Pine County, Minnesota

County in Minnesota, United States

County in Minnesota

Pine County

County

Pine County Courthouse, Pine City

Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota

Minnesota's location within the U.S.

Coordinates: 46°08′N 92°44′W﻿ / ﻿46.14°N 92.74°W﻿ / 46.14; -92.74
Country|  United States
State|  Minnesota
Founded| March 1, 1856 (created)
1872 (organized)[1]
Named after| The abundant pine trees in the area
Seat| Pine City
Largest city| Pine City
Area

• Total

| 1,435 sq mi (3,720 km2)
• Land| 1,411 sq mi (3,650 km2)
• Water| 23 sq mi (60 km2)  1.6%
Population

(2020)

• Total

| 28,876

• Estimate

(2023)

| 30,197
• Density| 20/sq mi (7.8/km2)
Time zone| UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district| 8th
Website| www.co.pine.mn.us

Pine County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,876.[2] Its county seat is Pine City.[3] The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1872. Today, Pine County is the fastest growing county in the state.[4][5] Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in Pine County.

## History

[edit]

Pine County was organized on March 1, 1856, with territory partitioned from Chisago and Ramsey counties. The original county seat was Chengwatana. It was named for its abundant pine tree growth.[6]

In 1857, Buchanan County in full and the southern parts of Aitkin and Carlton Counties were formed from the original Pine County, with Kanabec County organized a year later. In 1861, Buchanan County was dissolved and folded into Pine County. Pine County was reorganized in 1872, with Pine City named as the county seat for the remaining smaller area.[7]

### Popular culture

[edit]

Pine County has been featured in a series of mysteries by Dean Hovey.[8][9]

## Geography

[edit]

Pine County lies on the east side of Minnesota. Its southeast border abuts Wisconsin (across the St. Croix River). The St. Croix flows southerly along its border. The Kettle River flows southeastward through central Pine County, discharging into the St. Croix on the county's east border, and the Snake River flows eastward through the lower part of the county toward its discharge point into the St. Croix. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved with drainages, partly wooded and otherwise devoted to agriculture.[10] The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near its northeast corner, at 1,319 ft (402 m) ASL.[11] The county has an area of 1,435 square miles (3,720 km2), of which 1,411 square miles (3,650 km2) is land and 23 square miles (60 km2) (1.6%) is water.[12] Perhaps the most famous body of water in Pine County is Devil's Lake, which is found on the southeast edge of Pine City, the county seat.

### Major highways

[edit]

* Interstate 35
* Minnesota State Highway 18
* Minnesota State Highway 23
* Minnesota State Highway 48
* Minnesota State Highway 70
* Minnesota State Highway 107
* Minnesota State Highway 123
* List of county roads

### Adjacent counties

[edit]

* Carlton County \- north
* Douglas County, Wisconsin \- northeast
* Burnett County, Wisconsin \- east
* Chisago County \- south
* Isanti County \- southwest
* Kanabec County \- west
* Aitkin County \- northwest

### Protected areas

[edit]

* Banning State Park
* Chengwatana State Forest
* DAR Memorial State Forest[10]
* General C. C. Andrews State Forest
* Kettle River Scientific and Natural Area[10]
* Nemadji State Forest (part)
* Pine County State Game Refuge[10]
* Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)
* St. Croix State Park
* Wild River State Park (part)

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1860| 92| | —
1870| 648| | 604.3%
1880| 1,365| | 110.6%
1890| 4,052| | 196.8%
1900| 11,546| | 184.9%
1910| 15,878| | 37.5%
1920| 21,117| | 33.0%
1930| 20,264| | −4.0%
1940| 21,478| | 6.0%
1950| 18,223| | −15.2%
1960| 17,004| | −6.7%
1970| 16,821| | −1.1%
1980| 19,871| | 18.1%
1990| 21,264| | 7.0%
2000| 26,530| | 24.8%
2010| 29,750| | 12.1%
2020| 28,876| | −2.9%
2023 (est.)| 30,197| [13]| 4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]
1790-1960[15] 1900-1990[16]
1990-2000[17] 2010-2020[2]

### 2020 census

[edit]

Pine County, Minnesota - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)  Race / Ethnicity  | Pop 2010[18] | Pop 2020[19] | % 2010  | % 2020

|
|
|
|

White alone (NH)  | 26,924  | 25,119  | 90.50%  | 86.99%
Black or African American alone (NH)  | 576  | 470  | 1.94%  | 1.63%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)  | 890  | 966  | 2.99%  | 3.35%
Asian alone (NH)  | 129  | 264  | 0.43%  | 0.91%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)  | 8  | 1  | 0.03%  | 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH)  | 4  | 98  | 0.01%  | 0.34%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)  | 496  | 1,245  | 1.67%  | 4.31%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)  | 723  | 713  | 2.43%  | 2.47%
Total | 29,750 | 28,876 | 100.00% | 100.00%

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

### 2000 census

[edit]

2022 US Census population pyramid for Pine County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,530 people, 9,939 households, and 6,917 families in the county. The population density was 18.8 per square mile (7.3/km2). There were 15,353 housing units at an average density of 10.9 per square mile (4.2/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 91.9% White, 2.0% Black or African American, 3.1% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.3% were of German, 11.6% Swedish, 11.1% Norwegian and 5.5% American ancestry.

