Ada, Minnesota

Ada (/ˈeɪdə/ AY-də) is a city in Norman County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,740 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat.

Ada was laid out in 1874 and incorporated on February 9, 1881. It was named in honor of a daughter of William H. Fisher (the namesake of Fisher, Minnesota), of St. Paul, then attorney and superintendent of the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, under whose superintendency this line of the Red River Valley was constructed. A post office has been in operation at Ada since 1876. As Norman County grew in the 1880s, they were outgrowing their current space being used as a county courthouse in Ada, and erecting a new building was on the horizon. At the time, Norman County was bigger than today, with Twin Valley roughly at the geographic center. Starting in 1900, Twin Valley worked to rally support behind the goal of building the new courthouse there, turning it into the county seat as well. Two petitions and one vote later, Ada won the challenge. In 1906, it became a moot point when Mahnomen County was formed, shrinking Norman County and making Ada the geographic center.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.39 square miles (3.60 km²), all land.

Minnesota State Highways 9 and 200 are two of the main routes in the city.

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,707 people, 742 households, and 436 families living in the city. The population density was 1,228.1 inhabitants per square mile (474.2/km²). There were 837 housing units at an average density of 602.2 per square mile (232.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.9% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population.

There were 742 households, of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 43.9 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.3% were from 45 to 64; and 22.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.5% male and 54.5% female.

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,657 people, 749 households, and 432 families living in the city. The population density was 1,234.4 inhabitants per square mile (476.6/km²). There were 835 housing units at an average density of 622.1 per square mile (240.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.44% White, 0.06% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 1.03% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.78% of the population.