Cook County, Minnesota

County in Minnesota, United States

Not to be confused with Cook, Minnesota in Saint Louis County.

U.S. county in Minnesota

Cook County

U.S. county

Cook County Courthouse

Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota

Minnesota's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Minnesota
Founded| March 9, 1874
Named for| Michael Cook
Seat| Grand Marais
Largest city| Grand Marais
Area

• Total| 3,340 sq mi (8,700 km2)
• Land| 1,452 sq mi (3,760 km2)
• Water| 1,887 sq mi (4,890 km2)  57%%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 5,600
• Estimate

(2021)

| 5,617
• Density| 1.7/sq mi (0.65/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 8th
Website| www.co.cook.mn.us

Cook County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,600,[1] making it Minnesota's seventh-least populous county. Its county seat is Grand Marais.[2] The Grand Portage Indian Reservation is in the county.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Major highways
* 2.2 Adjacent counties
* 2.3 Protected areas
* 3 Climate
* 4 Demographics
* 4.1 2000 census
* 4.2 2020 Census
* 5 Communities
* 5.1 City
* 5.2 Census-designated place
* 5.3 Unincorporated communities
* 5.4 Townships
* 5.5 Unorganized territories
* 5.6 Ghost towns
* 6 Government and politics
* 6.1 Elections and officeholders
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links

## History

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Ojibwe people were early inhabitants of this area. The first non-indigenous people to explore the area were French fur traders, a few of whom settled in the area. By the 1830s, the French population was a few dozen. In the 1830s, settlers began arriving from New England and from upstate New York. Completion of the Erie Canal (1825) and settling of the Black Hawk War (1831) made migration easier.

Most of Cook County's 1830s settlers came from Orange County, Vermont and Down East Maine (modern day Washington County and Hancock County). Most were fishermen and farmers. By 1845 the future Cook County contained 350 people of European descent; by 1874 there were about 2,000. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church, Methodist, and Baptist churches. By 1900 there were about 3,000 people in Cook County.

The first decade of the 20th century saw a large influx of Europeans from Germany, Scandinavia, and Ireland. These waves introduced Lutheranism and Catholicism to Cook County.

The county was created on March 9, 1874.[3] It was named for Territorial and State Senator Michael Cook.[4]

## Geography

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Eagle Mountain, the highest natural point in Minnesota at 2,301 feet (701 m), is located in northern Cook County.

Cook County is a rugged, heavily wooded triangle of land on Minnesota's northeastern tip. It abuts Canada's southern border and is largely surrounded by the northern end of the Great Lakes. It is heavily dotted with lakes, ponds and streams.[5] The state's highest point is in the county, at 2,301' (701m) ASL. The county has an area of 3,340 square miles (8,700 km2), of which 1,452 square miles (3,760 km2) is land and 1,887 square miles (4,890 km2) (57%) is water.[6] It is Minnesota's second-largest county by area. Minnesota's highest natural point, Eagle Mountain at 2,301 feet (701 m), and highest lake, Lake Abita at 2,048 feet (624 m), are in Cook County. Lake Superior is at the county's southern border.

### Major highways

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* File:MN-61.svg Minnesota State Highway 61
* File:Cook County 12 MN.svg Cook County Road 12 – Gunflint Trail

### Adjacent counties

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Cook County is in the extreme northeast of the state at the tip of the Arrowhead region; it is adjacent to only one other county by land. Its geographic neighbors are:

* Rainy River District, Ontario Canada \- northwest
* Thunder Bay District, Ontario Canada \- northeast (EST Border east of the 90th meridian west)
* Lake County \- west
* Ashland County, Wisconsin \- south
* Keweenaw County, Michigan \- east/EST Border
* Ontonagon County, Michigan \- southeast/EST Border

### Protected areas

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* Cascade River State Park
* Grand Portage National Monument
* Judge C. R. Magney State Park
* Kodunce River State Wayside Area
* North Shore State Trail (part)
* Pat Bayle State Forest
* Superior National Forest (part)
* Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (part)
* Temperance River State Park

[5]

## Climate

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Climate data for Lutsen, Minnesota