There were 17,276 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 25.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02.

The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $44,058. Males had a median income of $31,600 versus $22,675 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,445. About 7.80% of families and 11.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

## Communities

[edit]

### Cities

[edit]

* Askov (originally Partridge)
* Brook Park (originally Pokegama Creek)
* Bruno
* Denham
* Finlayson
* Henriette (originally Cornell)
* Hinckley (originally Central Station)
* Kerrick
* Pine City (county seat)
* Rock Creek
* Rutledge (originally Kettle River)
* Sandstone
* Sturgeon Lake
* Willow River

### Unincorporated communities

[edit]

* Beroun (originally Cross Lake, then Brown's Hill)
* Cloverdale
* Cloverton
* Duquette
* Duxbury
* Ellson
* Friesland (originally Del Grove)
* Greeley
* Groningen (originally Miller's Creek)
* Kingsdale
* Lake Lena
* Markville
* Mission Creek
* Nickerson
* Pokegama
* West Rock

### Ghost towns

[edit]

* Belden
* Banning
* Big Spring
* Blomskog
* Chengwatana
* Cornell
* Clint
* Crooked River
* Danewood
* Eaglehead
* Harlis
* Midway
* Milburn
* Mission Creek
* Outflow
* Sand River
* Tozer Camp
* Turpville
* Tuxedo
* Villstad
* Wareham

### Townships

[edit]

* Arlone Township
* Arna Township
* Barry Township
* Birch Creek Township
* Bremen Township
* Brook Park Township
* Bruno Township
* Chengwatana Township
* Clover Township
* Crosby Township
* Danforth Township
* Dell Grove Township
* Finlayson Township
* Fleming Township
* Hinckley Township
* Kerrick Township
* Kettle River Township
* Mission Creek Township
* Munch Township
* New Dosey Township
* Nickerson Township
* Norman Township
* Ogema Township
* Park Township
* Partridge Township
* Pine City Township
* Pine Lake Township
* Pokegama Township
* Royalton Township
* Sandstone Township
* Sturgeon Lake Township
* Wilma Township
* Windemere Township

## Politics

[edit]

Pine County was once a Democratic stronghold. Between 1932 and 2008, Democrats won the county all but twice, with the two exceptions being nationwide Republican landslide victories in 1952 by Dwight D. Eisenhower and in 1972 by Richard Nixon (by only 87 votes). The tides began to turn in Pine County at the beginning of the 21st century, as the first three elections in that century, while still Democratic wins, only saw them win with a plurality of the vote and never by more than a 2.5% margin. The Democratic streak finally broke in 2012, when Republican challenger Mitt Romney barely won the county over incumbent Democrat Barack Obama by less than 1% and a margin of just 95 votes, becoming the first Republican to win the county in 40 years. The 2016 election saw a dramatic rightward turn, as Donald Trump won the county by a margin of over 26%, and he further increased his margin of victory to over 30% in 2020 and over 35% in 2024, as Trump in 2020 became the first Republican to win over 60% of the vote in Pine County since Warren G. Harding a century earlier.[20] In the 2018 midterms, Pine County voted for every Republican candidate running for statewide office, with the exception in the senate race, where it narrowly voted to re-elect Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar (it would later go on to vote against her in her successful 2024 re-election bid).[20] This trend also continued in 2022, with Pine County voting Republican for all statewide office and in the concurrent US House race, solidifying the county's realignment to Republicans.[21]

United States presidential election results for Pine County, Minnesota[22] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies)

