Wright County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 141,337. Its county seat is Buffalo. The county was founded in 1855. Wright County is part of the Minneapolis- St. Paul- Bloomington, MN- WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. In terms of population, Wright County is the tenth-largest county in Minnesota and the second-fastest growing.

History

The county was established in 1855, and was named for New York politician Silas Wright. The first county seat was Monticello; in 1868 the county seat was changed to Buffalo. Most of the area's first settlers were of German and Swedish origin. The county's population in 1860 was 3,729; in 1875, it was 13,775. The 1998 thriller '' A Simple Plan'' was set in Wright County, though it does not mention a specific town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (7.4%) is water. The terrain is undulating and contains numerous small lakes. The county is bounded on the northeast by the Mississippi River. Wright is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils, and one of only two Minnesota counties where savanna soils make up more than 75% of the county area (the other is Hennepin County). Lake Maria State Park New Wiki Version

Major highways

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

U.S. Highway 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) and I-94, but unlike most U.S. routes that ...

U.S. Highway 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

(runs hidden with I-94) *

Minnesota State Highway 24 Minnesota State Highway 24 (MN 24) is a highway in central Minnesota, which travels from its intersection with U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) and MN 22 in Litchfield and continues northeast to its intersection with US 10 ...

Minnesota State Highway 25 Minnesota State Highway 25 (MN 25) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 169 in Belle Plaine and continues north to its intersection with State Highway 210 in Brainerd. Route description State High ...

Minnesota State Highway 55 Minnesota State Highway 55 (MN 55) is a highway in west-central, central, and east-central Minnesota, which runs from the North Dakota state line near Tenney and continues east and southeast to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Hi ...

* Minnesota State Highway 101 *

Minnesota State Highway 241 Minnesota State Highway 241 (MN 241) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with Wright County State-Aid Highway 19 (Main Street / La Beaux Avenue) and Wright County State-Aid Highway 35 in St. Michael and continues eas ...

Adjacent counties

Sherburne County Sherburne County is a county in Central Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 97,183. The county seat is Elk River. Sherburne County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul- Bloomington, MN- WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hist ...

- northeast * Hennepin County - east * Carver County - southeast *

McLeod County McLeod County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 36,771. Its county seat is Glencoe. McLeod County comprises the Hutchinson, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area and is part of the Minneapolis- St ...

- southwest *

Meeker County Meeker County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,400. Its county seat is Litchfield. History The Wisconsin Territory was established by the federal government effective July 3, 1836, and e ...

- west *

Stearns County Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292. Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud. The county was founded in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, the ...

- northwest *

Anoka County Anoka County ( ) is the fourth-most-populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 363,887. The county seat and namesake of the county is the city of Anoka, which is derived from the Dakota word ''an ...

- northeast

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2010

The ethnic makeup of the county, according to the

2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, was the following: * 95.04% White * 1.06% Black * 0.34% Native American * 1.19%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

* 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander * 1.53%

Two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many culture ...

* 0.81% Other races * 2.45% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the 2000 census, there were 89,986 people, 31,465 households, and 23,913 families in the county. The population density was 136 people per square mile (53/km²). There were 34,355 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.85% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.44%

, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. 42.3% were of

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 ...

, 11.9% Norwegian, 7.4%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

and 6.6% Irish ancestry. There were 31465 households, out of which 42.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.50% 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, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 18.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.26. The county population contained 31.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% over age 64. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $53,945, and the median income for a family was $60,940. Males had a median income of $40,630 versus $28,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,844. About 3.60% of families and 4.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Communities

Cities

* Albertville * Annandale * Buffalo (county seat) *

Clearwater Clearwater or Clear Water may refer to: Places Canada * Clear Water Academy, a private Catholic school located in Calgary, Alberta * Clearwater (provincial electoral district), a former provincial electoral district in Alberta * Clearwater, Briti ...

* Cokato *

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

* Delano * Hanover (Small portion in Hennepin County) * Howard Lake * Maple Lake * Monticello * Montrose * Otsego * Rockford (Partly in Hennepin County) * South Haven *

St. Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

* Waverly

Townships

Albion Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than 'Britain' today. The name for Scot ...

* Buffalo *

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

* Cokato * Corinna *

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

* French Lake * Maple Lake * Marysville * Middleville * Monticello * Rockford * Silver Creek * Southside *

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

* Woodland

Census-designated place

* Silver Creek

Other unincorporated communities

* Albion Center * Albright * Enfield * French Lake * Hasty *

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

Knapp Knapp may refer to: People * Knapp (surname) Places * Knapp, Dunn County, Wisconsin * Knapp, Jackson County, Wisconsin * Knapp, Hampshire, England, a village in the parish of Ampfield * Knapp, Perthshire, Scotland * Knapp Creek (West Virgi ...

* Oster * Rassat * Rice Lake * Smith Lake *

* West Albion

Ghost town

* Dickinson

Largest Cities in Wright County

References

External links

Wright County government’s website

Wright County community website
{{authority control Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minnesota counties Minnesota counties on the Mississippi River 1855 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1855