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Average high °F (°C)  | 22
(−6)  | 26
(−3)  | 35
(2)  | 47
(8)  | 56
(13)  | 64
(18)  | 70
(21)  | 70
(21)  | 62
(17)  | 52
(11)  | 39
(4)  | 27
(−3)  | 48
(9)
Average low °F (°C)  | 4
(−16)  | 7
(−14)  | 19
(−7)  | 31
(−1)  | 39
(4)  | 45
(7)  | 52
(11)  | 54
(12)  | 47
(8)  | 38
(3)  | 26
(−3)  | 11
(−12)  | 31
(−1)
Average rainfall inches (mm)  | 0.9
(23)  | 0.7
(18)  | 1.4
(36)  | 1.9
(48)  | 2.8
(71)  | 3.5
(89)  | 3.3
(84)  | 3.3
(84)  | 3.6
(91)  | 2.5
(64)  | 1.6
(41)  | 1.1
(28)  | 26.4
(670)
Average snowfall inches (cm)  | 15.2
(39)  | 8.1
(21)  | 8.1
(21)  | 2.2
(5.6)  | 0.2
(0.51)  | 0
(0)  | 0
(0)  | 0
(0)  | 0
(0)  | 0.4
(1.0)  | 3.8
(9.7)  | 13.3
(34)  | 50.8
(129)
Source: Weatherbase[7]

Northern Minnesota offers extreme winter weather. While the averages are low, the extremes provide more details. A third of the year is below freezing (31.9%, 116 days, or 4 months). Of those days, 21 are below zero degrees Fahrenheit (−17.8 °C).

Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | June  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Days Below 32 °F/0 °C[7]
20  | 18  | 19  | 13  | 3.5  | 0.1  | 0.1  | 0.0  | 0.5  | 5.8  | 16  | 20  | 116
Days Below 0 °F/-17.8 °C[7]
8.2  | 6  | 1.5  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 5  | 0.5  | 4.8  | 21

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1880| 65| | —
1890| 98| | 50.8%
1900| 810| | 726.5%
1910| 1,336| | 64.9%
1920| 1,841| | 37.8%
1930| 2,435| | 32.3%
1940| 3,030| | 24.4%
1950| 2,900| | −4.3%
1960| 3,377| | 16.4%
1970| 3,423| | 1.4%
1980| 4,092| | 19.5%
1990| 3,868| | −5.5%
2000| 5,168| | 33.6%
2010| 5,176| | 0.2%
2020| 5,600| | 8.2%
2021 (est.)| 5,617| [8]| 0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1]

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 census data

### 2000 census

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As of the 2000 census,[13] there were 5,168 people, 2,350 households, and 1,438 families in the county. The population density was 3.56/sqmi (1.37/km2). There were 4,708 housing units at an average density of 3.24/sqmi (1.25/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.45% White, 7.59% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.6% were of German, 17.7% Norwegian, 11.5% Swedish, 7.2% Irish and 5.4% English ancestry.

There were 2,350 households, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.73.

The county population contained 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,640, and the median income for a family was $47,132. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $23,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,775. About 8.1% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

### 2020 Census

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Cook County Racial Composition[14] Race  | Num.  | Perc.

|
|

White (NH)  | 4,670  | 83.4%
Black or African American (NH)  | 25  | 0.45%
Native American (NH)  | 450  | 8.04%
Asian (NH)  | 48  | 0.9%
Pacific Islander (NH)  | 1  | 0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)  | 283  | 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino | 123  | 2.2%

## Communities

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### City

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* Grand Marais (county seat)

### Census-designated place

[edit | edit source]

* Lutsen

### Unincorporated communities

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* Croftville
* Grand Portage
* Hovland
* Maple Hill
* Martin Landing
* Mineral Center
* Pigeon River
* Schroeder
* Taconite Harbor
* Tofte

[5]

### Townships

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* Lutsen Township
* Schroeder Township
* Tofte Township

### Unorganized territories

[edit | edit source]

* East Cook
* Grand Portage
* West Cook

### Ghost towns

[edit | edit source]

* Chippewa City
* Colvill

## Government and politics

[edit | edit source]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Cook County, Minnesota" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

|

Cook County has generally voted Democratic. In 88% of presidential elections since 1988, the county selected the Democratic nominee. The county was a bellwether in every election from 1916 to 1984, except 1960 and 1976. The county was one of the rare white-majority rural counties to have its margin increase for Joe Biden in 2020 relative to Barack Obama's 2012 margin, with 65% of voters choosing the Democratic nominee.

