Clay 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

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 sove ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,318. 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 Moorhead. Clay County is part of the Fargo, 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 as a city or tow ...

History

The county was formed on March 8, 1862, although its government was not organized at that time. In 1872, the organization was effected. It was named for nineteenth-century political figure Henry Clay, member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, and US Secretary of State. The county was originally called Breckinridge, but soon (in 1862) was changed to Clay.

Geography

Clay County lies on the western side of Minnesota. Its western boundary line abuts the eastern boundary line of the state of

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, So ...

(across the Red River). The Red River flows northward along the western boundary line of the county, on its way to the Hudson Bay in Canada. The Buffalo River flows west-northwesterly through the center of the county, joined by the South Branch Buffalo River west of Glyndon, before discharging into the Red on the county's western border near Georgetown. The terrain consists of rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds in its eastern portion.''Clay County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the west and north, with its highest point near the southeastern corner, at 1,430' (436m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.7%) are covered by water.

Major highways

* * * * * * * *

Adjacent counties

* Norman County - north * Becker County - east * Otter Tail County - southeast * Wilkin County - south * Richland County, North Dakota - southwest * Cass County, North Dakota - west

Protected areas

* Aspen State Wildlife Management Area * Bjornson State Wildlife Management Area * Bluestone Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Clay County State Wildlife Management Area * Cromwell State Wildlife Management Area * Felton Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Goose Prairie State Wildlife Management Area * Gruhl State Wildlife Management Area * Hawley State Wildlife Management Area * Hay Creek State Wildlife Management Area * Highland State Wildlife Management Area * Hitterdal State Wildlife Management Area * Jeral State Wildlife Management Area * Magnusson State Wildlife Management Area * Skree State Wildlife Management Area * Ulen State Wildlife Management Area * Ulen Wildlife Refuge

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Moorhead have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1887 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936, the latter also the highest recorded temperature in the history of Minnesota. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 51,229 people, 18,670 households, and 12,340 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 49.0/sqmi (18.9/km²). There were 19,746 housing units at an average density of 18.9/sqmi (7.30/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.99%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.52%

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 ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.44% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.67% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.47% from two or more races. 3.65% 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 forme ...

or Latino of any race. 40.4% 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 ...

and 26.8% German ancestry. There were 18,670 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.90% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07. The county population contained 25.00% under the age of 18, 17.10% from 18 to 24, 25.70% from 25 to 44, 19.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,889, and the median income for a family was $49,192. Males had a median income of $34,176 versus $23,149 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 $17,557. About 7.40% of families and 13.20% 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 t ...

, including 13.30% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Government and Politics

In national elections, Clay County has been a swing district for several decades. From 1992 to 2020, it has voted for the winner of the presidential election.

Communities

Cities

* Barnesville * Comstock * Dilworth * Felton * Georgetown * Glyndon * Hawley * Hitterdal * Moorhead (county seat) * Sabin * Ulen

Census-designated places

* Baker * Oakport (part of Moorhead since 2015)

Unincorporated communities

* Dale * Downer * Kragnes * Manitoba Junction * Muskoda *

Rollag Rollag is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, although the most pop ...

* Rustad * Tansem * Winnipeg Junction

Townships

* Alliance Township * Barnesville Township * Cromwell Township * Eglon Township * Elkton Township * Elmwood Township * Felton Township * Flowing Township * Georgetown Township * Glyndon Township * Goose Prairie Township * Hagen Township * Hawley Township * Highland Grove Township * Holy Cross Township * Humboldt Township * Keene Township * Kragnes Township * Kurtz Township * Moland Township * Moorhead Township * Morken Township * Oakport Township * Parke Township * Riverton Township * Skree Township * Spring Prairie Township * Tansem Township * Ulen Township * Viding Township

References

External links

Clay County official website
{{Coord, 46.90, -96.49, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minnesota counties Fargo–Moorhead 1872 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1872