The city was established as Proctorknott in 1894, with the name coming from former KentuckyGovernorJ. Proctor Knott. Knott was famous for delivering the speech The Untold Delights of Duluth to the U.S. House of Representatives. The city's name was shortened to Proctor in 1904.[5]
Proctor is adjacent to Duluth's Bayview Heights neighborhood, with which it forms something of a contiguous community unit due to Bayview Heights' topographical separation (the hill) from adjacent West Duluth. It is bounded by the city of Hermantown to the north, Midway Township to the west, Bayview Heights to the east, and a mostly undeveloped area of Duluth (officially in the Riverside neighborhood) to the south.
Kingsbury Creek flows through the central Proctor. Knowlton Creek flows through the southeast Proctor.
As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 3,057 people, 1,268 households, and 795 families living in the city. The population density was 1,019.0 inhabitants per square mile (393.4/km2). There were 1,361 housing units at an average density of 453.7 per square mile (175.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.8% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 1,268 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.8% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.3% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.
The median age in the city was 41.4 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.5% were from 25 to 44; 29.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000,[3] there were 2,852 people, 1,196 households, and 772 families living in the city. The population density was 942.8 inhabitants per square mile (364.0/km2). There were 1,246 housing units at an average density of 411.9 per square mile (159.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 96.49% White, 0.14% African American, 1.16% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population. 19.8% were of German, 17.9% Norwegian, 10.3% Swedish, 7.3% French, 7.0% Finnish, 6.2% Polish, 6.0% Irish and 5.4% Italian ancestry.
There were 1,196 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,322, and the median income for a family was $49,875. Males had a median income of $33,583 versus $22,035 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,851. About 3.2% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
Proctor is the home of the South Saint Louis County Fairgrounds and the Proctor Speedway.
The Proctor Hoghead Festival takes place every August. Hoghead celebrates Proctor's railroad history.
The Proctor Area Museum is operated by the Proctor Area Historical Society.
Proctor is the starting point for the Blackwoods Blizzard Tour, an annual snowmobile ride around northern Minnesota that raises money to fight ALS. The ride goes from Proctor up to Tower, over to Two Harbors, and returns to Proctor. The organization raises over $1 million every year for ALS research, making it the largest snowmobile fundraiser in the world.
Proctor's public school district is Proctor Public Schools. It encompasses Proctor, Duluth's Bayview Heights neighborhood, and Canosia, Grand Lake, Midway, and Solway townships. ISD 704 operates two elementary schools (Bayview Heights and Pike Lake), Jedlicka Middle School, and Proctor High School.
