Lake of the Woods County is the northernmost

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 ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,763, making it the second-least populous county in Minnesota. 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 Baudette. The county contains the

Northwest Angle The Northwest Angle, known simply as the Angle by locals, and coextensive with Angle Township, is a pene-exclave of northern Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota. Excluding surveying errors, it is the only place in the contiguous United States ...

, the northernmost point of the Lower 48 States, and the U.S. portion of

Lake of the Woods Lake of the Woods (; ) is a lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U.S. state of Minnesota. Lake of the Woods is over long and wide, containing more than 14,552 islands and of shoreline. It is fed by t ...

, shared with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The county also includes the

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

of Elm Point. Since Alaska has no counties, Lake of the Woods is the northernmost county in the United States. It is also the only county in the United States with four words in its name, although there is a parish in Louisiana called St. John the Baptist Parish, and the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

treats parishes as

county equivalents In the United States, a county or county equivalent is an Administrative division, administrative subdivision of a U.S. state, state or territories of the United States, territory, typically with defined geographic Border, boundaries and some ...

for census purposes.

History

Lake of the Woods County was named for the lake that covers a large portion of it.

Jacques de Noyon Jacques de Noyon (12 February 1668 – 12 May 1745) was a French Canadian explorer, sergeant and coureur des bois. He is the first known European to visit the Boundary Waters region west of Lake Superior. Jacques de Noyon was born on 12 February ...

, a Frenchman who came from Trois Rivières,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, explored the area in 1688 and was the first European to see the lake. He named it ''Lac aux Îles,'' "Lake of the Islands". In 1885 the region got its first settler, Wilhelm Zippel, a German immigrant and fisherman. He settled on the lake's south shore in a place now called Zippel Bay. Shortly after, Alonzo Wheeler settled on the lake's southwest side at a place now called Wheeler's Point. A

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

, known as the Baudette fire of 1910, broke out in October of that year, burning and destroying the towns of Spooner, Baudette, Graceton, Pitt, Williams, and Cedar Spur. Lake of the Woods County's government was organized on January 1, 1923, with Baudette as the county seat. It is Minnesota's newest county; county voters approved separating the northern townships of Beltrami County into a separate unit on November 28, 1922.

Geography

Lake of the Woods County lies on Minnesota's border with Canada across the Rainy River, which flows northwest along the border to discharge into

; its northwest border abuts

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

. The northern part of the county (the

) is separated from the rest of the county by the lake and thus has no land contact with the rest of the United States, making the Northwest Angle an exclave. Land access to that part of the county is through Manitoba. Access by water or ice routes is possible. The Rapid River flows northeast through the southeastern part of the county to its discharge point into the Rainy River, near the county's northeast corner. Lake of the Woods County's terrain consists of low rolling hills, partly wooded, devoted to agriculture.Lake of the Woods County MN Google Maps (accessed May 1, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east and north. Its highest point is a small protuberance west of Norris Camp, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (27%) is water.

Major highways

Minnesota State Highway 11 Minnesota State Highway 11 (MN 11) is a highway in northwest and north-central Minnesota, which runs from North Dakota Highway 66 at the North Dakota state line (near Drayton, North Dakota) and continues east to its eastern terminus at the com ...

* Minnesota State Highway 72 * Minnesota State Highway 172

Adjacent counties and districts

Kenora District, Ontario Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora. It is geographically the largest division in Ontario: at , it covers 38 percent of the province's area, making it larger ...

- northeast * Rainy River District, Ontario - northeast * Koochiching County - southeast * Beltrami County - south * Roseau County - west * Rural Municipality of Piney, Manitoba - west * Buffalo Point, Manitoba - west

Protected areas

Source: * Beltrami Island State Forest (part) * Garden Island State Recreation Area * Mulligan Lake Peatland Scientific and Natural Area * Norris Camp Peatland Scientific and Natural Area * Pine Island State Forest (part) * Red Lake Peatland Scientific and Natural Area (part) * Winter Road Lakes Peatland Scientific and Natural Area * Zippel Bay State Park

Lakes

Source: * Browns Lake *

* Lost Lake * Winter Road Lake

Demographics

2020 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 2020, there were 3,763 people and 1,522 households in the county. The racial makeup of the county was 93.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, and 4.3% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latinos were 1.5% of the population. The most common ancestries were German (26.3%), Norwegian (18.2%), and Swedish (10.2%). 99.0% of residents were born in the United States, and 98.8% spoken only English at home.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,522 people, 1,903 households, and 1,267 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 3,238 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.21% White/Caucasian, 0.29% Black/African American, 1.13% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. 0.64% 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. 26.2% were of Norwegian, 22.3%

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 ...

, 8.9% Swedish, 5.8% American and 5.0% English ancestry. There were 1,903 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.40% 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, 5.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 29.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.93. The county population contained 24.70% under the age of 18, 5.70% from 18 to 24, 25.10% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 101.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,861, and the median income for a family was $38,936. Males had a median income of $30,469 versus $24,813 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 $16,976. About 6.70% of families and 9.80% 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 8.30% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Baudette (county seat) * Roosevelt (partly in Roseau County) * Williams

Census-designated place

* Angle Inlet

Unincorporated communities

* Arnesén * Birch Beach * Carp * Clementson * Faunce * Graceton * Hackett * Long Point * Lude * Oak Island * Penasse * Pitt * Sandy Shores * Wheeler's Point

Townships

Although all the townships are named, as of 2001, there are no township governments. All the townships are officially part of unorganized territory. * Angle Township * Baudette Township * Beaver Dam Township * Boone Township * Chilgren Township * Cloverdale Township * Eugene Township * Forest Area Township * Gudrid Township * Hiwood Township * Kiel Township * Lakewood Township * McDougald Township * Meadowland Township * Myhre Township * Norris Township * Noyes Township * Park Township * Pioneer Township * Potamo Township * Prosper Township * Rapid River Township * Rulien Township * Spooner Township * Swiftwater Township * Township 157-30 * Township 158-30 * Victory Township * Wabanica Township * Walhalla Township * Wheeler Township * Zippel Township

Government and politics

Lake of the Woods County favored Democrats in every election from 1932 to 1976, typically by large margins, with the exception of the 1972 landslide victory of

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 ...

. Beginning in 1980, the county has voted Republican in every election except for 1992 and 1996, both wins by

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

, who won by less than 4% in the county and failed to obtain a majority of the vote both times thanks in part to the strong third-party performance of

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot ( ; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an Independent politician ...

. With the exception of the landslide wins of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

in 1936 and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

in 1964, no candidate of any party had won over 65% of the vote in Lake of the Woods County from its founding through 2012. That changed in 2016, when

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 ...

received over 68% of the county's vote, and he increased his vote share to over 70% in 2020 and topped it off by earning nearly 73% of the vote in 2024, by far the three best performances by a Republican in the county's history.

References

External links

Lake of the Woods County government website

Local tourist bureau website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lake Of The Woods County, Minnesota Minnesota counties 1922 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1922