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52-546: Hormel was born in Austin, Minnesota . He is the grandson of George A. Hormel , founder of Hormel Foods . Hormel is the son of Germaine Dubois and Jay Catherwood Hormel , who served as president of Hormel Foods . Hormel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Swarthmore College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School . After law school, Hormel served as the dean of students and director of admissions at

104-650: A North American Hockey League team that began play during the 2010–11 season. The team finished 1st in the Central Division in the 2012–13, 2013–14, and 2014–15 seasons, and advanced to the Robertson Cup Finals in 2014 and 2015, though ultimately losing the championship both times. The Bruins play their home games at Riverside Arena . Austin previously was represented in Junior hockey by the Austin Mavericks ,

156-956: A community choir (Northwestern Singers ) and several community bands (Austin Community Band, Austin Community Jazz Band, and the Austin Big Band ). Austin has produced many professional musicians of regional and national acclaim, including John Maus , Trace Bundy , Charlie Parr , Martin Zellar , Matthew Griswold , and Molly Kate Kestner . In 2015 the MacPhail Center for Music , based in Minneapolis, Minnesota , opened its first outstate location in Austin, at Riverland Community College. MacPhail's Austin campus provides individual instruction on nearly

208-646: A dozen musical instruments for adults and children, as well as large ensembles and early childhood music instruction. Theater The Frank W. Bridges Theatre is home to an active theatre program at Riverland Community College, while Matchbox Children's Theatre, established in 1975, provides shows year-round for both adults and children. Summerset Theatre, a community theater company organized in 1968, also presents several shows per year. ArtWorks Center The Austin ArtWorks Center, established in 2014, hosts gallery exhibits, educational classes, performance space, and

260-403: A household in the city was $ 33,750, and the median income for a family was $ 42,691. Males had a median income of $ 31,787 versus $ 23,158 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 20,651. About 7.5% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line . With Hormel 's corporate headquarters and main production facility in Austin, food processing plays a dominant role in

312-570: A major flood mitigation program. This involved the purchase and demolition of buildings within the floodplain, converting low-lying areas of town to parks, and the installation of a flood wall to protect downtown. After two major floods in July 1978, city officials and local residents decided to take action. Locals organized the Floodway Action Citizens Task Source (FACTS), which met with local and state leaders, as well as members of

364-415: A major redevelopment project at the site of the former Oak Park Mall. The city is embarking on a community development project, Vision 2020. This grassroots movement was chartered in 2011 to implement ten major new community initiatives that could be completed by 2020. It includes a variety of projects related to economic development, heath and wellness, education, and tourism. A community recreation center

416-633: A new round of buyouts took place through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The worst flooding on record came when the Cedar River crested at 23.4 feet (7.1 m) in the spring of 2000. Many of the worst-hit parts of town were now void of homes and businesses, but there was still damage and extensive clean-up was required. Flooding came again in September 2004, resulting in two fatalities. Additional protection (dikes) were added along

468-739: A retail gallery. It is operated by the Austin Area Commission for the Arts, which also sponsors the Austin ArtWorks Festival, an annual celebration of visual, performing, and literary arts. The center is in the First National Bank Building, which opened in 1896. Architecture Austin has several historically and architecturally significant buildings, including Austin High School, St. Augustine's Church , Roosevelt Bridge,

520-689: A team that first participated in the Midwest Junior Hockey League from 1974 to 1977 and following a league merger competed in the United States Hockey League from 1977 to 1985. Austin is home to two amateur baseball clubs, the Austin Blue Sox and Austin Greyhounds. The Riverland Community College Blue Devils field six intercollegiate athletic teams. Several other teams, clubs, and activities are prominent in Austin, including

572-440: A trapper who built the first log cabin in 1853. At that time there were "about twenty families in the area." More settlers began to arrive by wagon train in 1855, and by 1856 enough people were present to organize Mower County. In 1856 the settlement adopted the name "Austin", in honor of its first settler. That year the first hotel opened to travelers and the first physician, Dr. Ormanzo Allen, moved to town. The first newspaper,

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624-490: Is a city in and the county seat of Mower County , Minnesota , United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 census . 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. Hormel Foods Corporation is Austin's largest employer, and the city is sometimes called "SPAM Town USA". Austin

676-507: Is approximately 1,200 ft (370 m). The Cedar River , a tributary of the Iowa River , flows southward through the east side of the city. Tributaries within the city include Turtle Creek from the west and Dobbins Creek from the east. Austin has a humid continental climate typical of the Upper Midwest . Winters are cold and snowy; summers are warm with moderate to high humidity. On

728-680: 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 . Fertile land, trapping , and ease of access brought first trappers and then the early pioneers to this region. The rich gameland attracted Austin Nichols,

