Варрен қаласы: тарих, география және құбылыстар

City in Minnesota, United States

Warren is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,605 at the 2020 census.

Warren was platted in 1879, and named for Charles H. Warren, a railroad official. A post office has been in operation at Warren since 1880. Although several times larger than the next largest city in the county, Warren's prominence as the county seat has been threatened several times in its history. The original plan for the Soo Line Railroad (completed in 1905) branch line that passes through Warren called for it to run from Thief River Falls to Argyle and then west. Argyle interests hoped the establishment of a railroad junction there would lead to the removal of the county seat from Warren to Argyle. Other interests prevailed, although the railroad line forms a parabola extending north from Thief River Falls, and then south to Warren, as if the plan changed while the line was being built. In 1974, citizens of the eastern part of the county, noting Warren's location in the western quarter of the long county, and very nearly at its southern boundary, petitioned twice for the relocation of the county seat to Newfolden. Neither effort that year resulted in the question being put on the ballot, and in fact, voters in the interim had approved the construction of an addition to the courthouse in Warren. Warren was featured on a 2006 episode of the History Channel's UFO Files episode "Alien Encounters." The unsolved case of a mysterious object impacting a county sheriff's car on August 27, 1979, was featured (see Val Johnson Incident). This same case was also featured in 2012 on the Travel Channel's Mysteries at the Museum episode "MGM Fire; UFO Car, Prophecy Sword"

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.44 square miles (4 km2), all land. The Snake River flows in serpentine fashion through the city (hence its name), and both banks are developed, which has proved problematic as the city attempts flood control. Some major floods in the city's history took place in 1896 (twice), 1969, 1974, 1979, 1996 (twice), and 1997. The streets of the original townsite of Warren are laid out on a grid parallel and perpendicular to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Some newer additions, particularly those south of Bridge Street (Minnesota Highway 1) are laid out on a conventional north–south grid. The BNSF is the dividing line for the street system east and west, and Bridge Street is the dividing line north and south. U. S. Highway 75 and Minnesota State Highway 1 are two of the main routes in the city.

Agriculture and agribusiness have been the mainstays of Warren throughout its history. In fact, for most of its history, there has been no other industry at all. Although the Red River Valley has a short growing season, which is often made even shorter due to floods, the area has excellent crop yields which help make farming in the area less risky than in other areas with poorer soil. The principal crops are wheat, soybeans, potatoes, and sugar beets. Warren was at one time home to the largest independent elevator in Minnesota. Northwest Grain Cenex Harvest States Cooperative has a large elevator on the Soo Line, and the American Crystal Sugar Co. operates a sugar beet terminal just north of Warren during harvest. Warren has three bank branches, the largest being a branch of Community Bank of the Red River Valley, headquartered in East Grand Forks.

Warren is home of the Warren Alvarado Oslo school district. The district has one six year high school and one elementary school, both located in Warren. Both buildings have been called superior facilities for a district its size. The high school, built in 1954, includes a 1000 seat auditorium. The elementary school, built in 1970, was originally an "open school" design where the classrooms were separated by chalkboard partitions rather than walls, although a few walls were installed in 1987. In the late 2000s, the school board went on to add on a new gymnasium. Warren has a public library, the Godel Memorial Library, and is home to the Marshall County Historical Society, the Marshall County Fair, and the Warren Riverside Country Club (9 hole, par 4, grass greens).

The Warren City Council voted to build an airport in 1965 for an estimated cost of $109,000. A dedication ceremony took place in August 1966.