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| The regional economic hub of
Southwestern Minnesota, the City of Worthington is nestled in
the Southwest corner of Minnesota at the intersection of
Interstate 90 and Minnesota State Highway 60. Having a strong
agricultural presence from row crops to various kinds of
livestock, Worthington has attracted large corporations involved
in processing, research, and shipping to locate to the
community. Worthington is home to research companies that are
actively discovering new technologies in the bio-science field,
as well as several manufacturing companies that are involved in
building homes, commercial buildings and plastic products. The
City of Worthington has 130 acres of land available along
Interstate 90 for the addition of any bio-science, commercial,
or industrial businesses.
Worthington has an excellent school system along with the Minnesota West Community & Technical College, two clinics and a progressive, growing hospital. And don't forget the wide variety of recreation activities that include Lake Okabena, bike paths, nineteen city parks, soccer fields, hockey arena, tennis courts, and a disc golf course. There is also a restored and recently remodeled art deco War Memorial Auditorium that offers a great variety of shows, plus the many festivals that our city hosts throughout the year. Courtesy City of Worthington |
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| Worthington (city) | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2000-2010 Change | |
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| Actual | Percent | ||||||
| Population | 9,916 | 10,243 | 9,977 | 11,283 | 12,764 | +1,481 | +13.12 |
| Land Area (sq. mile) | 2.70 | 6.75 | 7.01 | 7.15 | 7.34 | +0.19 | +2.66 |
| Density (persons per sq. mile) | 3,672.6 | 1,517.5 | 1,423.3 | 1,578.9 | 1,739.0 | +160.1 | +10.14 |
| Housing Units | 3,284 | 4,092 | 4,141 | 4,573 | 4,699 | +126 | +2.76 |
| Households | -- | 3,904 | 3,967 | 4,311 | 4,458 | +147 | +3.41 |
| Persons Per Household | -- | 2.56 | 2.42 | 2.55 | 2.86 | +0.31 | +12.16 |
Worthington is a city in and the county seat of Nobles County, Minnesota. Interstate 90, US Highway 59 and State Highway 60 are the main arterials in the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.74 square miles (22.64 km²), of which, 7.34 square miles (19.01 km²) of it is land and 1.40 square miles (3.63 km²) of it is water.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,764 people, 4,458 households, and 2,917 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,739.0 inhabitants per square mile (671.4 /km2). There were 4,699 housing units at an average density of 640.2 per square mile (247.2 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 62.2% White, 5.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 8.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 20.5% from other races, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.4% of the population.
There were 4,458 households of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.6% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.36.
The median age in the city was 33.5 years. 26.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 21.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.1% male and 48.9% female.
Worthington's First Decade: The first European to set eyes on southwestern Minnesota was French explorer Joseph Nicollet. Nicollet mapped the area between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers in the 1830s. He called the region “Sisseton Country” in honor of the Sisseton band of Dakota Indians then living there. It was a rolling sea of wide open prairie grass that extended as far as the eye could see. One small lake in Sisseton Country was given the name “Lake Okabena” on Nicollet’s map, “Okabena” being a Dakota word meaning “nesting place of the herons.”
In 1871, the St. Paul & Sioux CityRailway Company decided to connect those two cities with a ribbon of steel. The puffing steam engines that then chugged across the prairies consumed enormous quantities of water. As a result, water stations were needed every eight to twelve miles (19 km) along the route. One of these stations was designated as “The Okabena Railway Station.”
