazee (MN) sales tax rate|access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|https://frazeecity.com/|frazeecity.com}}
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Frazee''' ({{IPAc-en|f|r|eɪ|ˈ|z|iː}} {{respell|fray|ZEE|'}}) is a city in [[Becker County, Minnesota|Becker County]], Minnesota, United States. It is the second-most-populous city in Becker County. The population was 1,335 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020 Census (City)">{{cite web|title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Frazee_city,_Minnesota?g=160XX00US2722472 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>

==History==
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.<ref name=Ehx>[http://www.frazeecity.com/frazeetheearlyyears.html ''City history: The early years''], City of Frazee.</ref> It was named after Randolph Lafayette Frazee, owner of a sawmill.<ref>{{cite book|last=Upham |first=Warren |title=Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance |url=https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog |year=1920 |publisher=[[Minnesota Historical Society]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/minnesotageogra00uphagoog/page/n47 28]}}</ref>

Frazee was the birthplace of [[Kieth Engen]], a noted operatic [[Bass (voice type)|bass]].<ref>[https://www.staatsoper.de/presse/presseinformationen/presse-infos-oper/mitteilung/news/kammersaenger-kieth-engen-im-alter-von-79-jahren-gestorben.html?no_cache=1&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&cHash=70bc96b4429d739f7cc19814b3328f34 ''Kammersänger Kieth Engen im Alter von 79 Jahren gestorben'']{{Dead link|date=January 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[Bayerische Staatsoper]] (September 10, 2004).</ref><ref>[https://www.merkur.de/lokales/regionen/leben-voller-musik-266855.html ''Ein Leben voller Musik''], [[Münchner Merkur]] (as updated May 3, 2009).</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|1.110|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|1.073|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.039|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1880= 97
|1900= 1000
|1910= 1645
|1920= 1277
|1930= 1041
|1940= 1167
|1950= 1021
|1960= 1083
|1970= 1015
|1980= 1284
|1990= 1176
|2000= 1377
|2010= 1350
|2020= 1335
|estyear=2023
|estimate=1308
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2023">{{cite web|title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |website=www.census.gov |access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br>2020 Census<ref name="2020 Census (City)"/>
}}

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 in the United States|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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Frazee, MN |url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/16000US2722472-frazee-mn/ |publisher=Census Reporter |website=www.censusreporter.org |access-date=January 21, 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

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===
{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Frazee, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''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.''}}</small>
! Race / ethnicity <small>(''NH = non-Hispanic'')</small>
! Pop. 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Frazee city, Minnesota|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=160XX00US2722472&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>
! Pop. 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Frazee city, Minnesota|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2722472&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>
! {{partial|Pop. 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Frazee city, Minnesota|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US2722472&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>
! % 2000
! % 2010
! {{partial|% 2020}}
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
| 1,277
| 1,167
| style='background: #ffffe6; |1,098
| 92.74%
| 86.44%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |82.25%
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
| 9
| 18
| style='background: #ffffe6; |30
| 0.65%
| 1.33%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2.25%
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
| 41
| 69
| style='background: #ffffe6; |66
| 2.98%
| 5.11%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |4.94%
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
| 13
| 8
| style='background: #ffffe6; |9
| 0.94%
| 0.59%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.67%
|-
| [[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
| 0
| 0
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0
| 0.00%
| 0.00%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
| [[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
| 3
| 0
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0
| 0.22%
| 0.00%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or multiracial]] (NH)
| 21
| 55
| style='background: #ffffe6; |97
| 1.53%
| 4.07%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |7.27%
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
| 13
| 33
| style='background: #ffffe6; |35
| 0.94%
| 2.44%
| style='background: #ffffe6; |2.62%
|-
| '''Total'''
| '''1,377'''
| '''1,350'''
| style='background: #ffffe6; |'''1,335'''
| '''100.00%'''
| '''100.00%'''
| style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], there were 1,335 people, 543 households, and 327 families residing in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|title=US Census Bureau, Table P16: Household Type |url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=Frazee%20city,%20Minnesota%20p16&y=2020 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref> The [[population density]] was {{convert|1244.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 606 housing units at an average density of {{convert|564.8|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 83.07% [[White (U.S. census)|White]], 2.32% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 5.24% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.67% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.07% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.67% from some other races and 7.94% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 2.62% of the population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How many people live in Frazee city, Minnesota |url=https://data.usatoday.com/census/total-population/total-population-change/frazee-city-minnesota/160-2722472/ |publisher=[[USA Today]] |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>

