Cass County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the central part of the U.S. state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,066. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

Walker Walker or The Walker may refer to: People *Walker (given name) *Walker (surname) *Walker (Brazilian footballer) (born 1982), Brazilian footballer Places In the United States *Walker, Arizona, in Yavapai County *Walker, Mono County, California * ...

. The county was formed in 1851, and was organized in 1897. Cass County is included in the Brainerd, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. A substantial part of the

Leech Lake Indian Reservation The Leech Lake Reservation (''Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag'' in the Ojibwe language) is an Indian reservation located in the north-central Minnesota counties of Cass, Itasca, Beltrami, and Hubbard. The reservation forms the land base for the federall ...

is in the county.

History

Cass County was created on September 1, 1851, by the

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota and west ...

legislature, although its government was not organized until 1897. The county was formed of areas partitioned from

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota ...

, Mahkatah, Pembina and Wahnata Counties. It was named for

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He wa ...

, a Michigan political figure of the 19th century. Before it was organized several parcels of county land were partitioned off to augment or form adjacent counties.

Geography

The Crow Wing River flows east-southeast along Cass County's southern border, and the Gull River flows southwest through the lower part, to discharge into the Crow Wing on the southern border. The terrain consists of wooded rolling hills, heavily dotted with lakes and ponds,''Cass County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019)
/ref> and slopes to the south and east; its highest point is on the upper western border, at 1,614' (492m) ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (16%) is water.

Major highways

* US Highway 2 * Minnesota State Highway 6 * Minnesota State Highway 34 * Minnesota State Highway 64 *

Minnesota State Highway 84 Minnesota State Highway 84 (MN 84) is a highway in north-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with Highway 371 in Pine River and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 200 ...

Minnesota State Highway 87 Minnesota State Highway 87 (MN 87) is a highway in north-central and northwest Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 10 at Frazee and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 84 ...

Minnesota State Highway 200 Minnesota State Highway 200 (MN 200) is a highway in northwest and northeast Minnesota, which runs from North Dakota Highway 200 at the North Dakota state line near Halstad, and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection ...

* Minnesota State Highway 210 *

Minnesota State Highway 371 Minnesota State Highway 371 (MN 371) is a highway in central and north-central Minnesota. The route connects Minnesota's northern lakes region with the central part of the state. It runs south–north from U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) i ...

*'' List of county roads''

Adjacent counties

* Itasca County - northeast *

Aitkin County Aitkin County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,697. Its county seat is Aitkin. Part of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in the county. The county was created in 1857 and organiz ...

- east *

Crow Wing County Crow Wing County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 66,123. Its county seat is Brainerd. The county was formed in 1857, and was organized in 1870. Crow Wing County i ...

- southeast * Morrison County - south * Todd County - southwest * Wadena County - west * Hubbard County - northwest *

Beltrami County Beltrami County ( ) is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,228. Its county seat is Bemidji. The county's name comes from Italian adventurer Giacomo Beltrami from Berg ...

- north

Protected areas

* Buena Vista State Forest (part) *

Chippewa National Forest Chippewa National Forest is a National Forest located in north central Minnesota, United States, in the counties of Itasca, Cass and Beltrami. Forest headquarters are located in Cass Lake, Minnesota. There are local ranger district offices ...

(part) * Crow Wing State Park (part) * Foot Hills State Forest (part)

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Walker have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in February 1996 and a record high of was recorded in August 1976. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 27,150 people, 10,893 households, and 7,734 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was 13.4/sqmi (5.18/km²). There were 21,286 housing units at an average density of 10.5/sqmi (4.06/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.52%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.11%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 11.45% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.14% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 0.81% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 28.2% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, 15.0% Norwegian, 7.3%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, 6.1% Irish and 6.1% American ancestry. There were 10,893 households, out of which 27.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.40% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90. The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 6.10% from 18 to 24, 23.00% from 25 to 44, 27.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $34,332, and the median income for a family was $40,156. Males had a median income of $30,097 versus $21,232 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $17,189. About 9.50% of families and 13.60% 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 18.20% of those under age 18 and 13.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

* Backus * Bena * Boy River * Cass Lake * Chickamaw Beach * East Gull Lake * Federal Dam * Hackensack * Lake Shore * Longville *

Motley Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, the motley fool, or the arlecchino character in ''commedia dell'arte''. The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word ''motley'' i ...

(partial) * Pillager * Pine River * Remer *

(county seat)

Census-designated place

* Whipholt

Unincorporated communities

* Ah-gwah-ching * Brevik * Bridgeman *

Casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live enterta ...

Ellis Ellis is a surname of Welsh and English origin. Retrieved 21 January 2014 An independent French origin of the surname is said to derive from the phrase fleur-de-lis. Surname A *Abe Ellis (Stargate), a fictional character in the TV series '' ...

* Esterdy * Graff * Inguadona *

Leader Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets view ...

* Leech Lake *

Mae Mae is an American rock band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience", based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University. Histor ...

* Mildred * Onigum *

Oshawa Oshawa ( , also ; 2021 population 175,383; CMA 415,311) is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the ...

Outing Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia in order to discredit political opponents or to com ...

* Pontoria * Raboin * Ryan Village * Schley * Snowball * Sylvan * Tobique * Wabedo * Wilkinson

Townships

* Ansel Township * Barclay Township * Becker Township * Beulah Township * Birch Lake Township * Blind Lake Township * Boy Lake Township * Boy River Township * Bull Moose Township * Bungo Township * Byron Township * Crooked Lake Township * Deerfield Township * Fairview Township * Gould Township * Hiram Township * Home Brook Township * Inguadona Township * Kego Township * Leech Lake Township * Lima Township * Loon Lake Township * Maple Township * May Township * McKinley Township * Meadow Brook Township * Moose Lake Township * Otter Tail Peninsula Township * Pike Bay Township * Pine Lake Township * Pine River Township * Ponto Lake Township * Poplar Township * Powers Township * Remer Township * Rogers Township * Salem Township * Shingobee Township * Slater Township * Smoky Hollow Township * Sylvan Township * Thunder Lake Township * Torrey Township * Trelipe Township * Turtle Lake Township * Wabedo Township * Walden Township * Wilkinson Township * Wilson Township * Woodrow Township

Unorganized territories

* Wahnena * North Cass * North Central Cass * East Cass

Government and politics

Cass County tends to vote Republican. As of 2020 the county has selected the Republican nominee in 78% of presidential elections since 1980.

References

External links

Cass County government's website
* Minnesota Department of Transportation map of Cass County
southern portionwest central portioneast central portionnorthern portion
{{Coord, 46.95, -94.32, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minnesota counties Leech Lake 1897 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1897 Minnesota counties on the Mississippi River