### Elections and officeholders

[edit | edit source]

United States presidential election results for Cook County, Minnesota[15] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 1,203  | 31.59%  | 2,496  | 65.55% | 109  | 2.86%
2016 | 1,156  | 34.05%  | 1,912  | 56.32% | 327  | 9.63%
2012 | 1,221  | 36.75%  | 1,993  | 59.99% | 108  | 3.25%
2008 | 1,240  | 37.04%  | 2,019  | 60.30% | 89  | 2.66%
2004 | 1,489  | 45.08%  | 1,733  | 52.47% | 81  | 2.45%
2000 | 1,295  | 45.92% | 1,171  | 41.52%  | 354  | 12.55%
1996 | 1,010  | 39.94%  | 1,169  | 46.22% | 350  | 13.84%
1992 | 878  | 33.54%  | 1,005  | 38.39% | 735  | 28.07%
1988 | 1,078  | 49.36%  | 1,080  | 49.45% | 26  | 1.19%
1984 | 1,219  | 51.63% | 1,129  | 47.82%  | 13  | 0.55%
1980 | 1,147  | 50.62% | 871  | 38.44%  | 248  | 10.94%
1976 | 1,034  | 48.54% | 1,018  | 47.79%  | 78  | 3.66%
1972 | 1,047  | 57.62% | 742  | 40.84%  | 28  | 1.54%
1968 | 853  | 49.33% | 777  | 44.94%  | 99  | 5.73%
1964 | 764  | 43.86%  | 976  | 56.03% | 2  | 0.11%
1960 | 987  | 60.15% | 650  | 39.61%  | 4  | 0.24%
1956 | 1,078  | 61.67% | 668  | 38.22%  | 2  | 0.11%
1952 | 946  | 65.06% | 503  | 34.59%  | 5  | 0.34%
1948 | 674  | 47.94%  | 688  | 48.93% | 44  | 3.13%
1944 | 513  | 48.12%  | 545  | 51.13% | 8  | 0.75%
1940 | 673  | 49.27%  | 686  | 50.22% | 7  | 0.51%
1936 | 387  | 32.14%  | 793  | 65.86% | 24  | 1.99%
1932 | 418  | 43.27%  | 492  | 50.93% | 56  | 5.80%
1928 | 609  | 72.59% | 219  | 26.10%  | 11  | 1.31%
1924 | 471  | 67.97% | 29  | 4.18%  | 193  | 27.85%
1920 | 467  | 72.85% | 98  | 15.29%  | 76  | 11.86%
1916 | 125  | 34.44%  | 162  | 44.63% | 76  | 20.94%
1912 | 30  | 8.62%  | 65  | 18.68%  | 253  | 72.70%
1908 | 255  | 77.98% | 42  | 12.84%  | 30  | 9.17%
1904 | 207  | 82.80% | 31  | 12.40%  | 12  | 4.80%
1900 | 81  | 52.60% | 65  | 42.21%  | 8  | 5.19%
1896 | 81  | 42.19%  | 107  | 55.73% | 4  | 2.08%
1892 | 68  | 51.52% | 19  | 14.39%  | 45  | 34.09%
1888 | 24  | 45.28%  | 29  | 54.72% | 0  | 0.00%
1884 | 46  | 85.19% | 8  | 14.81%  | 0  | 0.00%

County Board of Commissioners[16] Position  | Name  | District

|
|

| Commissioner  | Robert Svaleson  | District 1
| Commissioner  | Stacey Hawkins  | District 2
| Commissioner and Chairperson  | David Mills  | District 3
| Commissioner and Vice Chair  | Ann Sullivan  | District 4
| Commissioner  | Ginny Storlie  | District 5
State Legislature (2018-2020)  Position  | Name  | Affiliation  | District

|
|
|

| Senate  | Tom Bakk[17] | Independent | District 3
| House of Representatives  | Rob Ecklund[18] | Democrat | District 3A
U.S Congress (2018-2020)  Position  | Name  | Affiliation  | District

|
|
|

| House of Representatives | Pete Stauber[19] | Republican | 8th
| Senate | Amy Klobuchar[20] | Democrat | N/A
| Senate | Tina Smith[21] | Democrat | N/A

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cook County, Minnesota

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Cook County, Minnesota". www.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. ^ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
4. ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 135.
5. ^ a b c Cook County MN Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019)
6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
7. ^ a b c "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Lutsen MN". Retrieved January 9, 2009.
8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". Retrieved April 4, 2022.
9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
14. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cook County, Minnesota".
15. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
16. ^ "County Commissioners". www.co.cook.mn.us. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
17. ^ "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
18. ^ "Rep. Rob Ecklund (03A) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
19. ^ "Representative Pete Stauber". Representative Pete Stauber. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
20. ^ "U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar". www.klobuchar.senate.gov. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
21. ^ "Home". Senator Tina Smith. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