|
|
|

No.  | % | No.  | % | No.  | %
2024 | 11,274  | 66.67% | 5,339  | 31.57%  | 298  | 1.76%
2020 | 10,256  | 64.10% | 5,419  | 33.87%  | 326  | 2.04%
2016 | 8,191  | 59.31% | 4,580  | 33.16%  | 1,040  | 7.53%
2012 | 6,845  | 49.02% | 6,750  | 48.34%  | 370  | 2.65%
2008 | 6,862  | 47.71%  | 7,084  | 49.25% | 437  | 3.04%
2004 | 7,033  | 48.44%  | 7,228  | 49.79% | 257  | 1.77%
2000 | 5,854  | 44.80%  | 6,148  | 47.05% | 1,066  | 8.16%
1996 | 3,080  | 29.88%  | 5,432  | 52.70% | 1,796  | 17.42%
1992 | 2,841  | 26.27%  | 4,929  | 45.58% | 3,043  | 28.14%
1988 | 3,857  | 40.54%  | 5,540  | 58.24% | 116  | 1.22%
1984 | 4,493  | 45.95%  | 5,223  | 53.41% | 63  | 0.64%
1980 | 3,899  | 40.25%  | 5,121  | 52.86% | 667  | 6.89%
1976 | 3,057  | 34.40%  | 5,442  | 61.24% | 388  | 4.37%
1972 | 3,881  | 48.41% | 3,794  | 47.32%  | 342  | 4.27%
1968 | 2,591  | 36.41%  | 4,044  | 56.82% | 482  | 6.77%
1964 | 2,279  | 30.71%  | 5,123  | 69.04% | 18  | 0.24%
1960 | 3,450  | 44.88%  | 4,211  | 54.78% | 26  | 0.34%
1956 | 3,204  | 45.50%  | 3,829  | 54.38% | 8  | 0.11%
1952 | 4,255  | 52.94% | 3,692  | 45.93%  | 91  | 1.13%
1948 | 3,069  | 36.51%  | 4,978  | 59.21% | 360  | 4.28%
1944 | 3,433  | 43.85%  | 4,332  | 55.33% | 64  | 0.82%
1940 | 4,106  | 43.10%  | 5,263  | 55.25% | 157  | 1.65%
1936 | 2,452  | 28.39%  | 5,797  | 67.11% | 389  | 4.50%
1932 | 2,304  | 29.53%  | 4,862  | 62.33% | 635  | 8.14%
1928 | 4,278  | 56.53% | 3,185  | 42.09%  | 105  | 1.39%
1924 | 2,706  | 42.03%  | 469  | 7.28%  | 3,263  | 50.68%
1920 | 3,879  | 66.83% | 1,127  | 19.42%  | 798  | 13.75%
1916 | 1,531  | 44.38% | 1,507  | 43.68%  | 412  | 11.94%
1912 | 513  | 17.04%  | 777  | 25.81%  | 1,720  | 57.14%
1908 | 1,548  | 56.43% | 802  | 29.24%  | 393  | 14.33%
1904 | 1,743  | 74.23% | 463  | 19.72%  | 142  | 6.05%
1900 | 1,121  | 59.06% | 726  | 38.25%  | 51  | 2.69%
1896 | 1,152  | 55.46% | 875  | 42.13%  | 50  | 2.41%
1892 | 538  | 48.42% | 458  | 41.22%  | 115  | 10.35%

## See also

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ "Pine County growing fastest, Dakota County gaining most". March 14, 2024.
5. ^ "Pine County is now Minnesota's fastest growing as the state population remains stable". Star Tribune. March 15, 2024.
6. ^ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 410.
7. ^ Keillor, Steven J. (January 15, 2015). "Speculation, politics, fraud and controversy: The short, colorful history of 'Buchanan County'". Press Publications. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
8. ^ Dean L. Hovey (amazon.com): "Dean Hovey is the award-winning author of Family Trees: A Pine County Mystery. His books are set in rural Northeastern Minnesota communities and tap into local history, politics, and current events."
9. ^ Hovey, Dean (2012). Create Space Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 1475052545
10. ^ a b c d Pine County MN Google Maps (accessed April 16, 2019)
11. ^ ""Find an Altitude/Pine County MN" Google Maps (accessed April 16, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
12. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
13. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". Retrieved March 18, 2024.
14. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
15. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
16. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
17. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
18. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Pine County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
19. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Pine County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
20. ^ a b Simon, Steve (November 21, 2024). "2024 State Canvassing Board Certificate". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
21. ^ Simon, Steve (November 29, 2022). "2022 State Canvassing Board Certificate". Minnesota Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
22. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 10, 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Pine County Government's Website
* MnDOT Official Maps of Pine County, its Townships, and its Municipalities

* v
* t
* e

Places adjacent to Pine County, Minnesota

| Aitkin County | Carlton County | Douglas County, Wisconsin

|
|

|  |
Kanabec County |

Pine County, Minnesota

| Burnett County, Wisconsin
|  |
Isanti County | Chisago County |

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Pine County, Minnesota, United States

County seat: Pine City

Cities|

* Askov
* Brook Park
* Bruno
* Denham
* Finlayson
* Henriette
* Hinckley
* Kerrick
* Pine City
* Rock Creek
* Rutledge
* Sandstone
* Sturgeon Lake
* Willow River

Map of Minnesota highlighting Pine County

Townships|

* Arlone
* Arna
* Barry
* Birch Creek
* Bremen
* Brook Park
* Bruno
* Chengwatana
* Clover
* Crosby
* Danforth
* Dell Grove
* Finlayson
* Fleming
* Hinckley
* Kerrick
* Kettle River
* Mission Creek
* Munch
* New Dosey
* Nickerson
* Norman
* Ogema
* Park
* Partridge
* Pine City
* Pine Lake
* Pokegama
* Royalton
* Sandstone
* Sturgeon Lake
* Wilma
* Windemere

Unincorporated
communities|

* Beroun
* Cloverdale
* Cloverton
* Duquette
* Duxbury
* Ellson
* Friesland
* Greeley
* Groningen
* Kingsdale
* Lake Lena
* Markville
* Mission Creek
* Nickerson
* Pokegama
* West Rock

Ghost towns|

* Banning
* Belden
* Chengwatana
* Harlis
* Wareham

Indian
reservation|

* Mille Lacs‡

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* v
* t
* e

State of Minnesota

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46°08′N 92°44′W﻿ / ﻿46.14°N 92.74°W﻿ / 46.14; -92.74

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