In that same year, Professor Ransom Humiston of Cleveland, Ohio, and Dr. A.P. Miller, editor of the Toledo Blade, organized a company to locate a colony of settlers along the tracks of the Sioux City and St. Paul Railway. This colony – the National Colony – was to be a village of temperance with a capital “T”, a place where evangelical Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Baptists could live free of the sins of alcohol. A town was plotted, and the name was changed from the Okabena Railway Station to Worthington, Worthington being the maiden name of Dr. Miller’s mother-in-law.[4] On April 29, 1872, regular passenger train service to Worthington was started, and on that very first train were the first of the National Colony settlers. One early arrival described the scene:
We were among the first members of the colony to arrive at the station of an unfinished railroad… There was a good hotel, well and comfortably furnished, one or two stores neatly furnished and already stocked with goods, [and] several other[s] in process of erection… The streets, scarcely to be defined as such, were full of prairie schooners, containing families waiting until masters could suit themselves with “claims,” the women pursuing their housewifely avocations meanwhile – some having cooking stoves in their wagons, others using gypsy fires to do their culinary work; all seeming happy and hopeful.[5]
Settlers poured into the region. It was the age of the Homestead Act when 160 acres (0.65 km2) of government land could be claimed for free. All one had to do was live on the land and “improve” it, a vague phrase if ever there was one. In such an atmosphere, settlers without connection to the National Colony also arrived in great number, and few of those were temperance activists. Scandinavian, German, and Irish immigrants were among those who came. American-born settlers invariably included many hardened – and hard-drinking – Civil War veterans hungry for free land.
A curious event took place on Worthington’s very first Fourth of July celebration. Hearing that there was a keg of beer in the Worthington House Hotel, Professor Humiston entered the hotel, seized the keg, dragged it outside, and destroyed it with an axe. A witness described what happened next:
''Upon seeing this, the young men of the town thought it to be rather an imposition, and collected together, procured the services of the band, and under the direction of a military officer marched to the rear of the hotel, and with a wheelbarrow and shovel took the empty keg that had been broken open, and playing the dead march with flag at half staff marched to the flagpole in front of Humiston’s office where they dug a grave and gave the empty keg a burial with all the honors attending a soldier’s funeral.
They then, with flag at full mast and with lively air, marched back to the ice house, procured a full keg of beer, returning to the grave, resting the keg thereon. Then a general invitation was given to all who desired to partake, which many did until the keg was emptied… In the evening they reassembled, burning Prof. Humiston in effigy about 10 p.m. Thus ended the glorious Fourth at Worthington, Minn. —Sibley Gazette July 5, 1872[6]
In spite of tensions between pro-temperance and anti-temperance factions, the town grew rapidly. By the end of summer in 1872, eighty-five building had been constructed where just one year before there had been nothing but a field of prairie grass.
The ensuing winter was a severe one, and swarms of grasshoppers stripped farmers’ fields bare in the summer of 1873. Still, settlers came. 1874 produced a bumper harvest, followed by another grasshopper invasion in 1875. 1876 and 1877 were both good farming years. Grasshoppers returned for the last time in 1879, and a bright future began for southwestern Minnesota. According to the 1880 census, Nobles County boasted 4435 residents, 636 of them living in Worthington. For German, Irish and Scandinavian immigrants seeking a new life, southwestern Minnesota was a new world.
Courtesy Minnesota Historical Society
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Worthington City Hall 303 9th Street PO Box 279 Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-8600 Fax: (507) 372-8630 Regular Business Hours: City Council
Meetings:
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| Title | Term Ends | Name and Address | Phone | |
| Mayor | 12/31/2020 | Michael Kuhle 414 Sundown Drive Worthington, MN 56187 |
(507) 372-2823 | |
| City Administrator | appointed |
Steve Robinson
PO Box 279 Worthington, MN 56187 |
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(507) 372-8622 |
| Clerk | appointed |
Janice Oberloh PO Box 279 Worthington, MN 56187 |
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(507) 372-8621 |
| Council Member - Ward 1 | 12/31/2020 | Alan Oberloh 1630 S Shore Drive Worthington, MN 56187 |
(507) 376-3203 | |
| Council Member - Ward 1 | 12/31/2022 | Larry Janssen 1600 S Shore Drive Worthington, MN 56187 |
(507) 350-9596 | |
| Council Member - Ward 2 | 12/31/2022 | Mike Harmon 829 W Lake Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 |
(507) 376-4635 | |
| Council Member - Ward 2 | 12/31/2020 | Amy Ernst 820 Turner Street Worthington, MN 56187 |
(507) 360-8572 | |
| Council Member - at large | 12/31/2020 | Chad Cummings 604 W Shore Drive Worthington, MN 56187 |
(507) 360-6510 | |
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US Post Office 850 10th Street Worthington, MN 56187-2760 Phone: (507) 376-4870 Toll Free: (800) ASK-USPS
Regular Business Hours:  