## External links

[edit | edit source]

* Cook County Government's website
* Mn/DOT – maps of Cook County (Southwest portion, Eastern portion, Northwest portion)

Places adjacent to Cook County, Minnesota

| Rainy River District, Ontario | Thunder Bay District, Ontario | Thunder Bay District, Ontario

|
|

|  |
Lake County |

Cook County, Minnesota

| Lake Superior
Keweenaw County, Michigan
|  |
Lake Superior
Bayfield County, Wisconsin | Lake Superior
Ashland County, Wisconsin | Lake Superior
Ontonagon County, Michigan

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Cook County, Minnesota, United States

County seat: Grand Marais

City|

* Grand Marais

Map of Minnesota highlighting Cook County

Townships|

* Lutsen
* Schroeder
* Tofte

Unorganized
territories|

* East Cook
* Grand Portage
* West Cook

CDP|

* Lutsen

Unincorporated
communities|

* Croftville
* Grand Portage
* Hovland
* Mineral Center
* Pigeon River
* Schroeder
* Taconite Harbor
* Tofte

Indian
reservation|

* Grand Portage Indian Reservation

Ghost towns|

* Chippewa City
* Colvill

* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

State of Minnesota

Saint Paul (capital)

Topics|

* Index
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Society|

* Culture
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Regions|

* Arrowhead
* Boundary Waters
* Buffalo Ridge
* Central
* Coteau des Prairies
* Dissected Till Plains
* Driftless Area
* Iron Range
* Minnesota River Valley
* North Shore
* Northwest Angle
* North Woods
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* Red River Valley
* Siouxland
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* Twin Cities metropolitan area

Largest cities
pop. over 25,000|

* Andover
* Apple Valley
* Blaine
* Bloomington
* Brooklyn Center
* Brooklyn Park
* Burnsville
* Champlin
* Chanhassen
* Chaska
* Coon Rapids
* Cottage Grove
* Duluth
* Eagan
* Eden Prairie
* Edina
* Elk River
* Fridley
* Inver Grove Heights
* Lakeville
* Mankato
* Maple Grove
* Maplewood
* Minneapolis
* Minnetonka
* Moorhead
* Oakdale
* Owatonna
* Plymouth
* Prior Lake
* Ramsey
* Richfield
* Rochester
* Rosemount
* Roseville
* St. Cloud
* St. Louis Park
* Saint Paul
* Savage
* Shakopee
* Shoreview
* Winona
* White Bear Lake
* Woodbury

Counties|

* Aitkin
* Anoka
* Becker
* Beltrami
* Benton
* Big Stone
* Blue Earth
* Brown
* Carlton
* Carver
* Cass
* Chippewa
* Chisago
* Clay
* Clearwater
* Cook
* Cottonwood
* Crow Wing
* Dakota
* Dodge
* Douglas
* Faribault
* Fillmore
* Freeborn
* Goodhue
* Grant
* Hennepin
* Houston
* Hubbard
* Isanti
* Itasca
* Jackson
* Kanabec
* Kandiyohi
* Kittson
* Koochiching
* Lac qui Parle
* Lake
* Lake of the Woods
* Le Sueur
* Lincoln
* Lyon
* Mahnomen
* Marshall
* Martin
* McLeod
* Meeker
* Mille Lacs
* Morrison
* Mower
* Murray
* Nicollet
* Nobles
* Norman
* Olmsted
* Otter Tail
* Pennington
* Pine
* Pipestone
* Polk
* Pope
* Ramsey
* Red Lake
* Redwood
* Renville
* Rice
* Rock
* Roseau
* Saint Louis
* Scott
* Sherburne
* Sibley
* Stearns
* Steele
* Stevens
* Swift
* Todd
* Traverse
* Wabasha
* Wadena
* Waseca
* Washington
* Watonwan
* Wilkin
* Winona
* Wright
* Yellow Medicine

Attractions|

| Festivals|

* State Fair

|

Other|

* Mall of America

Coordinates: 47°55′N 90°33′W﻿ / ﻿47.917°N 90.550°W﻿ / 47.917; -90.550
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