Watkins has a German-Catholic heritage with a history dating back to 1886 with the building of the Minneapolis and Pacific Railroad. The site of the village was on a farm then owned by Danville D. Spaulding and it was laid out by Spaulding, Alonzo D. Spaulding and the railroad in June 1887. The plat was filed on August 22, 1887. The post office began in 1887. Watkins was established as a Village on May 2, 1893. It's a city in section 2 of Forest Prairie Township, and it was named by officers of the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad for an official of the railroad. Nothing more is known about the man the town was named after. Joseph Vossen and Alonzo D. Spaulding had the first business, a lumber yard and grain storehouse in 1887. Six months later, Vossen bought out Spaulding to run the business by himself. Watkins was separated from the Forest Prairie Township on March 23, 1917. Minnesota State Highway 55 serves as a main route in the community, while CSAH #2 runs north and south through the City. The population was 962 at the 2010 census. On July 11, 2016, an EF 1 tornado tore through town, causing damage to trees and homes along with other buildings, taking part of the roof off the nursing home. Luckily, only one person was injured.
As of the census of 2010, there were 962 people, 398 households, and 236 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 438 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 98.8% White, 0.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 0.3% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.4% of the population. There were 398 households of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couplesliving together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 36.9 years. 28.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.8% were from 25 to 44; 21.4% were from 45 to 64; and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 880 people, 336 households, and 206 families living in the city. The population density was 1,722.7 people per square mile. There were 367 housing units at an average density of 718.4 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 99.32% White, 0.34% African American, 0.11% Asian, and 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population. There were 336 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.07. In the city, the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 15.6% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $32,188, and the median income for a family was $41,786. Males had a median income of $35,435 versus $19,318 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,950. About 6.7% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.