780-747: Is in progress, as is a tourism and visitor center. One goal is to make the downtown business district more of a destination, aided in part by the Spam Museum's relocation to Main Street in 2016. In 2015 the National Association of Realtors named Austin one of the "Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live." Austin has a long history of flooding. The Cedar River, along with Dobbins Creek and Turtle Creek , flow through Austin, and many homes and businesses were constructed in floodplains . A series of floods between 1978 and 2010 resulted in

832-748: The Hi-Q (production music) library. In 1968 he founded a major independent recording studio, The Village Recording Studio , in Los Angeles , of which he was proprietor until his death. He owned the Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix and the Wrigley Mansion Club housed within it. https://wrigleymansion.com Hormel married four times. He married his first wife, movie actress Leslie Caron , on September 23, 1951. The couple divorced on April 26, 1955. His second marriage

884-567: The Great Recession , including the demise of the Oak Park Mall. As of 2017 the business climate had improved, including a major redevelopment of the former mall site. Downtown remains vibrant as well, including construction of a new SPAM Museum in 2016. According to Austin's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (2022), the top employers in the city are: Music Austin is home to several long-standing performing arts organizations, including

936-656: The Iowa border. The city is bordered to the south by Austin Township , to the east by Windom and Red Rock townships, and to the north by Lansing Township and the city of Mapleview . Austin is bordered to the west by Oakland Township in Freeborn County . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , Austin has a total area of 13.39 square miles (34.68 km ), of which 13.29 square miles (34.42 km ) are land and 0.11 square miles (0.28 km ), or 0.79%, are water. Its elevation

988-522: The Köppen climate classification , Austin falls in the humid continental climate zone ( Dfa ) and is in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b. Below is a table of average high and low temperatures in Austin. As of the census of 2020 there were 26,174 people, 10,980 households, and 10,181 families residing in the city. As of the census of 2010 there were 24,718 people, 10,131 households, and 6,114 families residing in

1040-514: The Mower County Mirror , was started in 1858. Mills, powered by the Cedar River, were the first industries in Austin. They provided much-needed flour and lumber. Growth was slow during the first two decades, but the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad arrived in the late 1860s, hastening economic development. The town's first schoolhouse was constructed in 1865, and the first bank opened

1092-696: The San Francisco Public Library in 1996 (renamed the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center in 2016). Hormel participated in numerous events, including a conference organized in 2004 by Amnesty International in the frame of the Geneva Gay Pride. In 2010 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Grand Marshal Award by San Francisco Pride Board of Directors for his LGBT activism over several decades. Hormel's brother, Geordie Hormel ,

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1144-768: The Southern Minnesota Normal College and Austin School of Commerce. It closed in 1925, and the city was without an institution of higher education until Austin Junior College opened in 1940. In 1964 it became part of the State College and University System and is now Riverland Community College . In 1913 the Minnesota Legislature made a 50-acre (20 ha) parcel of land into Horace Austin State Park. At

1196-702: The Subsistence Homesteads Division of the Department of the Interior . The Austin Parks Board was formed in the 1940s to oversee the growing number of green spaces within the city. In 1971 the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center , a 500-acre (200 ha) nature preserve also including the 60-acre (24 ha) Hormel Arboretum, was purchased from Geordie Hormel with a state grant. In 1973 the city opened Riverside Arena ,

1248-460: The University of Chicago Law School . In 1994, President Bill Clinton considered Hormel for the ambassadorship to Fiji , but did not put the nomination forward due to objections from Fijian government officials. At the time, gay male sexual acts were punishable with prison sentences in Fiji and Hormel's being open about his sexuality would stand in conflict with " Fijian culture ". Instead, Hormel

1300-525: The 63rd Annual Academy Awards . Dave Pirner of the Minneapolis band Soul Asylum wrote a song about the strike, "P-9". It is on the band's 1989 album Clam Dip & Other Delights . Hormel never gave in to the workers' demands, and when the strike ended in June 1986, 700 employees were left without work. Austin completed a new $ 28 million courthouse and jail in 2010, a new intermediate school in 2013, and has

1352-523: The Army Corps of Engineers, but it was decided that major flood prevention measures would not be cost-effective. A Community Development Block Grant was won from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, allowing for the buyout of homes lying in the flood plain. City planners also vowed to no longer build new structures in the existing flood plains. In 1983 and 1993 major floods again damaged many Austin homes and businesses. Over 400 homes were affected and

1404-580: The Austin Symphony Orchestra, which was established in 1957. The Austin Artist Series, one of the Midwest's largest and longest-running concert and performance series, was established in 1945. The Historic Paramount Theatre hosts a variety of local and regional performances, and Austin High School 's music programs have been recognized for decades as among the state's best. Austin is also home to

1456-414: The Cedar River as a result. The most recent round of serious flooding came in 2010, after which a plan was developed for a permanent flood wall to protect downtown from the floodwaters of the Cedar River and Mill Pond. The wall was completed in 2014. On Monday, August 20, 1928, an F-2 sized tornado touched down on Winona Street (1st Avenue). The damage ran from the southern edge of Austin High School to

