Norman 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 northwestern 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 United States Census, the population was 6,441. 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 ...

is Ada. The county is in Minnesota's Red River Valley region.

History

The county was created by the Minnesota legislature on March 17, 1881, with Ada (which had been founded in 1874) as county seat. It was named in recognition of the many settlers who came from Scandinavian countries, especially Norway. Another source posits that it was named for Norman Kittson, an early historical figure of the region.

Geography

Norman County lies on Minnesota's western border, abutting

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, S ...

across the Red River, which flows north along (and defines) the county's west line. The Wild Rice River flows west through the lower part of the county, discharging into the Red slightly north of the county's southwest corner. The Marsh River rises in central Norman County and flows northwest into the Red near the county's northwest corner. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and lightly dotted with lakes and swampy areas. The terrain is devoted to agriculture.Norman County MN Google Maps (accessed April 17, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the north and west with its highest point near its southeast corner, at 1,224' (373m) ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.4%) water. Flom Township contains a prominent, irregular hill of morainic drift known as Frenchman's Bluff. It rises 150' (46m) above the shoreline of the former Lake Agassis, three miles (5 km) to the northwest.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 75 * Minnesota State Highway 9 * Minnesota State Highway 32 * Minnesota State Highway 113 *

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 ...

Adjacent counties

* Polk County - north * Mahnomen County - east *

Becker County Becker County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,183. Its county seat is Detroit Lakes. Part of the White Earth Indian Reservation extends into the county. The county was created in 18 ...

- southeast * Clay County - south * Cass County, North Dakota - southwest * Traill County, North Dakota - west

Protected areas

* Agassiz Dunes Scientific and Natural Area (part) * Agassiz No. 1 State Wildlife Management Area * Agassiz No. 2 State Wildlife Management Area * Dalby State Wildlife Management Area * Faith State Wildlife Management Area * Home Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Moccasin State Wildlife Management Area * Neal State Wildlife Management Area * Prairie Smoke Dunes Scientific and Natural Area * Sandpiper Scientific and Natural Area * Santee Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Syre State Wildlife Management Area * Twin Valley Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Twin Valley State Wildlife Management Area * Vangsness State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

* Home Lake * Lockhart Swamp

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 7,442 people, 3,010 households, and 2,007 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 8.52/sqmi (3.29/km²). There were 3,455 housing units at an average density of 3.96/sqmi (1.53/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.30%

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 ...

, 1.73% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 1.13% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 3.05% 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. 57.5% were of Norwegian and 21.7% German ancestry. There were 3,010 households, out of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% 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, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04. The county population contained 25.70% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% of over age 64. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,535, and the median income for a family was $41,280. Males had a median income of $28,674 versus $20,619 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 $15,895. About 7.10% of families and 10.30% 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 10.70% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

* Ada (county seat) * Borup *

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran *Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Unit ...

* Halstad * Hendrum * Perley * Shelly * Twin Valley

Unincorporated communities

* Betcher *

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

* Flom * Hadler * Lockhart * Ranum * Syre * Waukon

Townships

* Anthony Township * Bear Park Township * Flom Township * Fossum Township * Good Hope Township * Green Meadow Township * Halstad Township * Hegne Township * Hendrum Township * Home Lake Township * Lake Ida Township * Lee Township * Lockhart Township * Mary Township * McDonaldsville Township * Pleasant View Township * Rockwell Township * Shelly Township * Spring Creek Township * Strand Township * Sundal Township * Waukon Township * Wild Rice Township * Winchester Township

Government and politics

Norman County has often voted Democratic. Between 1968 and 2016, the county selected the Democratic candidate in nine of the 12 presidential elections.

References

External links

Norman County government’s website
{{authority control Minnesota counties 1881 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1881