Proctor is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1894, the town was named after former Kentucky Governor J. Proctor Knott. It is part of the Duluth Metropolitan Area. The population was 3,120 at the 2020 census.
History
The city was established as Proctorknott in 1894, with the name coming from former Kentucky Governor J. Proctor Knott. Knott was famous for delivering the speech The Untold Delights of Duluth to the U.S. House of Representatives. The city's name was shortened to Proctor in 1904.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , all land.
Proctor is adjacent to Duluth's Bayview Heights neighborhood, with which it forms something of a contiguous community unit due to Bayview Heights' topographical separation (the hill) from adjacent West Duluth. It is bounded by the city of Hermantown to the north, Midway Township to the west, Bayview Heights to the east, and a mostly undeveloped area of Duluth (officially in the Riverside neighborhood) to the south.
Kingsbury Creek flows through the central Proctor. Knowlton Creek flows through the southeast Proctor.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Proctor had a population of 3,120. The median age was 41.4 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.4 males age 18 and over.
98.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 1,313 households in Proctor, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.1% were married-couple households, 19.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 3,057 people, 1,268 households, and 795 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,361 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 1,268 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.
The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 29.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000,
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
! Republican
! Democratic
! Third parties
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2020
| style="text-align:center;" |40.6% 790
| style="text-align:center;" |56.8% 1,106
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.6% 51
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2016
| style="text-align:center;" |37.8% 655
| style="text-align:center;" |52.2% 903
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|10.0% 173
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2012
| style="text-align:center;" |29.8% 525
| style="text-align:center;" |67.6% 1,193
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.6% 46
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2008
| style="text-align:center;" |29.9% 546
| style="text-align:center;" |67.6% 1,234
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.5% 46
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2004
| style="text-align:center;" |29.0% 511
| style="text-align:center;" |69.9% 1,233
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.1% 20
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |2000
| style="text-align:center;" |28.2% 443
| style="text-align:center;" |66.2% 1,042
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.6% 88
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1996
| style="text-align:center;" |22.5% 348
| style="text-align:center;" |66.6% 965
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|9.9% 147
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1992
| style="text-align:center;" |19.8% 327
| style="text-align:center;" |61.8% 1,019
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|18.4% 304
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1988
| style="text-align:center;" |27.0% 392
| style="text-align:center;" |73.0% 1,062
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.0% 0
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1984
| style="text-align:center;" |25.1% 394
| style="text-align:center;" |74.9% 1,178
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.0% 0
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1980
| style="text-align:center;" |22.9% 376
| style="text-align:center;" |71.9% 1,179
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|5.2% 85
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1976
| style="text-align:center;" |24.7% 372
| style="text-align:center;" |73.4% 1,106
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|1.9% 26
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1968
| style="text-align:center;" |14.3% 195
| style="text-align:center;" |83.3% 1,133
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|2.4% 33
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1964
| style="text-align:center;" |14.8% 213
| style="text-align:center;" |85.1% 1,224
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.1% 2
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |1960
| style="text-align:center;" |31.1% 442
| style="text-align:center;" |68.7% 977
| style="text-align:center; background:honeyDew;"|0.2% 4
|}
Culture
Proctor is the home of the South Saint Louis County Fairgrounds and the Proctor Speedway.
The Proctor Hoghead Festival takes place every August. Hoghead celebrates Proctor's railroad history.
The Proctor Area Museum is operated by the Proctor Area Historical Society.
Proctor is the starting point for the Blackwoods Blizzard Tour, an annual snowmobile ride around northern Minnesota that raises money to fight ALS. The ride goes from Proctor up to Tower, over to Two Harbors, and returns to Proctor. The organization raises over $1 million every year for ALS research, making it the largest snowmobile fundraiser in the world.
Infrastructure
Public transit
- Duluth Transit Authority
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 2
- 20px Interstate 35
Education
Proctor's public school district is Proctor Public Schools. It encompasses Proctor, Duluth's Bayview Heights neighborhood, and Canosia, Grand Lake, Midway, and Solway townships. ISD 704 operates two elementary schools (Bayview Heights and Pike Lake), Jedlicka Middle School, and Proctor High School.
References
External links
- City of Proctor, MN – Official site
- Proctor Schools site
- Proctor Journal newspaper site
- Proctor Area Chamber of Commerce website
- Official Proctor, MN Travel Guide site