Polk County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers 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 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 sover ...

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 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. Its population was 31,192 at the 2020 census. 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 st ...

is Crookston, and the largest community is East Grand Forks. Polk County is part of the

Grand Forks Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, ND-MN

metropolitan statistical area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

History

In one of its early acts as a state entity, the Minnesota Legislature created the county on July 20, 1858, but did not organize it at that time. The county was named for the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk, who signed the congressional act that organized 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 wester ...

. The county was organized in 1872 and 1873, with the newly settled community of Crookston as the county seat.

Geography

Polk County lies on Minnesota's border with North Dakota (across the Red River). The

Red Lake River The Red Lake River ( French: ''Rivière du Lac Rouge''; Ojibwe: ''Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganiiwi-ziibi'') is a river located in northwestern Minnesota. The river begins on the western side of the Lower Red Lake and flows westward. After passing thr ...

flows west through the upper central part of the county, discharging into the Red at Grand Forks. The county terrain consists of low, rolling hills, devoted to agriculture.''Polk County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 16, 2019)
/ref> The county slopes to the west and north, with its highest point near its southeast corner, at 1,519 ft (463 m) above sea level. The county has an area of , of which (1.3%) is covered by water. USGS surveys show the county's high point to be 1575 ft, 1 km south of U.S. 2, about 2 km east of Spring Lake, at 47.5197°N, 95.5906°W.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

U.S. Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

U.S. Highway 75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it once continued as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other sid ...

Minnesota State Highway 9 State Highway 9 or Trunk Highway 9 (MN 9, TH 9) is a state highway in west-central and northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 23 in New London and continues west and then north to its northern ter ...

Minnesota State Highway 32 Minnesota State Highway 32 (MN 32) is a highway in west-central and northwest Minnesota, which runs from its Intersection (road), intersection with Minnesota State Highway 34, State Highway 34 in Tansem Township, Clay County, Minnesota, Tanse ...

* Minnesota State Highway 92 * Minnesota State Highway 102 *

Minnesota State Highway 220 Minnesota State Highway 220 (MN 220) is a regional trunk highway in northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 75 in Climax and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with MN 11 near Drayton, No ...

* Polk County State-Aid Highway 21: This is the major connector between Grand Forks and Pennington County, and connects with Pennington County State-Aid Highway 3. * Polk County State-Aid Highway 9: A major connector between Crookston and the south end of Grand Forks, it connects with Grand Forks County Road 7, and functions as a southside connector between US 75 and US 2 in Crookston. * Polk County State-Aid Highways 11 & 46: US 2 Truck Bypass of Crookston * Polk County State-Aid Highway 2: Designated and designed for heavy truck traffic connecting

US 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

Roseau County Roseau County () (pronounced row - so) is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, along the Canada–US border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,331. Its county seat is Roseau. Roseau County borders the C ...

and Marshall County.

Adjacent counties

* Marshall County (north) * Pennington County (northeast) * Red Lake County (northeast) * Clearwater County (east) * Mahnomen County (southeast) * Norman County (south) *

Traill County, North Dakota Traill County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census listed the population at 7,997. Its county seat is Hillsboro, and its largest city is Mayville. History The Dakota Territory legislature created the county on ...

(southwest) *

Grand Forks County, North Dakota Grand Forks County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 73,170, making it the third-most populous county in North Dakota. Its county seat and largest community is Grand Forks. History Using t ...

(west)

Protected areas

* Agassiz Dunes Scientific and Natural Area (part) * Belgium State Wildlife Management Area * Brandsvold State Wildlife Management Area * Castor State Wildlife Management Area * Enerson State Wildlife Management Area * Erskine State Wildlife Management Area * Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge * Gully Fen Scientific and Natural Area * Hangaard State Wildlife Management Area * Hasselton State Wildlife Management Area (part) * Hill River State Wildlife Management Area * Kroening State Wildlife Management Area * Lavoi State Wildlife Management Area * Lessor State Wildlife Management Area * Mahgre State Wildlife Management Area * Malmberg Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Pembina State Wildlife Management Area * Polk State Wildlife Management Area * Red River State Recreation Area (part) * Red River Valley Natural History Area * Rindahl State Wildlife Management Area * Rydell National Wildlife Refuge * Sand Hill Recreation Area * Shypoke State Wildlife Management Area * Stipa State Wildlife Management Area

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

2000 United States census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, 31,369 people, 12,070 households, and 8,050 families were in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 15.9/sq mi (6.14/km²). The 14,008 housing units had an average density of 7.11/sq mi (2.74/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 94.18% White, 0.33% African American, 1.30% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 2.77% from other races, and 1.30% from two or more races. About 4.79% of the population were Hispanics or Latinos of any race; 41.7% were of

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

, 19.7%

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 ...

