| Itasca County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota |
|
 Minnesota's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | October 27, 1849 [1] |
|---|---|
| Seat | Grand Rapids |
| Largest city | Grand Rapids |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,928 sq mi (7,583 km²) 2,665 sq mi (6,902 km²) 263 sq mi (680 km²), 8.97% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
43,992 16/sq mi (6/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.co.itasca.mn.us | |
| Named for: Two Latin words for "truth" and "head" | |
Itasca County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is named after Lake Itasca, which is in turn a shortened version the Latin words veritas caput, meaning true head, a reference to the source of the Mississippi River. As of 2000, the population was 43,992. Its county seat is Grand Rapids[1]. Portions of the Bois Forte and Leech Lake Indian reservations are in the county.
Contents |
History
Itasca County was first formed in 1849, upon the creation of the Minnesota Territory. It was originally a much larger county, which covered many of today's northeastern Minnesota counties. The original Itasca County stretched over Cook, Lake, St. Louis, Koochiching, eastern Lake of the Woods, eastern Beltrami, Itasca, northern Aitkin, and northern Carlton counties, today in Minnesota.
Itasca County was originally named for Lake Itasca. It was found to be the true source of the Mississippi River. After many disputes over finding the source of the Mississippi River, Henry Roe Schoolcraft set out to find its true source in 1832. Once he came upon its true source, he decided to name this 'Lake Itasca.' The Mississippi River flows from its small beginnings at Lake Itasca past Bemidji and other cities all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Broken down, Itasca makes reference to the Latin saying 'Veritas Caput' which has a definition of 'true head.'
It was thought to name Itasca County after Lake Itasca because of the importance of finding the true source of the Mississippi River. With the Mississippi River being one of our great waterways of the nation, the name being chosen for this county was only appropriate to be after the Mississippi's true source: Lake Itasca.
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 55.18% 13,460 | 42.26% 10,309 |
| 2004 | 54.54% 13,290 | 43.93% 10,105 |
| 2000 | 48.74% 10,583 | 43.96% 9,545 |
Topography & Vegetation
Itasca County is located in north central Minnesota. This area is known greatly for being forested, and has been for centuries. The different forests are made up of woods such as pines, spruces, hardwoods, cedar, and tamarack.
Major Forests: Big Fork State Forest, Chippewa National Forest, Cutfoot National Forest, George Washington State Forest, Golden Anniversary State Forest, and Marcell Experimental Forest.
In Itasca County there are many different bodies of water from big lakes, to small creeks, to major rivers. Over 1400 lakes are located within this county. These bodies of water help support many different wild life species such as different birds and small mammmals.
Major Bodies of Water: Lake Winnibigoshish, Pokegama Lake, Deer Lake, Mississippi River, Bowstring Lake, and the Blandin Paper Mill Reservoir.
The landscape in Itasca County varries greatly. Low plains and rolling hills occur where there was glacial activity in the past. Many large forests dot the area making foresting and lumbering of major importance. Because there are so many lakes, the land is wet in areas surrounding them, thus creating large areas made up of boggy land. There are also many areas of flat plains and grassy fields.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,928 square miles (7,583 km²), of which 2,665 square miles (6,902 km²) is land and 263 square miles (680 km²) (8.97%) is water.
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Koochiching County (north)
- St. Louis County (east)
- Aitkin County (south)
- Cass County (southwest)
- Beltrami County (west)
National protected area
- Chippewa National Forest (part)
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 43,992 people, 17,789 households, and 12,381 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 24,528 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.64% White, 0.16% Black or African American, 3.40% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.6% were of German, 13.8% Norwegian, 7.7% Finnish, 7.2% Swedish, 6.2% Irish, 5.0% United States or American and 5.0% English ancestry.
There were 17,789 households out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 26.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,234, and the median income for a family was $44,025. Males had a median income of $37,066 versus $22,327 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,717. About 7.70% of families and 10.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 8.80% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
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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Koochiching County | |
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| Beltrami County |  |
St. Louis County | ||
 Itasca County, Minnesota  |
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| Cass County | Aitkin County |
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