Founded February 20, 1855 Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5 Area 1,849 km² County seat Buffalo Largest city St. Michael | Named for Silas Wright Website www.co.wright.mn.us Population 128,470 (2013) Congressional district 6th | |
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Destinations Monticello, Buffalo, Albertville, Otsego, Annandale Points of interest Lake Maria State Park, Otsego Regional Park, Montissippi Regional Park, Clearwater / Pleasant Regional, Beebe Lake Regional | ||
Wright County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,700. Its county seat is Buffalo. The county was founded in 1855.
Contents
- Map of Wright County MN USA
- History
- Geography
- Adjacent counties
- 2010
- 2000
- Census designated place
- Ghost town
- References
Map of Wright County, MN, USA
Wright County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The county was established in 1855, and was named after New York politician Silas Wright. The first county seat was Monticello; in 1868 the county seat was changed to Buffalo. The majority of people to first settle this area were German and Swedish. The county's population in 1860 was 3,729 people; in 1875, it was 13,775.
The 1998 thriller A Simple Plan was set in Wright County, though it does not mention a specific town.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 714 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 661 square miles (1,710 km2) is land and 53 square miles (140 km2) (7.4%) is water. The terrain is undulating and contains numerous small lakes. The county is bounded on the northeast by the Mississippi River. Wright is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils, and one of only two Minnesota counties where savanna soils make up more than 75% of the county area (the other is Hennepin County).
Adjacent counties
2010
The ethnic makeup of the county, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, was the following:
2000
As of the census of 2000, there were 89,986 people, 31,465 households, and 23,913 families residing in the county. The population density was 136 people per square mile (53/km²). There were 34,355 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.85% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.3% were of German, 11.9% Norwegian, 7.4% Swedish and 6.6% Irish ancestry.
There were 31465 households out of which 42.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.50% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 18.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the county, the population was spread out with 31.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,945, and the median income for a family was $60,940. Males had a median income of $40,630 versus $28,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,844. About 3.60% of families and 4.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.