Stearns County, Minnesota

Stearns County
County
Stearns County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°33′N94°37′W / 45.55°N 94.61°W / 45.55; -94.61
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855
Named for	Charles Thomas Stearns
Seat	St. Cloud
Largest city	St. Cloud
Area
• Total	1,390 sq mi (3,600 km2)
• Land	1,343 sq mi (3,480 km2)
• Water	47 sq mi (120 km2)  3.4%
Population  (2020)
• Total	158,292
• Estimate  (2023)	160,977
• Density	110/sq mi (44/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 7th
Website	www.co.stearns.mn.us

Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. ^[1] Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. ^[2]

Included within the Minnesota Territory since 1849, the county was founded by European Americans in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, then renamed for Charles Thomas Stearns. Stearns County is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Combined Statistical Area.

History

The Stearns County area was formerly occupied by numerous indigenous tribes, such as the Sioux (Dakota), Chippewa (Ojibwe) and Winnebago (Ho-chunk). The first large immigration was of German Catholics in the 1850s. Early arrivals also came from eastern states. The Wisconsin Territory was established by the federal government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848.

The federal government set up the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. The original counties had portions partitioned off in 1851 to create Cass County and in 1853 to create Sibley, Pierce, and Nicollet counties. In 1855 parts of those counties were partitioned off to create Stearns County. It was to be named Stevens County for territorial governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who had conducted an expedition through the area in 1853, but due to a clerical error, the county was named Stearns for Charles Thomas Stearns, a member of the Territorial Council. (To compensate for this error the area two counties west was later named Stevens County.)

The February 20, 1855, act ^[3] that created the county directed the naming of three county commissioners and specified St. Cloud as the county seat. The first courthouse was put into service on July 12, 1864, and it remained in use until the present courthouse was dedicated in 1922. In 1913 a campaign was mounted to shift the county seat to Albany, due to its more central location. The effort was not successful. ^[4]

Stearns County was also founded off of farmers' markets and crop trades, making it one of the top grossing crop producing counties in the state of Minnesota.

Geography

Soils of Stearns County

Soils of Padua area

Soils of St. John's University area

Stearns County borders nine counties. The Mississippi River flows southeast along its northeast border, and the Sauk River drains the central part of the county into the Mississippi at St. Cloud. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, lightly wooded, dotted with lakes and ponds, and carved with drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture or has been developed. ^[6] The terrain slopes to the east and south, ^[7] with its highest point a local protuberance at 7.6 miles (12.2 km) west and 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south of St. Joseph, at 1,461 ft (445 m) ASL. ^[8] The county's total area is 1,390 square miles (3,600 km²), of which 1,343 square miles (3,480 km²) is land and 47 square miles (120 km²) (3.4%) is water. ^[9]

The northeastern border of Stearns County is formed by the Mississippi River. The land consists of rolling hills, scenic lakes, prairies, savannas and woodlands of a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. Stearns is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils. The county has 166 lakes.

Major highways

• Interstate 94
• U.S. Highway 52
• U.S. Highway 71
• Minnesota State Highway 4
• Minnesota State Highway 15
• Minnesota State Highway 22
• Minnesota State Highway 23
• Minnesota State Highway 24
• Minnesota State Highway 28
• Minnesota State Highway 55
• Minnesota State Highway 237
• Minnesota State Highway 238
• List of county roads

Airports

Source: ^[6]

• Brooten Municipal Airport (6D1) - east of Brooten
• Paynesville Municipal Airport (PEX) - west of Paynesville
• Sauk Centre Municipal Airport (D39) - south-southeast of Sauk Centre
• St. Cloud Regional Airport (STC) - east-southeast of St. Cloud

Adjacent counties

• Todd County - north
• Morrison County - northeast
• Benton County - northeast
• Sherburne County - east
• Wright County - southeast
• Meeker County - south
• Kandiyohi County - southwest
• Pope County - west
• Douglas County - northwest

