Traverse 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 3,360, making it the 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 Wheaton. The county was founded in 1862 and organized in 1881.

Geography

Traverse County lies on the western edge of Minnesota. Its western border abuts the eastern borders of the states of

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

. The Red River flows northward along the county's western line. The Mustinka River flows southwestward through the county's upper portion, discharging into Lake Traverse. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, fully devoted to agriculture except in developed areas.''Traverse County MN'' Google Maps (accessed April 2, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the west and north, with its highest point at the southeastern corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.0%) is water.

Major highways

* U.S. Route 75 * Minnesota State Highway 9 *

Minnesota State Highway 27 Minnesota State Highway 27 (MN 27) is a state highway in west-central and east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 28 in Browns Valley and continues east to its interchange with Interstate 35 (I-35) in ...

* Minnesota State Highway 28 * Minnesota State Highway 117

Adjacent counties

* Wilkin County - north *

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

- northeast * Stevens County - southeast * Big Stone County - south *

Roberts County, South Dakota Roberts County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 10,280. Its county seat is Sisseton. The county was named either for S. G. Roberts of Fargo, North Dakota, or for Solomon Robar, an early ...

- southwest *

Richland County, North Dakota Richland County is a County (United States), county in the far southeast corner of the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 16,529, and was estimated to be 16,658 in 2024. The county s ...

- northwest

Protected areas

* Reservation Dam State Wildlife Management Area * White Rock Dam State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

* Lake Traverse (part) * Mud Lake - (part) * Saint Marys Lake * Wet Lake

Demographics

2020 Census

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 4,134 people, 1,717 households, and 1,129 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 2,199 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.42%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.02%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 2.81% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.07%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.05% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. 1.21% 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. 52.2% were of German, 13.0% Norwegian, 7.6% Swedish and 5.4% Irish ancestry. There were 1,717 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% 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, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.20% were non-families. 32.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.97. The county population contained 25.30% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 21.70% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 26.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $30,617, and the median income for a family was $39,655. Males had a median income of $29,821 versus $20,100 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 $16,378. About 9.30% of families and 12.00% 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 13.10% of those under age 18 and 10.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Browns Valley * Dumont * Tintah * Wheaton (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

* Boisberg * Charlesville (partial) * Collis * Dakomin

Townships

* Arthur Township * Clifton Township * Croke Township * Dollymount Township * Folsom Township * Lake Valley Township * Leonardsville Township * Monson Township * Parnell Township * Redpath Township * Tara Township * Taylor Township * Tintah Township * Walls Township * Windsor Township

Government and politics

Traverse County was historically a swing county, although in recent years it has swung substantially Republican. Since 1980 the county has selected the Republican Party candidate 58% of the time in national elections (as of 2024).

References

{{Coord, 45.77, -96.47, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minnesota counties 1881 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1881 Minnesota placenames of Native American origin