Northfield is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. A small portion lies in the adjacent Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 census. Northfield is 40 mi (64 km) south of the downtowns of Minneapolis and St. Paul and is an exurb of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It is home to two private liberal arts colleges, Carleton College and St. Olaf College.
Southern Minnesota was first settled by the indigenous Mdewakanton and Wahpekute Dakota peoples in the late 1700s, after battling with the Ojibwe and being expelled from northern Minnesota. The Wahpekute settled in the Big Woods region, which included most of what is now Northfield and Faribault. The Wahpekute used the Cannon and Straight rivers for easy transportation and game hunting. They engaged in the burgeoning Minnesota fur trade, leading Alexander Faribault to establish a trading post in Wahpekute territory in 1826, which became the town of Faribault in 1855. In 1834, the Wahpekute tribe moved their settlement to Faribault's trading post, leading to a confluence of economic and cultural engagement.
In 1822, during a war between the Wahpekute and the Sac and Fox tribes, Wahpekute head chief Shakeska (White Nails) died and was succeeded by his son Tasagi. About 170 Wahpekute people died in conflicts with the Sac and Fox between 1815 and 1825 in southern Minnesota. By this time, the Wahpekute had become economically dependent on white settlers like those at the Faribault trading post, and suffered from the depletion of game in the area.
In 1851, the Mdewakanton and Wahpekute ceded 24,000,000 acres (97,000 km2) of land to the U.S. government in the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, in what is now considered an unequal treaty. The land the U.S. bought included what is now Northfield. Also in 1851, the two tribes signed the Treaty of Mendota, and were subsequently relocated to the newly created Lower Sioux Agency in Morton.
Northfield was platted in October 1855 by John W. North. It was founded by white settlers from New England known as "Yankees" as part of westward expansion. The town was an early agricultural center with many wheat and corn farms and supported lumber and flour mills powered by the Cannon River. As the "wheat frontier" moved west, dairy operations and diversified farms replaced wheat-based agriculture. The region has since moved away from dairy and beef operations, and it produces substantial crops of corn and soybeans, as well as hogs. The local cereal producer Malt-O-Meal is one of the few remnants of Northfield's historic wheat boom. The city's motto, "Cows, Colleges, and Community" (a recent change from "Cows, Colleges, and Contentment"), reflects the influence of the dairy farms as well as its two liberal arts colleges, Carleton College and St. Olaf College.
Since early in its history, Northfield has been a center of higher education. Carleton College (then Northfield College) was founded in 1866 by the Minnesota Conference of Congregational churches whose Congregation consisted of the "Yankee" settlers who had largely founded the town. These people descended from the English Puritans who settled New England in the 1600s. Carleton soon established its campus on the northern edge of town. St. Olaf College was founded in 1874 on the western edge of town by Norwegian Lutheran immigrant pastors and farmers who were eager to preserve their faith and culture by training teachers and preachers. These two institutions, which today enroll more than 5,000 students, make Northfield a college town.
In the 1970s, completion of Interstate 35 six miles west of Northfield enabled the expansion of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro area south of the Minnesota River. The downtown grain elevator accepted its last load of corn in 2000 and was torn down in 2002. Residential growth has been rapid since the mid-1990s. Northfield Hospital, which opened in 2003 in the town's northwest corner, is in Dakota County, so chosen because government reimbursement rates are more generous for Dakota County than for Rice County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 8.61 square miles (22.30 km2); 8.56 square miles (22.17 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water. The peak elevation is about 912 ft (278 m).
The town is roughly centered around the Cannon River and rises to the east and west from it.
Interstate 35 is 6 mi (9.7 km) west of Northfield. Minnesota State Highways 3, 19, and 246 are three of Northfield's main routes.
As of the 2020 census, Northfield had a population of 20,790. The median age was 30.9 years. 17.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 83.1 males age 18 and over.
99.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.5% lived in rural areas.
There were 6,723 households in Northfield, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.5% were married-couple households, 16.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 7,023 housing units, of which 4.3% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.5%.
As of the census of 2010, there were 20,007 people, 6,272 households, and 3,946 families living in the city. The population density was 2,337.3 inhabitants per square mile (902.4/km2). There were 6,832 housing units at an average density of 798.1 per square mile (308.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 88.8% White, 1.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 4.0% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.4% of the population.
There were 6,272 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.1% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.
The median age in the city was 26.4 years. 19.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 29% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.1% were from 25 to 44; 20.1% were from 45 to 64; and 12% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female.
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families living in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 inhabitants per square mile (946.8/km2). There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile (282.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.57% White, 0.90% African American, 0.34% Native American, 2.36% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.78% from other races, and 1.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.73% of the population.