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. Paul, MN- WI Combined Statistical Area.

History

For thousands of years the area was inhabited by indigenous peoples. At the time of European contact, it was the territory of the

Dakota Sioux The Dakota (pronounced , Dakota language: ''Dakȟóta/Dakhóta'') are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government in North America. They compose two of the three main subcultures of the Sioux people, and are typically divided into ...

. The county was created by the Minnesota Territorial legislature on March 1, 1856.Upham, Warren. ''Minnesota Geographic Names, pp. 316-17'' (1920). Accessed March 14, 2019
/ref> It was named for Martin McLeod, a Canadian-born adventurer who became a

fur trader The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

and later was elected a territorial representative (1849–1856) in Minnesota. As a young man, he was part of James Dickson's 1836 expedition to the Red River of the North, a journey recounted in his ''Diary of Martin McLeod'', a manuscript held by the Minnesota Historical Society. "In 1859 the three Czech families already living in McLeod County were joined by those of Josef Vosmek, Josef Zicha, Antonin Nunvaf, and Jan Vanous, all acquaintances from Caledonia, where they had resided for several years after their arrival from Bohemia. Other settlers followed, taking homesteads close by in the present township of Rich Valley". The county seat was sited at Glencoe as part of the original act; it had been founded (June 11, 1855) by Martin McLeod, who was a member of the townsite company when the county was founded. The county was the site of several events during the Dakota War of 1862, including the siege of Hutchinson and the killing of the White family near

Brownton Brownton is a city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 762 at the 2010 census. History Brownton was platted in 1877, and named for Alonzo L. Brown, the original owner of the town site. A post office has been in oper ...

. It was also the first place to use the Geier Hitch, a kind of

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

that some characterize as animal abuse.

Geography

The South Fork of the Crow River flows easterly through the upper central part of McLeod County, thence into Wright County. Buffalo Creek also flows eastward through the lower central part of the county, thence into Wright. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes and lightly etched by drainages and gullies. The area is mostly devoted to agriculture.''McLeod County MN'' Google Maps (accessed March 14, 2019)
/ref> The terrain is sloped to the east, with its highest point on the upper west border at 1,096' (334m) ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (2.8%) is water. Only savanna and prairie soils exist in McLeod County. Northeast McLeod County once had significant areas of Maple-Basswood or "Big Woods" forests. https://mn.gov/admin/assets/2012-Investigating-Poorly-Known-Areas-of-Minnesota--An-Archaeological-Survey-of-McLeod-County_tcm36-187391.pdf

Major highways

* US Highway 212 * Minnesota State Highway 7 * Minnesota State Highway 15 * Minnesota State Highway 22 * '' List of county roads''

Adjacent counties

* Wright County - northeast * Carver County - east * Sibley County - south * Renville County - west *

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 ...

- northwest

Lakes

* Baker's Lake * Bear Lake * Belle Lake (part) * Bremers Lake * Butternut Lake (part) * Campbell Lake (Acoma Township) * Campbell Lake (part in Winsted Township, part in Carver County) * Campbells Lake * Cedar Lake (part) * Clear Lake (Acoma Township) * Clear Lake (Sumter Township) * Coon Lakes (par) * Dettman Lake * Eagle Lake * Echo Lake * French Lake * Grass Lake * Kings Lake * Kujas Lake * Lake Addie * Lake Allen * Lake Barber * Lake Byron (part) * Lake Clara * Lake Emily * Lake Harrington * Lake Hook * Lake Marion * Lake Mary * Lake Todd * Lewis Lake * Little Bear Lake * Loughman Lake * Mud Lake (Hale and Rich Valley townships) * Mud Lake: (Lynn Township) * O'Mera Lake * Otter Lake * Pierce Lake * Piker Lake * Popp Lake * Round Grove Lake (part) * Ryan Lake * Shakopee Lake (part) * Silver Lake * South Lake * Stahl Lake * Sustacek Lake * Swan Lake * Tomlinson Lake * Ward Lake (part) * Whitney Lake * Winsted Lake

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.''

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 34,898 people, 13,449 households and 9,427 families in the county. The population density was 71.1/sqmi (27.4/km²). There were 14,087 housing units at an average density of 28.7/sqmi (11.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.62% White, 0.22% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.56%

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 ...

, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.79% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 3.63% 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. 57.5% 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 ...

and 8.5% Norwegian ancestry. There were 13,449 households, of which 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% 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, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 25.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.08. The county population contained 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 13.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 98.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males. The median household income was $45,953 and the median family income was $55,003. Males had a median income of $35,709 compared with $25,253 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,137. About 2.80% of families and 4.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.80% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Biscay *

* Glencoe (county seat) * Hutchinson *

Lester Prairie Lester Prairie is a city in McLeod County, Minnesota, United States, along the South Fork of the Crow River. The population was 1,730 at the 2010 census. Noted composer and conductor of The Concordia Choir, Rene Clausen was raised in Lester ...

* Plato *

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

* Stewart * Winsted

Unincorporated communities

* Fernando * Heatwole * Komensky *

Lake Addie This is a list of lakes of Minnesota. Although promoted as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes", Minnesota has 11,842 lakes of or more. The 1968 state survey found 15,291 lake basins, of which 3,257 were dry. If all basins over 2.5 acres were counted, Minn ...

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...

* South Silver Lake * Sumter

Townships

* Acoma Township * Bergen Township * Collins Township * Glencoe Township * Hale Township * Hassan Valley Township * Helen Township * Hutchinson Township * Lynn Township * Penn Township * Rich Valley Township * Round Grove Township * Sumter Township * Winsted Township

Politics

McLeod County voters have traditionally been Republican. In only one national election since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

References

External links

McLeod County government’s website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcleod County, Minnesota Minnesota counties 1856 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1856