Rockville is a city in Stearns County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,382 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
According to the local oral tradition, a village of the Dakota people was once located to the north of the lake.
The parish cemetery in nearby Jacobs Prairie, Minnesota includes the grave of early Rockville pioneer Michael Hanson, Sr. Hanson was already an elderly immigrant when he arrived as a homesteader with his sons and many of his grandchildren from the Luxembourgish-speaking but Prussian-ruled village of Obersgegen. Hanson was old enough, in fact, to have been a combat veteran of the French Imperial Army who had lost a leg to enemy fire during the Napoleonic Wars. As stipulated in his last request, Hanson lies buried in St. James Cemetery next to his close friend, pioneer settler, and fellow Napoleonic Wars veteran, Herr Pieck.
Rockville was platted in 1856, and named for granite rock formations on nearby streams. A post office has been in operation at Rockville since 1857. Levi Gaylord was selected as the first Postmaster. The Government selected Newton Smith on June 6, 1861. In Rockville the Clark and McCormack Quarry and House, consisting of a quarry established in 1907 and a house built in 1924, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On June 1, 2002, the city of Pleasant Lake and Rockville Township were merged into the city of Rockville.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ; is land and is water.
Rockville, including the former Rockville Township, is located in Township 123 North of the Arkansas Base Line and Range 29 West of the Fifth Principal Meridian.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Rockville had a population of 2,382. The median age was 43.4 years. 22.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 107.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 109.7 males age 18 and over.
32.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 68.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 923 households in Rockville, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 67.8% were married-couple households, 15.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 11.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 2,448 people, 880 households, and 703 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 1,041 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.9% White, 0.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.5% Pacific Islander, 6.1% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.3% of the population.
There were 880 households, of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.8% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.1% were non-families. 14.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in the city was 40.5 years. 25.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.5% were from 25 to 44; 31.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.9% male and 48.1% female.
2000 census
As of the census
Residents of the St. Cloud school district portion are zoned to Discovery Elementary School. Almost all of the St. Cloud school district sections of Rockville are zoned to South Middle School, and Technical Senior High School. A small slice of land north of Highway 23 is zoned to North Middle School, and Apollo High School.