1508-725: The Historic Paramount Theatre, the Hormel Historic Home , the Arthur W. Wright House, and several blocks of buildings on Main Street. The S. P. Elam Residence (1950) was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright , and is the second largest example of his Usonian style of architecture. Literature Austin is the setting of Allen Eskens' novel The Life We Bury, published in 2014 by Seventh Street Books in New York. The Austin Bruins are

1560-772: The Milwaukee Road railyards on the city's east side. St. Olaf Lutheran Church, Carnegie Library, Main Street, the spire on Austin's former courthouse, Grand Theatre (replaced in 1929 by the Paramount Theatre), Austin Utilities, Lincoln School, and several boxcars at the Milwaukee railyards were damaged or destroyed. Austin residents noticed debris raining out of the sky, such as straw and laundry. Another F-2 touched down in August 1961, at 808 18th Street SW. It quickly gained strength once on

1612-963: The Southern Minnesota Bicycling Club, the Austin Curling Club, the Minnesota Southbound Rollers (female roller derby), and the Southeast Minnesota Warhawks of the Southern Plains Football League. The Riverside Arena is a 2,500-seat multipurpose arena which opened in 1973. It is home to the Austin High School Packers boys' and girls' ice hockey teams as well as the Austin Bruins. Geordie Hormel George " Geordie " Hormel (July 17, 1928 – February 12, 2006)

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1664-520: The United States. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved his nomination with only Republican and conservative Senators Jesse Helms and John Ashcroft opposed. While his confirmation by the senate initially seemed certain, with only two senators— Tim Hutchinson and James Inhofe —opposing the nomination, subsequent revelations about Hormel's background led to more opposition from Republican senators, leaving Hormel's nomination in limbo. Among

1716-418: The city was 92.6% White , 0.81% African American , 0.18% Native American , 2.22% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 3.09% from other races , and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 6.12% of the population. There were 9,897 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18. The average household size was 2.29; the average family size was 2.90. The median income for

1768-586: The city's economy. Hormel and Quality Pork Processors, a contract food processing firm serving Hormel, are by far the city's largest private employers. Though most famous for SPAM, Hormel also produces many other brands, such as Jennie-O turkey, Muscle Milk, Skippy peanut butter, and Dinty Moore beef stew. The government, education, hospitality, and retail sectors comprise much of the remainder of Austin's employment base. Hormel's consistent and steady growth have resulted in below-average unemployment rates for Austin and Mower County in recent years. As of February 2016

1820-883: The city's first indoor ice arena, now home to a variety of ice activities including the Austin Bruins junior hockey team. In August 1985, 1,500 Hormel meatpackers went on strike at the Austin plant after management demanded a 23% cut in wages. In the early 1980s, recession had impacted several meatpacking companies, decreasing demand and increasing competition which led smaller and less-efficient companies to go out of business. In an effort to keep plants from closing, many instituted wage cuts. Wilson Food Company declared bankruptcy in 1983, allowing them to cut wages from $ 10.69 to $ 6.50 and significantly reduce benefits. Hormel Foods had avoided such drastic action, but by 1985, pressure to stay competitive remained. A protracted battle between union employees and Hormel continued until June 1986, one of

1872-423: The city. The population density was 2,096.5 inhabitants per square mile (809.5/km ). There were 10,870 housing units at an average density of 922.0 per square mile (356.0/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 86.8% White , 3.0% African American , 0.3% Native American , 2.4% Asian , 0.2% Pacific Islander , 4.8% from other races , and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.4% of

1924-500: The following year. In 1891 George A. Hormel opened a small family-owned butcher shop in Austin, which eventually grew into today's Fortune 500 company, Hormel Foods . By 1896 area doctors, with the help of local Lutheran congregations, formed the Austin Hospital Association, later becoming St. Olaf Hospital, and (since 1995) part of Mayo Clinic Health System . In 1897 Charles Boostrom opened Austin's first college,

1976-860: The ground, becoming an F-3 at 17th Street SW, where it destroyed a garage. The twister lifted briefly, touching down in the city fairgrounds and hitting the grandstand roof, tearing off parts and damaging beams. In the summer of 1984, a tornado destroyed Echo Lanes Bowling Alley as it swept through southeast Austin. Neighboring Bo-Dee Campers also suffered considerable damage, and Schmidt TV was destroyed. A tornado or straight-line winds took down massive amounts of branches and trees on Saturday, June 27, 1998, uprooting smaller trees and knocking large branches across streets. Several side streets in northwest Austin became impassable, including 8th Avenue NW (near Sumner Elementary School) and 14th Street NW (between I-90 and 8th Avenue). The event caused disruption in Sunday church services

