| Dodge County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota |
|
 Minnesota's location in the U.S. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | February 20, 1855 [1] |
|---|---|
| Seat | Mantorville |
| Largest city | Kasson |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
440 sq mi (1,139 km²) 440 sq mi (1,138 km²) 0 sq mi (0 km²), 0.03% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
17,731 40/sq mi (16/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.co.dodge.mn.us | |
| Named for: Henry Dodge | |
Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 17,731 as of the 2000 census. Its county seat is Mantorville.[1]
Dodge County is part of the Rochester, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
History
Dodge County was originally inhabited by Native Americans, as many counties in Minnesota were. This area was a common hunting and battle ground for the Mdewakanton Sioux, often fighting the Sauk and Fox Indians who had wandered into their territory. The first white person to visit Dodge County, however, is not known. It is believed by some that a French fur trader from Canada was the first, setting foot on its soil in the spring of 1655. Guides deemed this area unsafe due to the Natives living there. But, it was not until over two hundred years later that the locality truly came to life.
It was in 1853 that government surveyors set lines for the townships. A year later, the Mantor brothers, along with Eli P. Waterman, established their claims, which would later be an important town to the area nown as "Mantorville." Still a year later, in 1855, Dodge County was organized for local government. In the first few years of growth, its main settlers were Germans and people of Scandinavian descent, mostly Norwegians. With increasing growth and improvement, Dodge County was officially placed in the Fifth Judicial District by the State Constitution on May 11, 1858. Its name, given in honor of Wisconsin governor Henry Dodge, lives on with pride for its colorful past. The Dodge County Courthouse, designed by E. Townsend Mix and built of locally quarried limestone in 1865, is the oldest working courthouse in Minnesota.
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 43.70% 4,463 | 53.54% 5,468 |
| 2004 | 41.72% 4,117 | 56.68% 5,593 |
| 2000 | 41.86% 3,370 | 52.34% 4,213 |
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 440 square miles (1,139 km²), of which 440 square miles (1,138 km²) is land and 0 square miles (0 km²) (0.03%) is water.
Lakes
- Rice Lake: located almost entirely in Steele County (Havana Township), but the far eastern edge extends into Dodge County.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Rice County (northwest)
- Goodhue County (northeast)
- Olmsted County (east)
- Mower County (south)
- Steele County (west)
Topography
Dodge County is located in the Southeastern part of Minnesota and spands 24 miles (39 km) long and 18 miles (29 km) wide. To the North and center of the county, it is hilly, high, and rolling with pebbly, loose soil, laid with a considerable amount of timber. This makes it well-suited for grain raising. The Southern part is quite the opposite. Being it is flat and wet, it's adapted perfectly for grazing and raising stock. The soil in this area is excellent for yielding huge crops, considering its extremely fertile soil. The heavy, black, clay loam makes this area a prime location for agriculture.
Dodge County's plentiful amount of sand and rock also make the area a center for building. Quaries in Mantorville were once enterprises and consist of layers of thick stone which can be cut into any desired shape. Wasioja is also known around the nation for its excellent "Wasioja stone."
Other physical features include:
Streams:
- Dodge Center Creek
- Harkcom Creek
- Henslin Creek
- Little Cedar River
- Maston Creek
- Millikin Creek
- Tompkins Creek
Lakes:
- Zumbro River Reservoir
- Rice Lake
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 17,731 people, 6,420 households, and 4,853 families residing in the county. The population density was 40 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 6,642 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.58% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.89% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 2.99% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34.2% were of German, 26.9% Norwegian, 5.8% Irish, 5.8% American and 5.1% English ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 6,420 households out of which 40.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.70% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.40% were non-families. 20.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the county the population was spread out with 30.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 20.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,437, and the median income for a family was $54,261. Males had a median income of $34,195 versus $25,903 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,259. About 4.40% of families and 5.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.80% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
| Cities | Townships | Unincorporated | |
|---|---|---|---|
† Blooming Prairie is mainly in Steele County but extends into Dodge County.
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
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Rice County | Goodhue County | |
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| Steele County |  |
Olmsted County | ||
 Dodge County, Minnesota  |
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| Mower County |
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