Absolut Prague

New Prague is a city in Le Sueur and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 4,559 at the 2000 census.

The city is named after Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, and the city and surrounding area reflect the Czech origins of many of their first settlers. The pronunciation of the city is Prayg’, dissimilar from the city in Europe.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.8 km²), all of it land. The land around the area varies from flat, to hilly.

Minnesota State Highways 13, 19, and 21 are three of the main routes in the community.

There is one lake in the New Prague area, Cedar Lake (Scott County). The lake is a popular destination for fishing, ice fishing, water skiing, and jet skiing. A snowmobile trail runs through the lake during the winter season. An aerated area is located in the eastern part of the lake. The lake is 779.5 acres (3.155 km2), has a maximum depth of 13 feet (4.0 m) and has a 3.1-foot (0.94 m) water clarity. There are numerous developments in the area, including a new development located on County Road 89 on the west side of the lake.

Dožínky

Dožínky (doe-shink’-key), a Czech Harvest Festival patterned after the “Old Country” original. The Dožínky Festival in the Czech Republic is celebrated annually to give thanks for the bountiful harvest. In New Prague the festival is held on the third Saturday of each September. The town shuts down most of the downtown portion of Main Street to make host for people, food, games, a noon parade, and other fun for one day on Saturday. On the eve of the festival, Friday night, a classic and hot rod car show/drive takes place. Car enthusiasts come to show off their vehicles in a parade of cars on Main Street. Afterwards, cars are available to look at. Typically there are food and other drinks stands open during that time, and there is an alumni softball and volleyball tournament.

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,559 people, 1,694 households, and 1,180 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,731.3 people per square mile (669.3/km²). There were 1,735 housing units at an average density of 658.9/sq mi (254.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.25% White, 0.13% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population. 38.1% were of German, 20.9% Czech, 8.8% Norwegian, 8.0% Irish and 5.4% Czechoslovakian ancestry according to Census 2000. 92.6% spoke English, 5.5% Czech and 1.2% German as their first language.

There were 1,694 households out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $41,750, and the median income for a family was $50,341. Males had a median income of $37,393 versus $25,164 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,732. About 2.6% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.