2028-474: The longest labor struggles of the 1980s. In January 1986 some workers crossed the picket lines, leading to riots; the conflict escalated to such a point that Governor Rudy Perpich called in the National Guard to keep the peace. The strike received national attention and a documentary, American Dream , was filmed during the 10-month conflict. The movie was released in 1990 and won Best Documentary Feature at

2080-459: The next morning, and many congregations organized cleanup activities instead of regularly scheduled events. A tornado touched down in Glenville on May 1, 2001, gaining strength before it turned into a F-3 headed for Austin. The twister dissipated shortly after hitting town, but did notable damage in both cities. On Wednesday, June 17, 2009, an EF2 tornado touched down outside Austin and moved across

2132-575: The northwest and northern parts of the city, gradually weakening as it moved east. The worst damage in Austin was about 3 miles (5 km) north of downtown. The visitors center at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center sustained damage, losing 300 trees. There were a few minor injuries. Austin is in western Mower County in southeastern Minnesota. It is 20 miles (32 km) east of Albert Lea , 41 miles (66 km) southwest of Rochester , 100 miles (160 km) south of Minneapolis , and 12 miles (19 km) north of

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2184-497: The obstruction of the nomination an embarrassment and urged that Trent Lott bring the issue up for a vote. When Lott continued to stall, Clinton employed a recess appointment on June 4, 1999. Hormel was sworn in as ambassador in June 1999. His partner at the time, Timothy Wu, held the Bible during the ceremony. Also in attendance were Hormel's former wife, his five children, and several of his grandchildren. The treatment of his nomination

2236-546: The points of contention were: Trent Lott , the Republican majority leader , worked to block the vote and publicly called homosexuality a sin and compared it to alcoholism and kleptomania . Concerns about Hormel's reception in Luxembourg were "blunted when officials of the country, which has laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation, indicated that he would be welcome." Senator Alfonse D'Amato of New York found

2288-443: The population. There were 10,131 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.7% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

2340-417: The time, the land was "one of the beauty spots of Southern Minnesota, but of late years has not been cared for and in places the banks have been disfigured by dumping along the shore of the stream," according to the bill's author, Senator Charles F. Cook. The park was converted to a state "scenic wayside" in 1937, then transferred to city ownership in 1949. In the 1930s Austin Acres was built with funding from

2392-461: The unemployment rate was 3.7% in Austin and Mower County, below both the state and national average. Austin-area businesses and community actively supported an application to participate as a test community in the Google Fiber project, begun in 2010. Though unsuccessful in their bid, the adoption of high-speed fiber optic and wireless internet throughout Austin is one of the Vision 2020 committee's goals. Austin's retail business struggled during

2444-429: Was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age in the city was 37. 25.6% of residents were under 18; 8.8% were between 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 or older. The city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 23,314 people, 9,897 households, and 6,076 families residing in the city and 10,261 housing units. The racial makeup of

2496-442: Was a musician and recording studio proprietor. Hormel was married to Alice Turner, now a retired psychologist, for ten years before coming out of the closet . Hormel had five children, fourteen grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He lived in San Francisco, California , with his spouse Michael Peter Nguyen Araque. James Hormel died in San Francisco on August 13, 2021, at the age of 88. Austin, Minnesota Austin

2548-630: Was an American musician and recording studio proprietor. Hormel was the son of Jay Catherwood Hormel and grandson of George A. Hormel , the founder of Hormel Foods . He claimed to have invented the corndog when he was a teenager growing up in Minnesota In the 1950s and 1960s, Hormel composed music for numerous television shows including The Fugitive , Lassie , Naked City and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin . He also sang as part of "The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen Chorus" on Frank Zappa 's triple album Joe's Garage (1979). He's also done music for Capitol Records , most importantly

2600-450: Was named as part of the United Nations delegation from the United States to the Human Rights Commission in 1995, and in 1996 became an alternate for the United Nations General Assembly . In October 1997, Clinton nominated Hormel to be ambassador to Luxembourg , which had removed laws prohibiting consensual same-sex acts between adults in the 1800s. This appointment was the first nomination or appointment of an openly LGBT person from

2652-440: Was referenced by Pete Buttigieg during his acceptance speech for his nomination as Secretary of Transportation on December 16, 2020. In 1981, he was one of the founders of the Human Rights Campaign . He was a member of the boards of directors of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the American Foundation for AIDS Research . Hormel contributed $ 500,000 to fund the creation of the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at

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2704-406: Was to Kim Wadsworth on March 23, 1957. The couple had two children, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1961. In 1968, Hormel married Nancy B. Friedman, with whom he had one child; they divorced in 1973. Hormel married his fourth and final wife, Jamie Renee Vincent, on June 2, 1992. The couple had two children, and were married until his death on February 12, 2006. His daughter Geri was featured on

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