Austin, Minnesota

Austin, Minnesota
City
Clockwise from top: day city,ca St. Augustine's Church, Paramount Theater, Spam Museum, Hormel Historic Home
Clockwise from top: day city,ca St. Augustine's Church, Paramount Theater, Spam Museum, Hormel Historic Home
Official seal of Austin, Minnesota
Seal
Nickname: 
SPAM Town USA
Location of the city of Austin within Mower County in the state of Minnesota
Location of the city of Austin
within Mower County
in the state of Minnesota
Coordinates: 43°40′12″N 92°58′50″W / 43.67000°N 92.98056°W / 43.67000; -92.98056
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountyMower
PlattedSpring of 1856
Incorporated as a villageMarch 6, 1868
Incorporated as a cityFebruary 28, 1871
Government
 • MayorStephen M. King
Area
[1]
 • City
13.39 sq mi (34.7 km2)
 • Land13.29 sq mi (34.4 km2)
 • Water0.11 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation
[2]
1,211 ft (369 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • City
26,174
 • Estimate 
(2022)[4]
26,208
 • Density1,972.45/sq mi (761.57/km2)
 • Urban
25,479
 • Metro
40,140 (US: 315th)
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
55912
Area code507
FIPS code27-02908[5]
GNIS2394037[2]
Websiteci.austin.mn.us

Austin is a city in and the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 census.[3] The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and has two artificial lakes, East Side Lake and Mill Pond. It was named for Austin R. Nichols, the area's first European settler.[6]

Hormel Foods Corporation is Austin's largest employer, and the city is sometimes called "SPAM Town USA".[7] Austin is home to Hormel's corporate headquarters, a factory that makes most of North America's SPAM tinned meat, and the Spam Museum. Austin is also home to the Hormel Institute, a leading cancer research institution operated by the University of Minnesota with significant support from the Mayo Clinic.[8]

  1. ^ "2023 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Minnesota". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Austin, Minnesota
  3. ^ a b "Explore Census Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference austincity was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Weber. "Adkins headlines at Spam Town USA". Rochester Post-Bulletin. Rochester, MN. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "About Us". The Hormel Institute. Retrieved September 4, 2016.