, and 5.8% French ancestry. Of the 12,070 households, 32.3% had children under 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were not families. About 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 3.07. The county's age distribution was 25.9% under 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 or older. The median age was 38. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 95.5 males. The median income for a household was $35,105, and for a family was $44,310. Males had a median income of $31,472 versus $21,535 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 ...

was $17,279. About 7.3% of families and 10.9% 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 t ...

, including 13.3% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those 65 or over.

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

* Beltrami *

Climax Climax may refer to: Language arts * Climax (narrative), the point of highest tension in a narrative work * Climax (rhetoric), a figure of speech that lists items in order of importance Biology * Climax community, a biological community th ...

* Crookston (county seat) * East Grand Forks *

Erskine Erskine (, sco, Erskin, gd, Arasgain) is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire, and historic county of the same name, situated in the West Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies on the southern bank of the River Clyde, providing the lo ...

Fertile Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertilit ...

Fisher Fisher is an archaic term for a fisherman, revived as gender-neutral. Fisher, Fishers or The Fisher may also refer to: Places Australia *Division of Fisher, an electoral district in the Australian House of Representatives, in Queensland *Elect ...

Fosston Fosston is a city in Polk County, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Greater Grand Forks region. The population was 1,434 at the time of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area ...

Gully A gully is a landform created by running water, mass movement, or commonly a combination of both eroding sharply into soil or other relatively erodible material, typically on a hillside or in river floodplains or terraces. Gullies resemble lar ...

* Lengby *

McIntosh McIntosh, Macintosh, or Mackintosh (Gaelic: ') may refer to: Products and brands * Mackintosh, a form of waterproof raincoat * Mackintosh's or John Mackintosh and Co., later Rowntree Mackintosh, former UK confectionery company now part of Nestl� ...

Mentor Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

* Nielsville *

Trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...

* Winger

Unincorporated communities

* Benoit *

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, ...

* Dugdale *

Euclid Euclid (; grc-gre, Wikt:Εὐκλείδης, Εὐκλείδης; BC) was an ancient Greek mathematician active as a geometer and logician. Considered the "father of geometry", he is chiefly known for the ''Euclid's Elements, Elements'' trea ...

* Greenview * Maple Bay * Olga * Sherack * Tabor

Townships

* Andover Township * Angus Township * Badger Township * Belgium Township * Brandsvold Township * Brandt Township * Brislet Township * Bygland Township * Chester Township * Columbia Township * Crookston Township * Eden Township * Esther Township * Euclid Township * Fairfax Township * Fanny Township * Farley Township * Fisher Township * Garden Township * Garfield Township * Gentilly Township * Godfrey Township * Grand Forks Township * Grove Park-Tilden Township * Gully Township * Hammond Township * Helgeland Township * Higdem Township * Hill River Township * Hubbard Township * Huntsville Township * Johnson Township * Kertsonville Township * Keystone Township * King Township * Knute Township * Lessor Township * Liberty Township * Lowell Township * Nesbit Township * Northland Township * Onstad Township * Parnell Township * Queen Township * Reis Township * Rhinehart Township * Roome Township * Rosebud Township * Russia Township * Sandsville Township * Scandia Township * Sletten Township * Sullivan Township * Tabor Township * Tynsid Township * Vineland Township * Winger Township * Woodside Township

Government and politics

Polk County has been a swing district for several decades. As of 2020, it has selected the Republican nominee in presidential elections in 56% of elections since 1980.

References

External links

Polk County official website
{{Coord, 47.77, -96.40, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minnesota counties Greater Grand Forks 1872 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1872