Itasca County, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Itasca County Courthouse | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMinnesota | |
 Minnesota's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:47°31′N93°38′W / 47.51°N 93.63°W /47.51; -93.63 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Minnesota |
| Founded | October 27, 1849[1] |
| Named after | Lake Itasca |
| Seat | Grand Rapids |
| Largest city | Grand Rapids |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,928 sq mi (7,580 km2) |
| • Land | 2,668 sq mi (6,910 km2) |
| • Water | 260 sq mi (670 km2) 8.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 45,014 |
• Estimate (2024) | 45,442 |
| • Density | 16.9/sq mi (6.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
Itasca County (/aɪˈtæskə/eye-TASS-kə)[2] is a county located in theIron Range region of theU.S. state ofMinnesota. As of the2020 census, the population was 45,014.[3] Itscounty seat isGrand Rapids.[4] The county is named afterLake Itasca, which is in turn a shortened version of the Latin wordsveritas caput, meaning 'truth' and 'head', a reference to the source of theMississippi River. Portions of theBois Forte andLeech LakeIndian reservations are in the county.
The boundary of Itasca County was first formed in 1849, upon the creation of theMinnesota Territory. It was originally a much larger county, which covered many of today's northeasternMinnesota counties. The original Itasca County stretched over Cook, Lake, Saint Louis, Koochiching, eastern Lake of the Woods, eastern Beltrami, Itasca, northern Aitkin, and northern Carlton counties, today in Minnesota.
Itasca County was originally named forLake Itasca (no longer in the county's present borders), which was determined to be the true source of theMississippi River. After many disputes over finding the source of the Mississippi River,Henry Schoolcraft set out to find its true source in 1832. Once he came upon its true source, he decided to name this 'Lake Itasca.' The Mississippi River flows from its small beginnings at Lake Itasca, where it can be crossed on foot.[5] It flows pastBemidji, through Itasca County, and continues to theGulf of Mexico.
The terrain of Itasca County is hilly, heavily wooded, and studded with lakes and ponds.[6] It generally slopes to the east, with its highest areas on its upper west border, at 1,437 ft (438 m) ASL.[7] The county has a total area of 2,928 square miles (7,580 km2), of which 2,668 square miles (6,910 km2) is land and 260 square miles (670 km2) (8.9%) is water.[8] It is the third-largest county in Minnesota by land area.
The landscape in Itasca County varies greatly. The low plains, rolling hills, andwetlands occur where there wasglacial activity in the past. This area is known greatly for beingforested, and has been for centuries. The different forests are made up of trees such as pines, spruces, hardwoods, cedar, and tamarack. The many large forests in the area makeforestry andlogging major sectors in the economy.
In Itasca County there are many different bodies of water from big lakes, to small creeks, to major rivers. Over 1400 lakes are located within the county. These bodies of water help support many differentwildlife species such as different birds and small mammals. Major bodies of water in the county includeLake Winnibigoshish,Pokegama Lake,Deer Lake, theMississippi River, Bowstring Lake, and the Blandin Paper Mill Reservoir.
Source:[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 97 | — | |
| 1860 | 51 | −47.4% | |
| 1870 | 96 | 88.2% | |
| 1880 | 124 | 29.2% | |
| 1890 | 743 | 499.2% | |
| 1900 | 4,573 | 515.5% | |
| 1910 | 17,208 | 276.3% | |
| 1920 | 23,876 | 38.7% | |
| 1930 | 27,224 | 14.0% | |
| 1940 | 32,996 | 21.2% | |
| 1950 | 33,321 | 1.0% | |
| 1960 | 38,006 | 14.1% | |
| 1970 | 35,530 | −6.5% | |
| 1980 | 43,069 | 21.2% | |
| 1990 | 40,863 | −5.1% | |
| 2000 | 43,992 | 7.7% | |
| 2010 | 45,058 | 2.4% | |
| 2020 | 45,014 | −0.1% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 45,442 | [9] | 1.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010-2020[3] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 40,166 | 89.23% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 174 | 0.4% |
| Native American (NH) | 1,497 | 3.33% |
| Asian (NH) | 145 | 0.32% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 2 | 0.004% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 2,412 | 5.4% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 618 | 1.4% |
As of thecensus of 2000, there were 43,992 people, 17,789 households, and 12,381 families in the county. Thepopulation density was 16.5 per square mile (6.4/km2). There were 24,528 housing units at an average density of 9.19 per square mile (3.55/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 94.64%White, 0.16%Black orAfrican American, 3.40%Native American, 0.27%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.16% fromother races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 25.6% were ofGerman, 13.8%Norwegian, 7.7%Finnish, 7.2%Swedish, 6.2%Irish, 5.0%United States or American and 5.0%English ancestry.
