Carlton County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

State State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, formed in 1857. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,207. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Carlton. Part of the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation lies in northeastern Carlton County. Carlton County is part of the Duluth, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Carlton County lies on Minnesota's eastern edge. Its eastern boundary abuts

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. The Saint Louis River flows east-southeast through the county, discharging into

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. The Moose Horn River flows southwest through the county, discharging into the Kettle River. The Nemadji River and the South Fork Nemadji River flow east through the county, meeting a few miles east of its eastern boundary before reaching Lake Superior. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, heavily wooded,''Carlton County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 5, 2019)
/ref> and slopes to the several river valleys. The county's northwest corner lies at ASL, and a small hill west of Rogers Lake rises to ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (1.6%) is water.

Major highways

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

Minnesota State Highway 23 Minnesota State Highway 23 (MN 23) is a state highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota. At in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1. This route, signed east–west, runs roug ...

Minnesota State Highway 27 Minnesota State Highway 27 (MN 27) is a state highway in west-central and east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 28 in Browns Valley and continues east to its interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) in ...

* Minnesota State Highway 33 * Minnesota State Highway 45 * Minnesota State Highway 73 * Minnesota State Highway 210 * Minnesota State Highway 289

Adjacent counties

* Saint Louis County – north *

Douglas County, Wisconsin Douglas County is a county in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,295 Its county seat is Superior. Douglas County is included in the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

– east * Pine County – south * Aitkin County – west

Protected areas

* Black Hoof Wildlife Management Area * Dye State Wildlife Management Area * Fond du Lac State Forest (part) * Jay Cooke State Park * Kettle Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Nemadji State Forest (part) * Sawyer State Wildlife Management Area

History

Under a 1854 Treaty of La Pointe the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and other reservations were established in exchange for all the Lake Superior

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

land in the Arrowhead Region. Carlton County was formed and organized in 1870. It was named for Reuben B. Carlton, a member of the Minnesota Senate (1857–58). In October 1918, an immense forest fire occurred, known as the Cloquet fire. The Carlton County Historical Society hosts a permanent exhibit about the fire of 1918, along with ones about the Ojibwe of Carlton County and the Logging Era.

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carlton have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in September.

Demographics

2020 census

''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.''

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 35,386 people living in the county. 89.7% were

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.9% Native American, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 2.4% of two or more races. 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 16.4% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 13.5% Finnish, 8.9% Norwegian, 8.6% Swedish and 5.6% American ancestry.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 31,671 people, 12,064 households, and 8,408 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 13,721 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.75%

, 0.97%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 5.19% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.21% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. 0.84% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 18.5% were of

, 16.9% Finnish, 12.5% Norwegian, 11.8% Swedish and 5.8% Polish ancestry. 95.5% spoke English, 1.8% Finnish and 1.1%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

as their first language. There were 12,064 households, out of which 32.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.30% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00. The county population contained 25.40% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 15.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 102.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,021, and the median income for a family was $48,406. Males had a median income of $38,788 versus $25,555 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $18,073. About 5.40% of families and 7.90% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.20% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Barnum * Carlton (county seat) * Cloquet * Cromwell * Kettle River * Moose Lake * Scanlon * Wrenshall *

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

Census-designated places

* Big Lake * Esko * Mahtowa

Unincorporated communities

* Atkinson * Automba * Duesler * Harney *

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

* Iverson * Nemadji * Otter Creek * Pleasant Valley * Sawyer * Scotts Corner

Townships

* Atkinson Township * Automba Township * Barnum Township * Beseman Township * Blackhoof Township * Eagle Township * Holyoke Township * Kalevala Township * Lakeview Township * Mahtowa Township * Moose Lake Township * Perch Lake Township * Silver Township * Silver Brook Township * Skelton Township * Split Rock Township * Thomson Township * Twin Lakes Township * Wrenshall Township

Unorganized territories

* Clear Creek * North Carlton Includes Corona, Progress, Red Clover, and Sawyer Unorganized Townships.

Government and politics

Local government

As of 2019, the Carlton County Sheriff is Kelly Lake. The Carlton County Board of Commissioners has five members, each representing one district. In April 2019 Lake and the Fond du Lac Police Department collaborated on

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Se ...

training on behalf of other sheriff agencies that would be affected by the upcoming Enbridge Line 3. In 2017, Carlton County published a detailed Jail & Criminal Justice System Planning Study. As of 2019, Carlton County Public Health employs 36 county staff and 6 contract staff. It has been operating since 1920.

National

The Democratic Party historically dominated the county, carrying it by wide margins in every presidential election from 1932 to 2012, but

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

lost by only 300 votes in 2016 and 307 votes in 2020 (a margin of under 2% and holding the Democrats to only a plurality in both elections), signaling a new competitiveness in Carlton County. The only other Republican to receive at least 40% of the vote since 1932 was

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

during his 49-state landslide in 1972. During the 2022 Midterm Elections, the Republican candidates for Attorney General, State Auditor, and U.S. House of Representatives won Carlton County, and Republicans also flipped State House District 11A, which includes most of Carlton County and came among other seat flips on the

Iron Range The Iron Range is collectively or individually a number of elongated iron-ore mining districts around Lake Superior in the United States and Canada. Much of the ore-bearing region lies alongside the range of granite hills formed by the Giants ...

despite not winning the State House overall. These wins marked a potential realignment towards the Republican Party. This trend continued in 2024, with Donald Trump becoming the first Republican since

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

in 1928 to win the county, receiving 50.1% of the vote.

References

External links

Carlton County official website

Carltoncountyhelp.org: A guide to service organizations in Carlton County MN
* Mn/DOT �
map of Carlton County
{{Coord, 46.59, -92.68, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minnesota counties 1870 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1870