| Merton, Minnesota | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
  Merton, Minnesota Location of the community of Merton within Merton Township, Steele County  Merton, Minnesota Merton, Minnesota (the US) | |
| Coordinates: 44°08′46″N93°08′48″W / 44.14611°N 93.14667°W Coordinates: 44°08′46″N93°08′48″W / 44.14611°N 93.14667°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Minnesota |
| County | Steele |
| Township | Merton Township |
| Elevation | 1,260 ft (380 m) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 55060 and 55049 |
| Area code(s) | 507 |
| GNIS feature ID | 654826 [1] |
Merton is an unincorporated community in Merton Township, Steele County, Minnesota, United States, near Medford and Owatonna. The community is located near the junction of Steele County Roads 8 (Kenyon Road) and 9 (NE 50th Street). Other nearby routes include Steele County Roads 10, 12, and 37. Medford Creek and Rush Creek both flow nearby. [2]
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not governed by a local municipal corporation; similarly an unincorporated community is a settlement that is not governed by its own local municipal corporation, but rather is administered as part of larger administrative divisions, such as a township, parish, borough, county, city, canton, state, province or country. Occasionally, municipalities dissolve or disincorporate, which may happen if they become fiscally insolvent, and services become the responsibility of a higher administration. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. In most other countries of the world, there are either no unincorporated areas at all, or these are very rare; typically remote, outlying, sparsely populated or uninhabited areas.
Merton Township is a township in Steele County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 380 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Merton is located within the township. The unincorporated community of Moland is partially located within the township.
Steele County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 36,576. Its county seat is Owatonna.