Protected areas

Sources: ^{[6] [7]}

• Avon Hills Forest Scientific and Natural Area
• Birch Lakes State Forest
• Christopher Kurilla Wildlife Management Area
• Cold Spring Heron Colony Scientific and Natural Area
• Crow River Wildlife Management Area
• Edward Raymond Mohs Wildlife Management Area
• Follies Wildlife Management Area (part)
• Lake Koronis Regional Park
• Legacy Marsh Wildlife Management Area
• Miller Wildlife Management Area
• Milton Kjedahl Wildlife Management Area
• Norman T. Dahlman Wildlife Management Area
• Oxcart Crossing Wildlife Management Area
• Padua State Wildlife Management Area
• Patch Woods Scientific and Natural Area
• Quarry Park and Nature Preserve
• Quarry Park Scientific and Natural Area
• Rockville County Park and Nature Preserve
• Roscoe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
• Saint Wendel Tamarack Bog Scientific and Natural Area
• Sauk River Wildlife Management Area
• Sedan Brook Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
• Stearns Prairie Heritage Wildlife Management Area
• Tamarack State Wildlife Management Area
• Tower State Wildlife Management Area
• Tribute Wildlife Management Area
• Victor Winder Wildlife Management Area
• Warner Lake County Park
• Zion State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	4,505		—
1870	14,206		215.3%
1880	21,956		54.6%
1890	34,844		58.7%
1900	44,464		27.6%
1910	47,733		7.4%
1920	55,741		16.8%
1930	62,121		11.4%
1940	67,200		8.2%
1950	70,681		5.2%
1960	80,345		13.7%
1970	95,400		18.7%
1980	108,161		13.4%
1990	118,791		9.8%
2000	133,166		12.1%
2010	150,642		13.1%
2020	158,292		5.1%
2023 (est.)	160,977	[10]	1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [11] 1790-1960 [12] 1900-1990 [13] 1990-2000 [14] 2010-2020 [1]

2020 census

Stearns County, Minnesota - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [15]	Pop 2020 [16]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	136,414	129,276	90.56%	81.67%
Black or African American alone (NH)	4,595	13,224	3.05%	8.35%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	392	439	0.26%	0.28%
Asian alone (NH)	2,949	3,159	1.96%	2.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	38	61	0.03%	0.04%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	107	435	0.07%	0.28%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH)	1,957	4,747	1.30%	3.00%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4,190	6,951	2.78%	4.39%
Total	150,642	158,292	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

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 US census data

As of the census of 2000, there were 133,166 people, 47,604 households, and 32,132 families in the county. The population density was 99.2 per square mile (38.3/km²). There were 50,291 housing units at an average density of 37.4 per square mile (14.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.99% White, 0.83% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 56.9% were of German and 9.4% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 47,604 households, out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.50% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.15.

The county population contained 25.70% under the age of 18, 16.10% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,426, and the median income for a family was $51,553. Males had a median income of $34,268 versus $23,393 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,211. About 4.30% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Albany
• Avon
• Belgrade
• Brooten (part)
• Clearwater (part)
• Cold Spring
• Eden Valley (part)
• Elrosa
• Freeport
• Greenwald
• Holdingford
• Kimball
• Lake Henry
• Meire Grove
• Melrose
• New Munich
• Paynesville
• Richmond
• Rockville
• Roscoe
• Saint Anthony
• Saint Augusta
• Saint Cloud (county seat; partial)
• Saint Joseph
• Saint Martin
• Saint Rosa
• Saint Stephen
• Sartell (part)
• Sauk Centre
• Spring Hill
• Waite Park

Census-designated place

• Fairhaven
• St. John's University

Unincorporated communities

• Collegeville
• Farming
• Five Points
• Georgeville
• Jacobs Prairie
• Marty
• Opole
• Padua
• Saint Anna
• Saint Francis
• Saint Nicholas
• Saint Wendel

Townships

• Albany Township
• Ashley Township
• Avon Township
• Brockway Township
• Collegeville Township
• Crow Lake Township
• Crow River Township
• Eden Lake Township
• Fair Haven Township
• Farming Township
• Getty Township
• Grove Township
• Holding Township
• Krain Township
• Lake George Township
• Lake Henry Township
• Le Sauk Township
• Luxemburg Township
• Lynden Township
• Maine Prairie Township
• Melrose Township
• Millwood Township
• Munson Township
• North Fork Township
• Oak Township
• Paynesville Township
• Raymond Township
• Saint Joseph Township
• Saint Martin Township
• Saint Wendel Township
• Sauk Centre Township
• Spring Hill Township
• Wakefield Township
• Zion Township

Politics and government

In its early history Stearns County was heavily Democratic due to being largely German Catholic and opposed to the pietistic Scandinavian Lutheran Republican Party of that era. It did not vote Republican until Theodore Roosevelt swept every Minnesota county in 1904. ^[17] Anti-Woodrow Wilson feeling from World War I caused the county to shift overwhelmingly to Warren G. Harding in 1920 before swinging to Robert M. La Follette, coreligionist Al Smith and fellow “wet” Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1936 the county's isolationism gave strong support to William Lemke’s Union Party. ^[18] Stearns County turned Republican until another Catholic nominee, John F. Kennedy, returned it to the Democratic ranks sufficiently to be one of only 130 counties nationwide to back George McGovern in 1972. Since the “Reagan Revolution”, Stearns County has voted reliably Republican, with no Democrat gaining a majority since Jimmy Carter in 1976, and Bill Clinton in 1996 the only one to manage a plurality. The county's growing social conservative bent has fueled the Republican trend.

