Preston is a city in and the county seat of Fillmore County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, Preston had a population of 1,322. The Root River runs through it, and Mystery Cave State Park is nearby. It bills itself as "America's Trout Capital," with a 20-foot trout placed along Minnesota State Highway 16.

History

Preston was platted in 1855. The community was named for Luther Preston, a millwright and postmaster. The old Preston grain elevator used to be known as the Milwaukee Elevator Company Grain Elevator. It was built around 1890 for holding grain for shipment by railroad to the Eastern cities of the United States. The elevator was last used in the 1980s. It was built with "cribbed" construction, which has to do with interlocking bins. At the time it was a lot stronger and a lot more expensive to build it this way than to build it in stud construction. Now the Preston Historical Society is trying to restore the structure.

thumb|left|The Preston Overlook on the bluff above the city

The Preston Overlook was built in 1937 by the Minnesota Department of Highways under the program of Federal Relief Construction during the New Deal. A site was chosen on the highest point on the bluffs above the Root River, 90 feet below. The Preston Overlook was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The South Branch of the Root River snakes through the city.

U.S. Highway 52 and Minnesota Highway 16 are two of the main routes in the city.

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Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Preston has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Preston was on July 18, 1964, August 2, 1964, July 14, 1995, and July 7, 2012, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 3, 1996 and February 1, 2019.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,325 people, 603 households, and 361 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 675 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.3% White, 0.2% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population.

There were 603 households, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.3% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.1% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.79.

The median age in the city was 43.8 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 28% were from 45 to 64; and 20.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.4% male and 50.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census

References

  • Preston Schools