Carver, Minnesota

Carver is a city in Carver County, Minnesota, United States. Located along the Minnesota River, the population was 5,829 at the 2020 census. The city is named after early explorer Jonathan Carver.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

U.S. Highway 212 serves as a main route in the area.

History

Early history

Ten thousand years ago, the Glacial River Warren flowed through the area and left deposits of clay, sand, gravel, and fine silt soils as well as the Minnesota River. Carver and the surrounding Minnesota River Valley were occupied by a Native American, pre-Columbian Woodland Culture from approximately 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1850. In 1834, there was a Wahpeton village at the present-day location of Carver, led by Chief Mazomaini; early maps indicate it was located on either side of the mouth of Carver Creek where it meets the Minnesota River.

Pierre-Charles Le Sueur became the first European to navigate the Minnesota River, and between 1683 and 1700 made explorations of the region on behalf of King Louis XIV of France. In 1766, Jonathan Carver explored the area on behalf of the British Empire, and made maps as he searched for a western water route that flowed across North America to the Pacific Ocean. He named a small branch flowing into the Minnesota River "Carver's River", strongly correlated to the Carver Creek of today. In 1805, French trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault established the Little Rapids trading post just upriver of present-day Carver; the post, on behalf of the Northwest Fur Company, was visited by Voyageurs, Coureur des bois, Dakota Indians, and Christian missionaries.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Carver had a population of 5,829. The median age was 35.6 years. 32.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 7.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.8 males age 18 and over.

82.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 18.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,848 households in Carver, of which 50.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 72.1% were married-couple households, 8.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 3,724 people, 1,182 households, and 984 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,236 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.8% White, 1.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 6.3% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population.

There were 1,182 households, of which 55.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.9% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 16.8% were non-families. 11.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.46.

The median age in the city was 31.7 years. 36.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 36.1% were from 25 to 44; 19.1% were from 45 to 64; and 3.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,266 people, 458 households, and 349 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 467 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.39% White, 0.24% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.95% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population.

There were 458 households, out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 42.1% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $65,083, and the median income for a family was $70,673. Males had a median income of $43,125 versus $29,408 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,020. About 0.6% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen or sixty-five or over.

Politics

{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; font-size:95%;"

|+ Presidential elections results

|- bgcolor=lightgrey

! Year

! Republican

! Democratic

! Third parties

| style="text-align:center;" |2024

| style="text-align:center;" |47.9% 1,810

| style="text-align:center;" |49.5% 1,870

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.6% 99

| style="text-align:center;" |2020

| style="text-align:center;" |46.7% 1,460

| style="text-align:center;" |50.2% 1,569

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|3.1% 96

| style="text-align:center;" |2016

| style="text-align:center;" |49.4% 1,145

| style="text-align:center;" |40.1% 930

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.5% 243

| style="text-align:center;" |2012

| style="text-align:center;" |57.1% 1,174

| style="text-align:center;" |40.8% 838

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.1% 42

| style="text-align:center;" |2008

| style="text-align:center;" |55.5% 988

| style="text-align:center;" |42.7% 760

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.8% 32

| style="text-align:center;" |2004

| style="text-align:center;" |60.8% 839

| style="text-align:center;" |37.6% 518

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.6% 22

| style="text-align:center;" |2000

| style="text-align:center;" |53.7% 386

| style="text-align:center;" |39.7% 285

| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|6.6% 47

thumb|upright|St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Carver. The view in October 2008

Education

St. Nicholas Catholic Church is located in the heart of the city. While St. Nicholas does not have a Catholic School, many parochial school students attend nearby Guardian Angels Catholic School just a short distance away in nearby Chaska. East Union Elementary and Clover Ridge Elementary are popular public schools elementary students. For high school students, many attend Chaska High School. In September, 2017, Carver Elementary opened providing public schooling for Elementary age students.