Page Contents for New Ulm, Minnesota

Statistics & Facts

Location

History & History-related items

City Attractions

Government

Libraries.

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Statistics & Facts

The Minnesota state capital is St. Paul.
The population of New Ulm is approximately 13,132 (1990), 13522 (2010).
The approximate number of families is 5,379 (1990), 5732 (2010).
The amount of land area in New Ulm is 22.164 sq. kilometers.
The amount of surface water is 0.486 sq kilometers.
The distance from New Ulm to Washington DC is 1027 miles.
The distance to the Minnesota state capital is 77 miles. (as the crow flies)
New Ulm is positioned 44.31 degrees north of the equator and 94.46 degrees west of the prime meridian.

Location

in south-central Minnesota, 90 miles southwest of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St.Paul in the heart of the scenic Minnesota River Valley.
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History & History Related Items

The idea for the City of New Ulm, a settlement of German immigrants, was conceived by Frederick Beinhorn in Germany. Beinhorn came to America in 1852. By 1853, he was in Chicago where he founded the "Chicago Land Society". In 1854, the site of the present new Ulm was selected by the advance group. The name, New Ulm was selected because many of the original settlers were from the Province of Wurttemberg, Germany, of which Ulm is the principal city.

In 1856, Wihlem Pfaender arrived in New Ulm with members of the Turner Colonization Society of Cincinnati. The two groups merged and in 1857, the town of New Ulm was incorporated by an act of the State Legislature.

The City of New Ulm was important to Minnesota's history. The first steamboats passed by New Ulm in 1853, going up river with troops to lay out a site for Fort Ridgley. For the next 20 years, boats brought settlers, freight, Indian supplies and gold to the area.

The Indians mingled freely with New Ulm settlers in those days. Much trading was done between the Indians and the settlers of New Ulm. New Ulm was nearly overrun in the Dakota Conflict of 1862. New Ulm survived two separate sieges in August of 1862. Several buildings, which still stand along Minnesota Street, served as a refuge for residents and nearby settlers.

The German heritage of New Ulm is evident in the architecture, and especially in the neatness and care visible in the trim yards and well kept houses and store fronts. New Ulm was given a precise grid pattern layout of streets and parks by the German Land Society. This grid pattern provides easy access to parks from any part of the city.
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Attractions

Many specialty shops featuring German products
Fine German and American restaurants
Beautiful parks with walking paths, flowers gardens and fountains
18 hole golf course, 7 other courses nearby
Flandrau State park with sand bottomed pool, camping and hiking
Bike/walking trail
Morgan Creek Vineyard, including wine tasting tours, gift shop
August Schell Brewery, including beer tasting tour, gift shop
Family Recreation Center with indoor pool, fitness center, etc
Hermann Monument, 102 foot tall monument with surrounding park
Glockenspiel, one of the worlds few free standing carillon clock towers, 45 feet tall, bells plays music while animated figures depict the development and history of the city
Brown County Museum with exhibits on Dakota Indians, early settlers of Brown County, and the Dakota Conflict, includes an extensive research room
The Harkin Store a restored 1870's general store with much of the original stock, open for tours or play chess next to the wood stove
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New Ulm City Government

City of New Ulm
100 North Broadway, P. O. Box 636
New Ulm, Minnesota 56073
Phone: 507-359-8233
Fax: 507-359-9752

New Ulm is the county seat of Brown County.

New Ulm Libraries

New Ulm Library
19 North Broadway
New Ulm, Minnesota 56073
Phone: 507-359-8331
Fax: 507-354-3255
Email