Faribault, Minnesota, United States

🇺🇸 Faribault is a city in, and the county seat of, Rice County, Minnesota, United States. Faribault is approximately 50 miles south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul.

Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highways 3, 21, and 60 are four of Faribault's main routes.

Faribault is situated at the confluence of the Cannon and Straight Rivers in southern Minnesota.

History Faribault is regarded as one of the most historic communities in Minnesota, with settlement and commercial activity predating Minnesota's establishment as a U.S. Territory. Until 1745, the area was primarily occupied by the Wahpekute band of Dakotah. Shortly thereafter, the tribe was driven south after several clashes with the Ojibwe over territory.

The city's namesake, Alexander Faribault, was the son of Jean-Baptiste Faribault, a French-Canadian fur trader, and Elizabeth Pelagie Kinzie Haines, a Dakotah woman. He is credited with fueling most of the early settlement in the area, beginning in 1826, when he established a fur trading post on the banks of the Cannon River. By 1834, the trading post had grown in popularity and was relocated to the Straight River, one mile (1.6 km) upstream of its junction with the Cannon River, the site of modern-day Faribault. The young Alexander Faribault used his knowledge of Dakota language and culture to improve relations with the displaced Wahpekute and even helped the tribe to resettle in the area. This relationship was instrumental in ensuring the success of the trading post and allowing safe travel to the area for settlers. The Dakota in the area called this soon-to-be town "Adek" for Alex (Alexander Faribault).

Another source maintains the city is named for Jean-Baptiste Faribault.

The Alexander Faribault House was built in 1853 by Alexander Faribault at a cost of $4,000, equal to $140,704 today. It is considered the oldest framed structure in the area, and still stands in its original location near the south-eastern edge of Faribault's historic downtown district.

The years following the construction of this first building brought unprecedented growth, development, and economic prosperity to the young settlement. Spurred by the completion of the area's first steam-powered sawmill in early 1854, the next year took Faribault from a sleepy settlement of 20 buildings to a bustling town with more than 250. Historians attribute Faribault's impressive growth during this period to a number of important milestones in 1855 and 1856, including the creation of roads connecting to other settlements and trading posts in Iowa and Minnesota Territory, the availability of mail service, and the construction of schools and churches.

The City of Faribault was platted in 1855 and granted a home-rule charter in 1872.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.67 square miles (40.59 km²); 15.32 square miles (39.68 km²) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.91 km²) is water. The confluence of the Straight River and the Cannon River is located within city limits. Sakatah Lake State Park and Nerstrand-Big Woods State Park are nearby.

Interstate Highway 35 runs along the western edge of the city. The city is served by two full interchanges and one partial interchange. Before I-35's completion, traffic was routed through town, generating significant sales revenue to the retailers that had a major highway running past their doors. In approximately 1975, the last portions of I-35 were completed and through traffic started to bypass Faribault. On that same corridor through town, the White Sands Swimming Pool ("Minnesota's Largest Outdoor Swimming Pool") operated from 1964 to 1977. This swimming area is now the White Sands Dog Park, as well as the trailhead for the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail, which runs to Mankato. The Mill Towns Trail is planned to run to Northfield. The site includes parking, restrooms and a shelter.

Economy Faribault has the usual gamut of small-town retail and service shops. Employers also include an assortment of light manufacturing offerings.

The main street, Central Avenue, is seeing a renaissance of redevelopment with most of the historic commercial block listed on the national register of historic places. Many buildings are being restored to their original appearance. Among them is the Paradise Center for the Arts, a multipurpose art centre that is the result of a merger between the Faribault Art Center and the Faribault Area Community Theatre. Two longtime Faribault retailing/shopping institutions closed: the oldest, a longtime Central Avenue fixture, Jim & Joe's Clothiers closed after 125+ years of service due to a number of related factors. The other, Minnick's Food Market, was Faribault's last mom-and-pop grocery store and closed after 60+ years of operation in late 2006.

Herbert Sellner, a woodworker and maker of water slides, invented the Tilt-A-Whirl in 1926 at his Faribault home. Over the next year, the first 14 Tilt-A-Whirls were built in Sellner's basement and yard. In 1927, Sellner Manufacturing opened its factory in Faribault, and the ride debuted that year at the Minnesota State Fair.

Founded in 1865, the Faribault Woolen Mills stayed in continuous operation until 2009. Reopened in 2011, it is one of few remaining vertical woolen mills in the United States, taking raw wool and producing finished goods.

SAGE Electrochromics, a specialized window glass developer and wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, is based in Faribault.

Education The Minnesota State Academies for the Deaf and for the Blind, including the State Library for the Blind, are in south-eastern Faribault, above the Straight River. Noyes Hall, a neoclassical building on the campus of Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is named for Jonathon L. Noyes, the school's longtime administrator.

Shattuck-Saint Mary's is a coeducational boarding school especially noted for its Centers of Excellence program in hockey, winning numerous youth national championships and producing several NHL and Olympic team players.

South Central Community College (a Minnesota State College and University System institution) has a campus in Faribault.

The Faribault Public Schools operate an early childhood centre, four elementary schools (one of which is a charter school), a middle school, Faribault High School, the Area Learning Center, and Faribault Education Center, which offers adult education. Students come from Faribault and surrounding communities and rural areas.

Other institutions The Thomas Scott Buckham Memorial Library is the city library.

The Minnesota Correctional Facility - Faribault is a state prison on the campus of a former mental hospital (aka "The State Schools").

The River Bend Nature Center is a 750-acre (3.0 km²) nonprofit nature centre in Faribault's south-east corner.

The Rice County Historical Society is in Faribault.