===2010 census===
As of the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]], there were 1,350 people, 540 households, and 325 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1273.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 595 housing units at an average density of {{convert|561.3|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 88.07% [[White (U.S. census)|White]], 1.56% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 5.11% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.59% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.00% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.22% from some other races and 4.44% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|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==
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.<ref name="CityCouncil"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Frazee, Minnesota - The Best of the Lake Country! |url=https://frazeecity.com/council.html |publisher=City of Frazee, Minnesota |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>

==Business and industry==
[[File:Frazee MN Water Tower.jpg|thumb|right|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.<ref name='daggett'>{{cite web|title=Daggett Truck Line website |url=https://daggetttruck.com/ |publisher=Daggett Truck Line, Inc. of Frazee, MN |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>

==Transportation==
Major roads are [[U.S. Route 10 in Minnesota|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 Railway|BNSF]]. In 2015, this line carried an average of 49 trains per day.<ref name="rail-volume">{{cite web|title=Minnesota Freight Railroad Map |url=http://www.dot.state.mn.us/ofrw/maps/MNFreightRailroadMapLarge.pdf |author=Office of Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations |publisher=[[Minnesota Department of Transportation]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923022517/http://www.dot.state.mn.us/ofrw/maps/MNFreightRailroadMapLarge.pdf |archive-date=September 23, 2016 |date=June 2015 |access-date=May 29, 2019}}</ref>

Amtrak's [[Empire Builder]] runs through town in each direction in the early morning; its closest station stop is [[Detroit Lakes station|Detroit Lakes]], {{convert|10|mi|km|spell=in}} away.<ref>{{cite web|title=Empire Builder Schedule |url=https://content.amtrak.com/content/timetable/Empire%20Builder.pdf |publisher=National Railroad Passenger Corporation |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Amtrak's Empire Builder and Borealis |url=https://www.railpassengers.org/site/assets/files/20928/empire-builder-borealis.pdf |publisher=Rail Passengers Association |access-date=January 21, 2025}}</ref>

==The world's largest turkey==
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2019}}
[[File:Frazee turkey "Big Tom".jpg|thumb|right|"Big Tom" in 2018]]
Frazee is best known as the home of Big Tom: the World's Largest Turkey.<ref name='city page'>{{cite web|url=http://www.frazeecity.com/|title=Official Website for the City of Frazee, Minnesota}}</ref> Frazee has long been part of the [[turkey (bird)|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 [[Thermal insulation|insulation]]. The statue, named "Big Tom", was finished in 1986 and stood {{convert|22|ft|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 {{convert|20|ft|m}} tall and {{convert|17|ft|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==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite web|title=This 22-Foot Turkey Roosts in a Region of Roadside Giants |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/28/us/worlds-largest-turkey-minnesota-thanksgiving.html |quote=Frazee |website=www.nytimes.com |access-date=November 28, 2024}}
* {{Cite web|title=The Storied History of the 5,000-Pound Turkey in Frazee, Minnesota -- Nicknamed The 'Frazee Phoenix' |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/the-storied-history-of-the-5000-pound-turkey-in-frazee-minnesota-nicknamed-the-frazee-phoenix/ |website=www.cbsnews.com |access-date=November 28, 2024}}

{{Becker County, Minnesota}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|46|43|41|N|95|42|03|W|type:city_region:US-MN|display=title}}

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