Cook County, Minnesota

Last updated

Cook County
County
Cook County Courthouse.jpg
Cook County Courthouse
Map of Minnesota highlighting Cook County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota in United States.svg
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 47°55′00″N90°33′00″W / 47.916666666667°N 90.55°W / 47.916666666667; -90.55
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Minnesota.svg Minnesota
FoundedMarch 9, 1874
Named after Michael Cook
Seat Grand Marais
Largest cityGrand Marais
Area
 • Total
3,340 sq mi (8,700 km2)
 • Land1,452 sq mi (3,760 km2)
 • Water1,887 sq mi (4,890 km2)  57%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
5,600
 • Estimate 
(2024)
5,571 Decrease2.svg
 • Density1.7/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

History

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. The completion of the Erie Canal (1825) and the 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 (1828-1864). [4]

Geography

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

Adjacent counties

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:

Protected areas

[5]

Climate

Climate data for Lutsen, Minnesota
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °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)
Mean daily minimum °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).

JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Days Below 32 °F/0 °C [7]
201819133.50.10.10.00.55.81620116
Days Below 0 °F/-17.8 °C [7]
8.261.500000050.54.821

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880 65—
1890 9850.8%
1900 810726.5%
1910 1,33664.9%
1920 1,84137.8%
1930 2,43532.3%
1940 3,03024.4%
1950 2,900−4.3%
1960 3,37716.4%
1970 3,4231.4%
1980 4,09219.5%
1990 3,868−5.5%
2000 5,16833.6%
2010 5,1760.2%
2020 5,6008.2%
2024 (est.)5,571 [8] −0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [9]
1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11]
1990-2000 [12] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 Census

Cook County Racial Composition [13]
RaceNum.Perc.
White (NH)4,67083.4%
Black or African American (NH)250.45%
Native American (NH)4508.04%
Asian (NH)480.9%
Pacific Islander (NH)10.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)2835.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1232.2%

2000 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Cook County, from ACS 5-year estimates CookCountyMn2022PopPyr.png
2022 US Census population pyramid for Cook County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,168 people, 2,350 households, and 1,438 families in the county. The population density was 3.56 per square mile (1.37/km2). There were 4,708 housing units at an average density of 3.24 per square mile (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.

Communities

City

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

[5]

Townships

Unorganized territories

Ghost towns

Government and politics

Cook County was a Republican-leaning bellwether in all but four elections from 1900 to 2000, with the exceptions being 1912, 1960, 1976 (by only 16 votes), and 1988 (by only 2 votes). 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 66 percent of voters choosing the Democratic nominee. In both 2016 [14] and 2020, [15] it was the largest county by area in the contiguous states where Trump lost every precinct, although several counties in Hawaii and county equivalents in western Alaska and the northern Panhandle beat it in both elections. [note 1] In 2024, the county shifted even further to the left, with Kamala Harris' vote share of over 66% being the highest ever by a Democratic presidential nominee. [16]

Elections and officeholders

United States presidential election results for Cook County, Minnesota [17]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
1884 4685.19%814.81%00.00%
1888 2445.28%2954.72%00.00%
1892 6851.52%1914.39%4534.09%
1896 8142.19%10755.73%42.08%
1900 8152.60%6542.21%85.19%
1904 20782.80%3112.40%124.80%
1908 25577.98%4212.84%309.17%
1912 308.62%6518.68%25372.70%
1916 12534.44%16244.63%7620.94%
1920 46772.85%9815.29%7611.86%
1924 47167.97%294.18%19327.85%
1928 60972.59%21926.10%111.31%
1932 41843.27%49250.93%565.80%
1936 38732.14%79365.86%241.99%
1940 67349.27%68650.22%70.51%
1944 51348.12%54551.13%80.75%
1948 67447.94%68848.93%443.13%
1952 94665.06%50334.59%50.34%
1956 1,07861.67%66838.22%20.11%
1960 98760.15%65039.61%40.24%
1964 76443.86%97656.03%20.11%
1968 85349.33%77744.94%995.73%
1972 1,04757.62%74240.84%281.54%
1976 1,03448.54%1,01847.79%783.66%
1980 1,14750.62%87138.44%24810.94%
1984 1,21951.63%1,12947.82%130.55%
1988 1,07849.36%1,08049.45%261.19%
1992 87833.54%1,00538.39%73528.07%
1996 1,01039.94%1,16946.22%35013.84%
2000 1,29545.92%1,17141.52%35412.55%
2004 1,48945.08%1,73352.47%812.45%
2008 1,24037.04%2,01960.30%892.66%
2012 1,22136.75%1,99359.99%1083.25%
2016 1,15634.05%1,91256.32%3279.63%
2020 1,20331.61%2,49665.58%1072.81%
2024 1,14231.20%2,41666.01%1022.79%
County Board of Commissioners [18]
PositionNameDistrict
CommissionerDebra WhiteDistrict 1
CommissionerStacey HawkinsDistrict 2
CommissionerDavid MillsDistrict 3
CommissionerAnn SullivanDistrict 4
CommissionerGinny StorlieDistrict 5
State Legislature (2018-2020)
PositionNameAffiliationDistrict
Senate Grant Hauschild [19] Democrat District 3
House of Representatives Roger Skraba [20] Republican District 3A
U.S Congress (2018-2020)
PositionNameAffiliationDistrict
House of Representatives Pete Stauber [21] Republican 8th
Senate Amy Klobuchar [22] Democrat N/A
Senate Tina Smith [23] Democrat N/A

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In both 2016 and 2020 Maui County in Hawaii alongside Kusilvak Census Area and Yakutat City and Borough in Alaska beat Cook County as the largest county-equivalent with no Trump precincts, whilst Hawaii County and Nome Census Area also beat in it 2016, and Sitka City and Borough in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  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. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Lutsen MN" . Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates Tables". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  9. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. 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. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  13. ↑ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cook County, Minnesota".
  14. ↑ Bloch, Matthew; Buchanan, Larry; Katz, Josh. "An Extremely Detailed Map of the 2016 Election". The New York Times .
  15. ↑ Rohla, Ryne. "2020 Presidential General Election Maps: NATIONAL PRECINCT MAP".
  16. ↑ 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.
  17. ↑ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Cook County - Members". www.co.cook.mn.us. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  19. ↑ "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Rep. Rob Ecklund (03A) - Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Representative Pete Stauber". Representative Pete Stauber. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  22. ↑ "U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar". www.klobuchar.senate.gov. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Home". Senator Tina Smith. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

47°55′N90°33′W / 47.917°N 90.550°W / 47.917; -90.550

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