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ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA - USA
Rochester is a city located in Olmsted County, Minnesota. As of the 2000
census, the city had a total population of 85,806. Rochester is best known
as the home of the Mayo Clinic medical center. The Clinic and IBM's
Rochester campus are the two biggest employers in the city. It is the county
seat of Olmsted County.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
103.0 km˛ (39.8 mi˛). 102.6 km˛ (39.6 mi˛) of it is land and 0.4 km˛ (0.1
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water. Rochester is in one of
the few counties in Minnesota without a natural lake, although artificial
lakes exist in the area. The most famous of these is named Silver Lake, a
dammed portion of the South Fork Zumbro River just below the convergence
with Silver Creek near the city center. The lake was used as a cooling pond
for the nearby electrical power plant for many years, although the amount of
water used for this purpose has been significantly reduced. Heated water in
the lake prevented it from freezing over even during cold Minnesota winters,
attracting migrating Canadian Geese, which have become symbols of the city.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 85,806 people, 34,116 households, and
21,493 families residing in the city. The population density is 836.4/km˛
(2,166.3/mi˛). There are 35,346 housing units at an average density of
344.5/km˛ (892.4/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 87.51% White, 3.57%
African American, 0.30% Native American, 5.63% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander,
1.16% from other races, and 1.79% from two or more races. 2.99% of the
population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 34,116 households out of which 32.6% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 51.8% are married couples living together, 8.5% have
a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% are non-families.
29.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.5% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.43 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18,
9.1% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100
females there are 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 91.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $49,090, and the median
income for a family is $60,754. Males have a median income of $40,380 versus
$30,136 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,811. 7.8% of
the population and 4.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 8.8% are under the age of 18 and 10.2% are
65 or older.
Industry
The primary industries in Rochester are medical services, computer design
and programming, light manufacturing (mostly computers and electronics), and
a substantial hotel/motel and restaurant trade that serves visitors to the
Mayo Clinic.
Transportation
As in most American cities, the primary mode of transportation in Rochester
and the surrounding area is the automobile. The city is served by three U.S.
highways (U.S. 14, U.S. 52, and U.S. 63), and the southern edge of Rochester
is skirted by Interstate 90. By air, the city is served by Rochester
International Airport.
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