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| Utility Type | Utility Name | Utility Phone |
| Electricity | Worthington Public Utilities | (507) 372-8680 |
| Natural Gas | Minnesota Energy Resources Corp | (800) 889-9508 |
| Wastewater | Worthington Public Utilities | (507) 372-8680 |
| Water | Worthington Public Utilities | (507) 372-8680 |
| Telephone | Frontier Communications | (800) 435-1504 |
| Cable TV | Mediacom | (507) 372-7747 |
| Employer | Products/Services | Employees |
| Swift & Company | Animal Slaughtering & Processing | 1,500 |
| Worthington Regional Hospital | General Medical & Surgical Hospitals | 261 |
| Highland Manufacturing | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 170 |
| Bedford Industries Inc | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 153 |
| Intervet, Inc. | Pharmaceutical & Medicine Manufacturing | 140 |
| Worthington Specialty Clinics | Offices of Physicians | 102 |
| Daily Globe | Newspaper, Periodical, Book, & Directory Publishers | 85 |
| Fullerton Building Systems Inc | Nonresidential Building Construction | 40 |
| New Vision Co-op | Warehousing & Storage | 38 |
| Schaap Sanitation | Waste Collection | 25 |
| Worthington Tractor Parts | Industrial Machinery Manufacturing | 25 |
Minnesota State
Highway Map of the Worthington Minnesota area
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Old Fashioned
4th of July, Pioneer Village July 4th See history come to life at Pioneer Village’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration. Pioneer Village is a historical attraction located next to the Nobles County Fairgrounds. Visitors can enjoy barbecues, hot dogs and lemonade in the village’s fire hall; sip sarsaparilla in the Red Garter Saloon; and watch demonstrations of frontier life at various venues. Each year a melodrama is performed by local actors and actresses. Take a step back in time and spend the Fourth of July in Worthington. |
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International Festival
Second weekend in July Celebrate the many cultures in Worthington at the International Festival. This colorful festival is every July at the Nobles County Government Center lawn in downtown Worthington. A talent contest, music and food from around the world, children’s activities and much more make this an event you do not want to miss. |
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Nobles County Fair Second weekend in August There is sure to be family fun for everyone at the Nobles County Fair held each August at the Nobles County Fairgrounds. A full carnival runs Thursday through Sunday and grandstand events Friday through Sunday. All 4-H and open class entries from livestock, to photography to flowers are on display throughout the fair. Visit Machinery Row on Stower Drive. And of course there is plenty of tasty fair food available. There is no admission charge to get on the grounds! |
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King Turkey Day Second weekend in September Don’t miss Worthington’s King Turkey Day celebration. For more than 70 years, this event has attracted thousands of people to Worthington. Start your day at the free pancake breakfast. During the Great Gobbler Gallop live turkeys are raced down the street in a friendly rivalry with Cuero, Texas. A delegation from Cuero brings a turkey to challenge Worthington’s famous turkey, Paycheck. Right after the gallop, one of the area’s largest parades kicks off. Hundreds of people gather along Worthington’s Tenth Street to catch the action. A featured speaker, 10K race and carnival are all a part of King Turkey Day festivities. |
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For more Worthington area events, see the |
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Nobles County Art Center 407 12th St, War Memorial Bldg Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-8245 12 annual shows are scheduled throughout the year, and the Art Center has a permanent collection on display. The Art Center is sponsor of Art in the Courtyard, an annual showcase for local and regional artisans, held the first Saturday in August. Art Center hours are 2-4:30 p.m. weekdays. |
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Pioneer Village 1600 Stower Drive Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-3125 Pioneer Village is typical of many small communities in the Midwest at the beginning of the 20th Century. Consider each building as it might have affected your ancestors. It was their hard work, influence and vision of their future and yours that created the world we live in today. Pioneer Village is a symbol of their contribution to our history with a special emphasis to Southwest Minnesota and particularly Nobles County, and is dedicated to their memory. |
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Spomer Classics 322 Oxford Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2919 Toll Free: (800) 279-2919 Display of over 300 advertising items of automobiles, implements, oil, gas, etc. See the lost art of porcelain and neon signs and clocks. All are restored and in working order. Also on display are peddle cars and 20-30 classic cars. |
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War Memorial Auditorium -
Performing Arts Center Constructed in 1931 in the classic Art Deco style, the renovated and newly restored building is one of the largest auditorium facilities in a wide region of southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa. Memorial Auditorium is a 735-seat performance center owned and operated by the City of Worthington. The large proscenium stage features state-of-the-art lighting and sound. |