In 2016 Donald Trump won the county with 59.8% of the vote, the highest percentage any presidential candidate has received since President Eisenhower in 1956. He improved on that in 2020 with 60.1% of the vote.

As of 2020, two cities in the county lean Democratic: St. Cloud, the largest city, and neighboring Waite Park. ^[19]

United States presidential election results for Stearns County, Minnesota ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	50,959	60.07%	31,879	37.58%	1,997	2.35%
2016	47,617	59.83%	25,576	32.13%	6,399	8.04%
2012	43,015	54.81%	33,551	42.75%	1,911	2.44%
2008	41,194	52.31%	35,690	45.32%	1,872	2.38%
2004	41,726	55.21%	32,659	43.21%	1,192	1.58%
2000	32,402	51.86%	24,800	39.70%	5,274	8.44%
1996	21,474	39.01%	24,238	44.03%	9,333	16.96%
1992	22,502	37.92%	21,451	36.15%	15,387	25.93%
1988	27,529	52.85%	23,798	45.68%	766	1.47%
1984	30,216	58.51%	20,944	40.55%	485	0.94%
1980	24,888	48.31%	21,862	42.43%	4,772	9.26%
1976	19,574	40.93%	25,027	52.33%	3,220	6.73%
1972	18,951	45.78%	19,315	46.65%	3,134	7.57%
1968	15,422	45.93%	15,990	47.62%	2,168	6.46%
1964	13,009	40.44%	19,063	59.26%	94	0.29%
1960	13,522	41.50%	19,026	58.40%	33	0.10%
1956	17,364	63.70%	9,829	36.06%	64	0.23%
1952	18,267	64.75%	9,907	35.12%	39	0.14%
1948	10,153	39.50%	15,261	59.37%	292	1.14%
1944	13,298	60.37%	8,647	39.25%	84	0.38%
1940	16,027	63.01%	9,305	36.58%	102	0.40%
1936	5,262	23.30%	12,760	56.51%	4,558	20.19%
1932	4,499	19.52%	18,293	79.36%	258	1.12%
1928	6,459	28.56%	16,104	71.21%	52	0.23%
1924	6,469	37.36%	1,354	7.82%	9,491	54.82%
1920	13,566	86.33%	1,616	10.28%	532	3.39%
1916	4,312	54.44%	3,350	42.29%	259	3.27%
1912	1,134	17.63%	3,317	51.55%	1,983	30.82%
1908	2,614	38.75%	3,835	56.86%	296	4.39%
1904	2,849	50.43%	2,625	46.47%	175	3.10%
1900	2,460	35.55%	4,244	61.33%	216	3.12%
1896	2,873	36.06%	4,911	61.64%	183	2.30%
1892	1,624	23.68%	4,461	65.04%	774	11.28%

See also

• Crow Lake (Stearns County, Minnesota)
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Stearns County, Minnesota

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
4. History of Stearns County (from county website; accessed May 3, 2019)
5. Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 49-52. ISBN   978-0-615-50320-2.
6. Stearns County MN Google Maps (accessed 3 May 2019)
7. "Find an Altitude/Stearns County MN" Google Maps (accessed May 3, 2019)
8. Stearns County High Point, Minnesota. PeakBaggers.com (accessed May 3, 2019)
9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
10. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023" . Retrieved March 18, 2024.
11. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
12. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
13. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
14. "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 25, 2014.
15. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Stearns County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau .
16. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Stearns County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau .
17. Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 228-233 ISBN   0786422173
18. Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 428-430 ISBN   978-0-691-16324-6
19. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 10, 2018.

Further reading

• Mitchell, William Bell. History of Stearns County, Minnesota (2vols.) H.C. Cooper Jr., 1915. Online. Volume 1 and Volume 2
• Simpson, Lee M. A. Stearns County, Minnesota. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2000. Print. ISBN   9780738508337, OCLC   45709208

External links

• Stearns County official website
• Sartell Historical Society - Sartell, MN
• Stearns History Museum official website

45°33′N94°37′W / 45.55°N 94.61°W / 45.55; -94.61