Steele 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

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 37,406. 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 Owatonna. Steele County comprises the Owatonna Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was created 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 the w ...

legislature on February 20, 1855, using areas partitioned from

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, Blue Earth, and Le Sueur counties. Owatonna, the settlement of which had commenced in 1854, was named the county seat. The county was named for

Franklin Steele Franklin Steele (c. 1813September 10, 1880) was an early settler of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, of Scottish descent, Steele worked in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, post office as a young man, where he once met ...

, a prominent early resident of the territory.

Geography

The Straight River rises in

Freeborn County Freeborn County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea, Minnesota, Albert Lea. Freeborn County compri ...

and flows northward through the central part of Steele County, continuing into Rice County on the north. The South Branch of the Middle Fork of the Zumbro River rises in Steele County and flows eastward into Dodge County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, etched with drainages, completely devoted to agriculture where possible.Steele County MN Google Maps (accessed April 19, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east and north, with its highest point near the midpoint of its south border, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which are land and (0.6%) are water. The Straight River flows northward through the county, and the Le Sueur River flows through its southwestern corner. The Middle Fork of the

Zumbro River The Zumbro River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota in the United States. It is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, acces ...

rises in NE Steele County.

Transit

* Southern Minnesota Area Rural Transit

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 ...

– runs north–south through west-central portion of county. Passes Medford, Clinton Falls, Owatonna,

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

and Ellendale. * U.S. Route 14 – runs east–west through upper central portion of county; passes Owatonna. * U.S. Route 218 – runs north-northwest from southeast corner of county to intersection with US 14, southeast of Owatonna. *

Minnesota State Highway 30 Minnesota State Highway 30 (MN 30) is a highway in southwest and southeast Minnesota, which runs from South Dakota Highway 34 at the South Dakota state line near Airlie, west of Pipestone, and continues to its eastern terminus at its in ...

– runs east–west across south part of county; passes Ellendale.

Airports

* Owatonna Degner Regional Airport (OWA) - northwest of Owatonna

Adjacent counties

– north *

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

– east *

Mower A mower is a person or machine that cuts (mows) grass or other plants that grow on the ground. Usually mowing is distinguished from reaping, which uses similar implements, but is the traditional term for harvesting grain crops, e.g. with reape ...

– southeast *

Freeborn "Freeborn" is a term associated with political agitator John Lilburne (1614–1657), a member of the Levellers, a 17th-century English political party. As a word, "freeborn" means born free, rather than in slavery or bondage or vassalage. Lilbu ...

– south * Waseca – west

Protected areas

* Aurora State Wildlife Management Area * Oak Glen State Wildlife Management Area * Rice Lake State Park * Somerset State Wildlife Management Area * Swan Lake State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

* Beaver * Fosilen * Kohlmeier * Lonergan * Oak Glen * Rice (part) * Rickert * Swan

Demographics

2020 census

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 33,680 people, 12,846 households, and 9,082 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 13,306 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.19% White, 1.07% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 3.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.6% 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 ...

, 18.5% Norwegian, 5.2%

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

and 5.1% Irish ancestry. There were 12,846 households, out of which 35.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% 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, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.08. The county population contained 27.90% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $46,106, and the median income for a family was $53,981. Males had a median income of $36,366 versus $25,054 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 $20,328. About 4.20% of families and 6.20% 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 7.10% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Blooming Prairie (partly in Dodge County) * Ellendale * Medford * Owatonna (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Bixby * Clinton Falls * Deerfield *

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large. As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...

* Lemond * Litomysl * Meriden * Merton * Moland * Pratt * Saco * Steele Center

Ghost town

* Rice Lake

Townships

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

* Blooming Prairie * Clinton Falls * Deerfield *

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Lemond * Medford * Meriden * Merton * Owatonna *

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

Politics

Steele County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate ().

References

External links

Steele County government's website

Steele County Historical Society

City of Owatonna

City of Medford

City of Blooming Prairie

City of Ellendale

{{authority control Minnesota counties 1855 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1855