Warroad

Warroad is a city in Roseau County, Minnesota, United States, at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods, 7.5 miles (12.1 km) south of Canada. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.[7] Warroad had its own newspaper[8] before it was incorporated in 1901.[9]

Minnesota State Highways 11 and 313 are two of the city's main routes.

Warroad was once one of the largest Ojibwe villages on Lake of the Woods. The Ojibwe fought a long and fierce war against the Sioux for the lake's rice fields. Occupying the prairies of the Red River Valley, the Sioux often invaded the territory by way of the Red and Roseau Rivers, a route that ended at the mouth of the Warroad River. This was the old "war road" from which the river and village derive their name.[citation needed ]

In the 20th century, the town had a strong commercial fishing industry, which gradually turned to sport fishing and tourism. For many years, commercial boats provided regular service to the islands and to Kenora, Ontario, at the north end of Lake of the Woods. Warroad is known for the great fishing on Lake of the Woods.[citation needed ]

Warroad is also called "Hockeytown USA"[1] for its strong hockey tradition. The Warroad High School program has earned four men's state championship titles ('94, '96, '03, '05) and two women's ('10, '11) over 20 years, and has produced NHL and Olympic players. No U.S. Hockey Olympic men's team has won a gold medal without a player from Warroad.[10] Another important piece of Warroad hockey history is the Warroad Lakers amateur team, which existed from 1947 to 1997.

Warroad is the site of St. Mary's Church, also called the Father Aulneau Memorial Church, which commemorates a French Catholic priest who accompanied French explorers and soldiers in their search for the Northwest Passage and was killed along with several other people, presumably by Native Americans. The Aulneau Peninsula in Lake of the Woods is named after Father Aulneau.

Warroad is along the southwest shore of Lake of the Woods at Muskeg Bay, east of Roseau and west of Baudette. Warroad is 7.5 miles south of Canada. The Warroad River flows through town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 2.90 square miles (7.51 km2), of which 2.79 square miles (7.23 km2) is land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km2) is water.[11]

Warroad has a humid continental climate, moderately moist, in central North America but drier than those found in New England or Ontario Eastern (Dfb in the Koppen classification). It has one of the most rigorous winters in the contiguous United States, in which cold Arctic air can invade unobstructed and stay for up to a few weeks, and at its latitude, the hours of winter sunshine are relatively short, increasing the chill hours relative to other places of similar altitude. Summers are moderately hot to hot as air masses advance from the Gulf of Mexico, especially in July and August, although the average annual temperature is at 36.1 °F (2.3 °C) and 549 mm of precipitation annually, concentrated heavily in summer.[12][13]

As of the census[4] of 2010, there were 1,781 people, 764 households, and 452 families residing in the city. The population density was 638.4 inhabitants per square mile (246.5/km2). There were 839 housing units at an average density of 300.7 per square mile (116.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 83.3% White, 0.1% African American, 5.7% Native American, 8.5% Asian, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 764 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.8% were non-families. 36.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93.

The median age in the city was 38.9 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 10% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 1,722 people, 657 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The population density was 254.7/km2 (660/sq mi). There were 766 housing units at an average density of 113.3/km2 (293/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 81.65% White, 0.29% Black or African American, 7.38% Native American, 9.18% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.00% from other races, and 1.51% from two or more races. 0.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. According to the 2000 US Census, the town had the US's highest percentage of Laotian Americans.

There were 657 households, out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,948, and the median income for a family was $44,667. Males had a median income of $27,123 versus $22,465 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,412. 8.8% of the population and 7.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.7% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

The Warroad Pioneer was Warroad's newspaper for 120 years until its final edition on May 7, 2019.[8]

In the television show The West Wing, character Donna Moss claims to be from Warroad in the episode "Dead Irish Writers". She becomes classified as a non-U.S. citizen when the Canada–US border is moved such that Warroad is in Canada.

Coordinates: 48°54′19″N 95°18′52″W  /  48.90528°N 95.31444°W  / 48.90528; -95.31444