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Prairie View
Golf Links 30784 County Road 25 Worthington, MN 56187-0279 Phone: (507) 372-8670 Web: www.prairieviewgolflinks.com Prairie View Golf Links affords many beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. Water hazards come into play on five holes. There are no trees on the golf course, but there is a thick cut of rough defining the fairways. An accurate approach shot is needed on hole #15, a 518-yard, par 5, which plays from a slight dogleg right fairway to a green that is surrounded on three sides by water. |
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| Lake Name | Size (acres) |
Lake info | Lake Map | Rec Map | Topo Map |
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| Ocheda | 1691 |
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n/a |
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| Okabena | 776 |
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Avera Worthington Specialty Clinics 508 10th Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2921 Web: www1.avera.org |
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Sanford
Worthington Medical Center 1018 Sixth Avenue PO Box 997 Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2941 Web: www.sanfordregionalworthington.org |
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Independent School District
518 1117 Marine Avenue Worthington MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2172 Fax: (507) 372-2174 Web: www.isd518.net Grades: PK-12 |
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Worthington High School 1211 Clary Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6121 Fax: (507) 372-4304 Grades: 9-12 |
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Worthington Middle School 1401 Crailsheim Road Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-4174 Fax: (507) 372-1424 Grades: 6-8 |
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Prairie Elementary School 1700 1st Avenue SW Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 727-1250 Fax: (507) 727-1255 Grades: PK-5 |
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| St. Mary's School 1206 8th Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-5236 Grades:
K-6 |
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Abundant Life
Tabernacle 627 Clary Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6228 Web: www.worthingtonupci.org Pastor:
Todd Bauman |
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Pastor: Gary Andersen |
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Bethel
Presbyterian
Church
19816
Moser
Avenue
Worthington,
MN 56187
Phone:
(507)
926-5908
Pastor: Leslie Winters |
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| Calvary Baptist Church 1401 Fourth Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-4456 Pastor: Jeremy Jacob |
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| Church of God 1509 Clary Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-3921 Pastor: n/a |
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| Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints
13th Street and Fifth Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-5798 Pastor: n/a |
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| Comunidad Christiana de Worthington
350 W Oxford Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-7976 Pastor: Hector & Raquel Andrade |
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| Emmanuel United Methodist Church 1400 Fourth Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-5212 Pastor: Gordon Orde and Lowell
Reinking |
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First Baptist
Church 1000 Linda Lane Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-9735 Web: n/a Pastor: Jonah Beckermann |
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First
Covenant Church 1645 South Shore Drive Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-5109 Web: www.firstcovenantworthington.org Pastor: John & Kris Stewart |
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Evangelical Lutheran Church - ELCA 1200 Fourth Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6148 Web: www.felcwgtn.org Pastor: Rev. Jeanette Clark
McCormick |
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First
United Methodist Church 408 11th Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2939 Web: www.firstumcworthington.com Pastor: Rev. Dr. Daren I. Flinck |
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Grace Community Church 2011 Nobles Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 343-7920 Web: www.graceonline.net Pastor: Scott Barber |
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| Indian Lake Baptist Church 31141 Roberts Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-5401 Pastor: Doug Roth |
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| Jehovah's Witnesses 622 Clary Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2605 Pastor: n/a |
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| New Hope Church 225 Ninth Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-9567 Pastor: Gene Evasku |
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St. Mary's Catholic Church 1215 Seventh Avenue Worthington 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6001 Web: www.stmarysworthington.org Pastor: Father James Callahan |
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St. Matthew's
Lutheran Church - LCMS 1505 Dover Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6168 Web: www.stmatthewworthington.com Pastor:
Tom Braun |
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Solid Rock Assembly
1730 Diagonal Road Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-5770 Web: www.worthingtonagmn.org Pastor: Scott Peterson |
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Westminster Presbyterian Church 230 Clary Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-3138 Web: www.wpcwgtn.org Pastor:
James Krapf
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| Worthington Baptist Church 1508 N Douglas Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-3292 Pastor: Rev. James A. Sickmeyer |
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Worthington Christian Church 1501 N Douglas Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-3418 Web: www.worthingtonchristianchurch.com Pastor: n/a |
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KNSW 91.7 News 1450 College Way Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2904 Web: minnesota.publicradio.org |
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KRSW 89.3 Classical 1450 College Way Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2904 Web: minnesota.publicradio.org |
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KWOA 95.1 FM - The
Eagle 28779 County Highway 35 Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6165 Fax: (507) 376-5071 Web: www.951theeagle.com |
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KWOA 730 AM - Newsradio 730 28779 County Highway 35 Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6165 Fax: (507) 376-5071 Web: www.kwoa.com |
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Worthington Daily Globe 300 11th Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-9711 Fax: (507) 376-5202 Web: www.dglobe.com Daily newspaper published Monday through Saturday with a circulation of 9,451 |
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AmericInn 1475 Darling Drive Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-4500 Fax: (507) 372-4033 Toll Free: (800) 634-3444 Web: www.americinn.com Whether you are traveling for business or leisure, the AmercInn Lodge & Suites of Worthington hotel is the best overall lodging value in the area. You'll be sure to enjoy a quiet night's sleep with our AmericInn SoundGuard™ construction of thick masonry walls that separate each room. We provide a wonderful complimentary AmericInn Perk breakfast every morning from 6:00am to 10:00am featuring AmericInn waffles along with eggs and a host of other choices. After a filling breakfast guests of all ages love our heated indoor pool and whirlpool. |
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| Budget Inn 1231 Oxford Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6136 Fax: (507) 372-7316 Our motel has small kitchens with microwaves and refrigerators. |
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Days Inn 207 Oxford Street Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-6155 Fax: (507) 376-3374 Web: www.daysinn.com FREE WiFi High Speed
Internet * FREE Daybreak Breakfast |
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Holiday Inn Express 1250 Ryan's Road Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2333 Fax: (507) 372-2006 Web: www.ichotelsgroup.com Conveniently located off I-90 in the city's shopping and dining district, our Worthington, MN hotel puts you in the middle of all this exciting town has to offer. If you're looking for hotels in Worthington, MN with choice amenities, consider staying here and enjoy perks that include an indoor pool, a complimentary, hot breakfast bar, a large conference room and a fitness center with a 42-inch TV. |
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| Sunset Inn Highway 60/59 & Oxford Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 376-9494 Fax: (507) 376-9492 36 rooms with high speed Internet. Laundry facilities onsite. |
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Super 8 850 Lucy Drive Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-7755 Toll Free: (866) 372-7755 Fax: (507) 376-9491 Web: www.super8.com Looking for easy on off access from Interstate 90? Look no further. We are conveniently located off exit 42 of I-90. Location is not our only amenity. We offer complimentary high speed internet access, SuperStart breakfast including hot waffles, muffins and cereal, upgraded amenities in certain rooms and a clean, friendly, quiet environment. |
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Travelodge Hotel 2015 N Humiston Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 Phone: (507) 372-2991 Fax: (507) 372-5301 Toll Free: (888) 515-6375 Web: www.travelodge.com We are the largest FULL SERVICE Hotel/Motel in Worthington, MN with 105 rooms. New indoor pool. Onsite bar and grill. Free continental breakfast. Gym and fitness center. |
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| Olson Park and Campground Off street parking in designated sections. Electrical outlets in shelter house and at 63 camping spurs. Water at shelter house, dump station, and one central hydrant. Five camping sites are designated for tenting. The dredge site area, of Sunset Park, is actually part of the Olson Park property. Playground equipment new in 2001. Wild Flower Native Prairie area located on southerly property entrance. Dog Park located at southerly property entrance. |
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Topographic map is courtesy of the Minnesota DNR - click map to zoom or enlarge
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