Clearwater County, Minnesota Explained

County:Clearwater County
State:Minnesota
Ex Image:Clearwater County Building and Courthouse - Bagley, Minnesota (36274671242).jpg
Ex Image Size:220px
Ex Image Cap:Clearwater County Building and Courthouse in Bagley, Minnesota.
Founded Date:December 20
Founded Year:1902[1]
Seat Wl:Bagley
Largest City:Bagley
Area Total Sq Mi:1030
Area Land Sq Mi:999
Area Water Sq Mi:31
Area Percentage:3.0%
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:8524
Pop Est As Of:2023
Population Est:8644
Density Sq Mi:8.5
Time Zone:Central
Web:www.co.clearwater.mn.us
Named For:Clearwater Lake
Clearwater River[2]
District:8th

Clearwater County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,524.[3] Its county seat is Bagley.[4]

Clearwater County is home to Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River. Parts of the Red Lake and White Earth Indian reservations extend into the county.

Geography

The Red Lake River flows west out of Red Lake across the top of Clearwater County on its way to discharge into the Red River at Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Clearwater River flows west-southwest across the central part of the county on its way to discharge into the Red Lake River. The county terrain consists of wooded rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds.[5] The terrain slopes to the north, with the highest point on the lower west boundary, at 1781feet ASL.[6] The county has an area of, of which is land and (3.0%) is water.[7] The county's high point, just south of Scoop Lake, is one of a few places to exceed 2000 feet in Minnesota, rising to 2005 feet at 47.2318°N, -95.5034°W.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

[5]

Climate and weather

In recent years average temperatures in Bagley have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, with a record low of recorded in February 1996 and a record high of recorded in August 1976. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in December to in June.

Demographics

2020 Census

Clearwater County Racial Composition[8] !Race!Num.!Perc.
White (NH)7,15183.9%
Black or African American (NH)190.2%
Native American (NH)7528.82%
Asian (NH)230.3%
Pacific Islander (NH)20.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)4765.6%
Hispanic or Latino1011.2%

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,423 people, 3,330 households, and 2,287 families in the county. The population density was 8.43/mi2. There were 4,114 housing units at an average density of 4.12/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 89.26% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 8.58% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.24% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 0.77% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.6% were of Norwegian, 15.6% German, 6.5% Swedish, and 6.2% American ancestry.

There were 3,330 households, out of which 30.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.30% were non-families. 27.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

The county population contained 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,517, and the median income for a family was $39,698. Males had a median income of $29,338 versus $20,417 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,694. About 11.00% of families and 15.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.90% of those under age 18 and 18.20% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

[5]

Townships

Unorganized territories

Government and politics

From 1932 to 1996, Clearwater County voted for the Democratic nominee all but twice, both during nationwide Republican landslides for Richard Nixon in 1972 and Ronald Reagan in 1984. Though the county went Democrat in the subsequent three elections, Reagan's victory foreshadowed the changing political landscape of Clearwater County, as the margins for Michael Dukakis and Bill Clinton were much reduced compared to the prior decades, with Dukakis winning the county by only 6 votes in 1988 and Clinton winning by less than 7.5% in both of his successful runs for the presidency. Beginning in 2000, Clearwater County has voted Republican in each election, and the only time the margin got under 10% was in 2008. In 2016, Donald Trump became the first Republican to win over 60% of the county's vote since 1928, defeating Hillary Clinton by an astounding 43%. In 2020, Trump increased his vote share again, defeating Joe Biden in the county by 45%. It was the best Republican performance in the county's history outside of its inaugural election in 1904 for Theodore Roosevelt.

Position!Name!District!Next Election
Commissioner Mark TiteraDistrict 12026
CommissionerDean NewlandDistrict 22024
Commissioner Stuart DukekDistrict 32026
CommissionerJohn NelsonDistrict 42024
CommissionerMark LarsonDistrict 52026
Position!Name!Affiliation!District
SenatePaul Utke[9] RepublicanDistrict 2
House of RepresentativesMatt Grossell[10] RepublicanDistrict 2A
House of RepresentativesSteve Green[11] RepublicanDistrict 2B
Position!Name!Affiliation!District
House of RepresentativesCollin Peterson[12] Democrat7th
SenateAmy Klobuchar[13] DemocratN/A
SenateTina Smith[14] DemocratN/A

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Minnesota Place Names . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120620201420/http://mnplaces.mnhs.org/upham/county.cfm . June 20, 2012 . March 17, 2014 . Minnesota Historical Society.
  2. Book: Upham, Warren . Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance . Minnesota Historical Society . 1920 . 121.
  3. Web site: State & County QuickFacts . April 8, 2023 . United States Census Bureau.
  4. Web site: Find a County . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx . May 31, 2011 . June 7, 2011 . National Association of Counties.
  5. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Clearwater+County,+MN/@47.5845018,-95.9377907,9z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x52b804bdafd64735:0x6d383d13c2818282!8m2!3d47.7200787!4d-95.3105661 Clearwater County MN Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019)
  6. Web site: "Find an Altitude/Clearwater County MN" Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190521043409/https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm . May 21, 2019 . March 7, 2019.
  7. Web site: August 22, 2012 . 2010 Census Gazetteer Files . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006102023/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt . October 6, 2014 . October 6, 2014 . United States Census Bureau.
  8. Web site: P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Clearwater County, Minnesota .
  9. Web site: MN State Senate . June 25, 2020 . www.senate.mn . en.
  10. Web site: Rep. Matt Grossell (02A) - Minnesota House of Representatives . June 25, 2020 . www.house.leg.state.mn.us.
  11. Web site: Rep. Steve Green (02B) - Minnesota House of Representatives . June 25, 2020 . www.house.leg.state.mn.us.
  12. Web site: Congressman Collin Peterson . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200625012006/https://collinpeterson.house.gov/ . June 25, 2020 . June 25, 2020 . Congressman Collin Peterson . en.
  13. Web site: U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar . June 24, 2020 . www.klobuchar.senate.gov.
  14. Web site: Home . June 24, 2020 . Senator Tina Smith . en.