Itasca County, Minnesota

Itasca County, Minnesota
Itasca County is a county located in the Iron Range region of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,014. Its county seat is Grand Rapids. The county is named after Lake Itasca, which is in turn a shortened version of the Latin words veritas caput, meaning 'truth' and 'head', a reference to the source of the Mississippi River. Portions of the Bois Forte and Leech Lake Indian reservations are in the county.
History
The boundary of Itasca County was first formed in 1849, upon the creation of the Minnesota Territory. It was originally a much larger county, which covered many of today's northeastern Minnesota 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 for Lake Itasca (no longer in the county's present borders), which was determined to be the true source of the Mississippi 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. It flows past Bemidji, through Itasca County, and continues to the Gulf of Mexico.
Geography
The terrain of Itasca County is hilly, heavily wooded, and studded with lakes and ponds. It generally slopes to the east, with its highest areas on its upper west border, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (8.9%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Minnesota by land area.
The landscape in Itasca County varies greatly. The low plains, rolling hills, and wetlands occur where there was glacial activity in the past. This area is known greatly for being forested, 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 make forestry and logging 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 different wildlife species such as different birds and small mammals. Major bodies of water in the county include Lake Winnibigoshish, Pokegama Lake, Deer Lake, the Mississippi River, Bowstring Lake, and the Blandin Paper Mill Reservoir.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 2
U.S. Highway 71
U.S. Highway 169
Minnesota State Highway 1
Minnesota State Highway 6
Minnesota State Highway 38
Minnesota State Highway 46
Minnesota State Highway 65
Minnesota State Highway 286
Adjacent counties
Koochiching County - north
Saint Louis County - east
Aitkin County - south
Cass County - southwest
Beltrami County - west
Protected areas
Big Fork State Forest
Botany Bog Scientific and Natural Area
Chippewa National Forest (part)
George Washington State Forest (part)
Golden Anniversary State Forest
Marcell Experimental Forest
Scenic State Park
Demographics
2020 Census
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 43,992 people, 17,789 households, and 12,381 families in the county. The population density was . There were 24,528 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.64% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 3.40% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.6% were of German, 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the county was $17,717. About 7.70% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
Cities
Bigfork
Bovey
Calumet
Cohasset
Coleraine
Deer River
Effie
Grand Rapids (county seat)
Keewatin
La Prairie
Marble
Nashwauk
Squaw Lake
Taconite
Warba
Zemple
Census-designated places
Ball Club
Inger
Unincorporated communities
Alvwood
Bass Lake
Bear River
Bergville
Blackberry
Bowstring
Dora Lake
Dunbar
Goodland
Grattan
Gunn
Houpt
Jessie Lake
Mack
Marcell
Martin
Max
Orth
Pengilly
Pomroy
Rosy
Spring Lake
Suomi
Swan River
Talmoon
Togo
Wawina
Wirt
Townships
Alvwood Township
Arbo Township
Ardenhurst Township
Balsam Township
Bearville Township
Bigfork Township
Blackberry Township
Bowstring Township
Carpenter Township
Deer River Township
Feeley Township
Good Hope Township
Goodland Township
Grand Rapids Township
Grattan Township
Greenway Township
Harris Township
Iron Range Township
Kinghurst Township
Lake Jessie Township
Lawrence Township
Lone Pine Township
Marcell Township
Max Township
Moose Park Township
Morse Township
Nashwauk Township
Nore Township
Oteneagen Township
Pomroy Township
Sago Township
Sand Lake Township
Spang Township
Splithand Township
Stokes Township
Third River Township
Trout Lake Township
Wabana Township
Wawina Township
Wildwood Township
Wirt Township
Unorganized territories
Bowstring Lake
Deer Lake
Effie
Liberty
Little Sand Lake
Northeast Itasca
Politics
Itasca County voters tended to vote strongly Democratic for about 80 years following the Great Depression, selecting the Democratic nominee in every election from 1932 through 2012, along with fellow Iron Range counties St. Louis County, Carlton County, and Lake County. However, in 2016, the county swung hard towards Donald Trump, voting Republican for the first time since 1928 and doing so by giving him a healthy majority of 54.1%. In 2020, 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.
See also
National Register of Historic Places listings in Itasca County, Minnesota
References
External links
Itasca County government’s website
Minnesota Department of Transportation map of Itasca County (southeastern portion, northwestern portion, northeastern portion)
Minnesota counties
Minnesota counties on the Mississippi River
1849 establishments in Minnesota Territory
Populated places established in 1849