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Renting an Apartment in Albert Lea
What You Should Know
Albert Lea is a city located in Freeborn County in southeast Minnesota. As of
the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 18,356. It is the county
seat of Freeborn County. The city is at the junction of I-90 and I-35, about 90
miles south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of Fountain Lake, which is
part of the Shell Rock River flowage and Albert Lea Lake. The city's early
growth was based upon agriculture, farming support services and manufacturing.
At one time it was the site of Cargill's headquarters. Other manufacturing
included Edwards Manufacturing, Scotsman Ice Machines and Universal Milking
Machines. Like many U.S. towns much of the manufacturing base has diminished. A
long-time center of the city's job opportunity was the Wilson & Company meat
packing plant, later known as Farmstead and Farmland. This facility was
destroyed by fire.6.
Geography
Location of Albert Lea, Minnesota
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.5
km� (12.6 mi�). 27.9 km� (10.8 mi�) of it is land and 4.6 km� (1.8 mi�) of it is
water. The total area is 14.17% water. Myre-Big Island State Park is nearby.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 18,356 people, 7,785 households, and 4,826
families residing in the city. The population density was 657.4/km�
(1,702.5/mi�). There were 8,133 housing units at an average density of 291.3/km�
(754.3/mi�). The racial makeup of the city was 92.80% White, 0.37% African
American, 0.29% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.54% from
other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 9.48% of the population were
Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 7,785 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living with
them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder
with no husband present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households
were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years
of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size
was 2.88.
23.0% of Albert Lea's population were under the age of 18, 7.9% were 18 to 24,
24.6% were 25 to 44, 23.2% were from 45 to 64, and 21.3% were 65 years of age or
older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,841, and the median income
for a family was $42,407. Males had a median income of $31,383 versus $21,114
for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,979. 10.2% of the
population and 6.9% of families were below the poverty line. 10.6% of those
under the age of 18 and 10.9% of those 65 and older were living below the
poverty line.
Trivia
The city is named after Albert Miller Lea, a major in the Confederate Army. In
1835, Lea surveyed southern Minnesota and northern Iowa, including the current
site of Albert Lea, while serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. Captain
Nathan Boone, a son of Daniel Boon, was the scout for Lea's expedition.
Rockabilly legend Eddie Cochran ("Summertime Blues") was born in Albert Lea.
Actress Marion Ross (Happy Days) was born in Albert Lea.