| County: | Watonwan County |
| State: | Minnesota |
| Founded Date: | February 25 |
| Founded Year: | 1860[1] |
| Seat Wl: | St. James |
| Largest City Wl: | St. James |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 440 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 435 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 4.8 |
| Area Percentage: | 1.1% |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 11253 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Est: | 11077 |
| Density Sq Mi: | 25.9 |
| Time Zone: | Central |
| Web: | www.co.watonwan.mn.us |
| Ex Image: | WatonwonCountyCourthouse.jpg |
| District: | 1st |
Watonwan County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,253.[2] Its county seat is St. James.[3]
In 1849, the new territorial legislature of the recently organized Minnesota Territory authorized the creation of nine large counties across the Territory. Four years later in 1853, one of those original counties of Dakota, had a large area separated and partitioned off to create Blue Earth County. Less than only two years later, by 1855, the western part of Blue Earth was then partitioned to create Brown County. Again, after five years on February 25, 1860, the southern part of Brown was partitioned to create this county of Watanwan, with the town of Madelia as the original designated County Seat. The county was named for its eponymous river, (Watonwan River, which flows into the Blue Earth River, then the Minnesota River, then eventually into the "Father of Waters" - the Mississippi River, which drains the entire middle of the North American continent), whose name reflects the Dakota native word "watanwan," meaning "fish bait" or "plenty of fish."[4] The word first appears in the modern written record on an 1843 map of the area so naming the river.
In 1869, the first European white settlers arrived in the area of the future town of Saint James, and the area began growing. In the next year of 1870 an extension of the St. Paul and Sioux City Railway was terminated at the village, and railway officials decided to name the terminus Saint James. By 1878, that town had grown to the extent that a vote was taken in the county to move the county seat and courthouse there from Madelia .[5]
The terrain of Watonwan County consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is completely devoted to agriculture where possible.[6] The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near its southwest corner, at 1293feet ASL.[7] The county has an area of, of which is land and (1.1%) is water.[8] The county is drained by the Watonwan River and its tributaries; the river flows eastward through the northern part of the county.[9]
| White (NH) | 7,689 | 68.33% | |
| Black or African American (NH) | 42 | 0.37% | |
| Native American (NH) | 13 | 0.12% | |
| Asian (NH) | 86 | 0.76% | |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 0 | 0% | |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 196 | 1.74% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 3,227 | 28.7% |
As of the United States Decenial census of 2000, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families in the county. The population density was 27.3/mi2. There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 11.6/mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 88.54% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.78% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 15.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 40.9% were of German, 17.3% Norwegian and 5.8% Swedish ancestry.
There were 4,627 households, out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.60% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.10.
The county population contained 27.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 24.30% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.50 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,441, and the median income for a family was $42,321. Males had a median income of $29,242 versus $19,788 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,413. About 7.80% of families and 9.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.50% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Watonwan County has had its county seat and site of the Watonwan County Courthouse in the town of St. James, Minnesota since 1878, when it was moved from nearby Madelia where it had been located since the partition of the county from Brown County. Watowan's public citizenry of voters have tended to vote for the Republican Party; in two-thirds of the past 11 presidential elections years since 1980, the majority of county voters had selected the Republican Party's presidential and vice presidential nominees (as of 2020). But there are active party organizations and groups for both Republican, Democratic-Farmer-Labor and independent unaffiliated voting citizens of both conservative and liberal / progressive views.
| Commissioner | Jim Pettersen | District 1 | 2024 | ||
| Commissioner | Bill Miller | District 2 | 2026 | ||
| Commissioner | Jim Branstad | District 3 | 2024 | ||
| Commissioner | Scott Westerman | District 4 | 2026 | ||
| Commissioner | Dillon Melheim | District 5 | 2024 |
| Senate | Julie Rosen[11] | Republican | District 23 | ||
| House of Representatives | Bjorn Olson[12] | Republican | District 23A | ||
| House of Representatives | Jeremy Munson[13] | Republican | District 23B |
| House of Representatives | Brad Finstad[14] | Republican | 1st | ||
| Senate | Amy Klobuchar[15] | Democrat | N/A | ||
| Senate | Tina Smith[16] | Democrat | N/A |