Seat Red Lake Falls Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Founded 1896 Population 4,057 (2013) Largest city Red Lake Falls | Congressional district 7th Website www.co.red-lake.mn.us Area 1,120 km² Unemployment rate 6.1% (Apr 2015) | |
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Named for Red Lake and Red Lake River Cities Red Lake Falls, Oklee, Red Lake Falls Township, Brooks Rivers Red Lake River, Lost River, Hill River, Poplar River | ||
Red Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 4,089, making it the third-least populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Red Lake Falls.
Contents
- Map of Red Lake County MN USA
- History
- Geography
- Major highways
- Adjacent counties
- Demographics
- Cities
- Unincorporated communities
- References
Map of Red Lake County, MN, USA
On August 17, 2015, the Washington Post, citing a 1999 U.S. Department of Agriculture index of “natural aspects of attractiveness,” named Red Lake County “the absolute worst place to live.” The reporter, Christopher Ingraham, visited the county later that month at the invitation of a local businessman. In subsequent articles, Ingraham declared that “the Red Lake County region is flat-out gorgeous” and later decided to move there.
History
Red Lake County was formed on December 24, 1896 from sections of Polk County. It was named after the Red Lake River.
The county has two sites on the National Register of Historic Places: the courthouse and Clearwater Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 432 square miles (1,120 km2), of which 432 square miles (1,120 km2) is land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2) (0.02%) is water.
Despite its name, Red Lake County contains only one named lake: Moran Lake, near Huot.
Red Lake County is the only landlocked county in the United States (excluding those on international borders) to border exactly two other counties.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,299 people, 1,727 households, and 1,131 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 1,883 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.44% White, 0.19% Black or African American, 1.84% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.35% from two or more races. 0.30% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.9% were of Norwegian, 25.0% German, 16.7% French and 6.3% French Canadian ancestry.
There were 1,727 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.40% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.50% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 19.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,052, and the median income for a family was $40,275. Males had a median income of $28,494 versus $20,363 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,372. About 8.40% of families and 10.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.50% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over.