There were 17,789 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% weremarried couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.91.
The county population contained 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,234, and the median income for a family was $44,025. Males had a median income of $37,066 versus $22,327 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $17,717. About 7.70% of families and 10.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Itasca County voters tended to vote strongly Democratic for about 80 years following theGreat Depression, selecting the Democratic nominee in every election from1932 through2012, along with fellowIron Range countiesSt. Louis County,Carlton County, andLake County. However, in2016, the county swung hard towardsDonald Trump, voting Republican for the first time since1928 and doing so by giving him a healthy majority of 54.1%.[15] In2020, it voted for Trump once again, giving him an increased vote share of 57.4%, making it the first time the county had voted Republican two elections in a row since 1924 and 1928. This trend continued in 2024 when Trump obtained 59% of the vote, the highest for a Republican presidential candidate since 1924.[16]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1892 | 520 | 40.66% | 686 | 53.64% | 73 | 5.71% |
| 1896 | 826 | 52.91% | 724 | 46.38% | 11 | 0.70% |
| 1900 | 770 | 63.32% | 413 | 33.96% | 33 | 2.71% |
| 1904 | 1,796 | 77.02% | 293 | 12.56% | 243 | 10.42% |
| 1908 | 1,883 | 63.15% | 684 | 22.94% | 415 | 13.92% |
| 1912 | 446 | 16.59% | 699 | 25.99% | 1,544 | 57.42% |
| 1916 | 1,163 | 36.89% | 1,504 | 47.70% | 486 | 15.41% |
| 1920 | 3,973 | 58.31% | 1,930 | 28.33% | 910 | 13.36% |
| 1924 | 4,961 | 60.10% | 496 | 6.01% | 2,798 | 33.89% |
| 1928 | 5,103 | 58.95% | 3,122 | 36.07% | 431 | 4.98% |
| 1932 | 3,782 | 36.94% | 5,616 | 54.86% | 839 | 8.20% |
| 1936 | 3,594 | 28.04% | 8,896 | 69.40% | 329 | 2.57% |
| 1940 | 5,196 | 34.06% | 9,899 | 64.89% | 159 | 1.04% |
| 1944 | 4,227 | 32.28% | 8,787 | 67.10% | 81 | 0.62% |
| 1948 | 4,334 | 29.45% | 9,653 | 65.60% | 729 | 4.95% |
| 1952 | 6,573 | 41.65% | 9,128 | 57.84% | 81 | 0.51% |
| 1956 | 6,408 | 42.22% | 8,737 | 57.56% | 33 | 0.22% |
| 1960 | 6,615 | 38.00% | 10,761 | 61.82% | 32 | 0.18% |
| 1964 | 4,137 | 25.49% | 12,054 | 74.27% | 40 | 0.25% |
| 1968 | 4,898 | 30.22% | 10,512 | 64.86% | 796 | 4.91% |
| 1972 | 7,558 | 45.58% | 8,683 | 52.36% | 342 | 2.06% |
| 1976 | 6,646 | 32.77% | 12,979 | 64.00% | 656 | 3.23% |
| 1980 | 8,368 | 37.65% | 12,134 | 54.59% | 1,726 | 7.76% |
| 1984 | 9,306 | 44.42% | 11,455 | 54.68% | 187 | 0.89% |
| 1988 | 8,358 | 43.87% | 10,517 | 55.20% | 178 | 0.93% |
| 1992 | 5,952 | 28.56% | 9,621 | 46.17% | 5,265 | 25.27% |
| 1996 | 6,506 | 31.78% | 10,706 | 52.29% | 3,261 | 15.93% |
| 2000 | 9,545 | 43.96% | 10,583 | 48.74% | 1,586 | 7.30% |
| 2004 | 10,705 | 43.93% | 13,290 | 54.54% | 372 | 1.53% |
| 2008 | 10,309 | 42.26% | 13,460 | 55.18% | 626 | 2.57% |
| 2012 | 10,501 | 43.90% | 12,852 | 53.73% | 566 | 2.37% |
| 2016 | 12,920 | 54.10% | 9,015 | 37.75% | 1,945 | 8.14% |
| 2020 | 15,239 | 57.37% | 10,786 | 40.61% | 536 | 2.02% |
| 2024 | 15,863 | 59.10% | 10,467 | 39.00% | 510 | 1.90% |
Places adjacent to Itasca County, Minnesota | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
Municipalities and communities ofItasca County, Minnesota,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Townships |
| |
| Unorganized territories | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
.svg)
