Roseau County () (pronounced row - so) 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 northwestern part of 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 t ...

, along the Canada–US border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,331. 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 ...

Roseau Roseau ( Dominican Creole: ''Wozo'') is the capital and largest city of Dominica, with a population of 14,725 as of 2011. It is a small and compact urban settlement, in the Saint George parish and surrounded by the Caribbean Sea, the Roseau R ...

. Roseau County borders the Canadian province of

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. Part of the

Red Lake Indian Reservation The Red Lake Indian Reservation (Ojibwe: ''Miskwaagamiiwi-zaaga'iganing'') covers in parts of nine counties in northwestern Minnesota, United States. It is made up of numerous holdings but the largest section is an area about Red Lake, i ...

is in Roseau County.

History

Roseau County was once the home of many

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota: /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations peoples in North America. The modern Sioux consist of two major divisions based on language divisions: the Dakota and ...

, and

Mandan The Mandan are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still re ...

tribes.

Archeologists Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...

have found artifacts within the county belonging to these tribes that date back 7,200 years. More recent history includes fur trappers and European-based explorers. By 1822, a fur-trading post was established in the area. In 1885, the future Roseau City hosted four settlers; by 1895 there were 600, and the area was incorporated as Roseau City. By the mid-1880s the early settlers of eastern Kittson County were feeling the disadvantage of their location, far from the county seat, and petitioned the government for a separate county. On December 31, 1894, Governor

Knute Nelson Knute Nelson (born Knud Evanger; February 2, 1843 – April 28, 1923) was an American attorney and politician active in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A Republican, he served in state and national positions: he was elected to the Wisconsin and Minnesot ...

proclaimed the eastern portion of Kittson a new county, to be named Roseau. On February 11, 1896, the next governor,

David Marston Clough David Marston Clough (December 27, 1846 – August 28, 1924) was an American lumberman and politician. He served in the Minnesota State Senate from January 1887 to January 1893. He served as the state's Lieutenant Governor, January 9, 1893 ...

, added part of

Beltrami County Beltrami County ( ) is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,228. Its county seat is Bemidji. The county's name comes from Italian adventurer Giacomo Beltrami from Bergamo ...

to Roseau County. Roseau City was named the county seat.Historical Overview (accessed April 3, 2019)
/ref>

Geography

Roseau County is in far northern

. Its northern boundary abuts

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. The Roseau River drains the upper part of the county, flowing west into Kittson County on its way to the

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay ( crj, text=ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, translit=Wînipekw; crl, text=ᐐᓂᐹᒄ, translit=Wînipâkw; iu, text=ᑲᖏᖅᓱᐊᓗᒃ ᐃᓗᐊ, translit=Kangiqsualuk ilua or iu, text=ᑕᓯᐅᔭᕐᔪᐊᖅ, translit=Tasiujarjuaq; french: b ...

. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, devoted to agriculture, and dotted with lakes and drainages. There is considerable wooded area, especially in the southeast portion.''Roseau County MN'' Google Maps (accessed April 3, 2019)
/ref> The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water. Roseau is one of 17

savanna counties with more savanna soils than prairie or forest soils.

Transportation

Airports

Warroad International Memorial Airport Warroad International Memorial Airport , also known as Swede Carlson Field, is a public use airport in Roseau County, Minnesota, United States. It is owned by the City of Warroad and located two nautical miles (4 km) northwest of i ...

(KRRT) - two miles northeast of Warroad * Piney Pinecreek Border Airport - extends into Canada; serves as a limited

airport of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internat ...

between the two nations.

Major highways

* Minnesota State Highway 11 *

Minnesota State Highway 32 Minnesota State Highway 32 (MN 32) is a highway in west-central and northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 34 in Tansem Township near Barnesville and continues north to its intersection with State Highway ...

* Minnesota State Highway 89 * Minnesota State Highway 308 * Minnesota State Highway 310 *

Minnesota State Highway 313 Minnesota State Highway 313 (MN 313) is a highway in northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 11 in Warroad and continues north to its northern terminus at the Canada–US border; where the route becomes Ma ...

Adjacent counties and rural municipalities

* Rural Municipality of Stuartburn,

- northwest *

Rural Municipality of Piney The Rural Municipality of Piney is a rural municipality in southeastern Manitoba, Canada, along the border with Minnesota in the United States. Geography According to Statistics Canada, the municipality has a land area of 2,433.77 km2. ...

- north *

Buffalo Point First Nation Buffalo Point First Nation is an Ojibwa or Saulteaux First Nations located in the southeastern corner of Manitoba, along the shores of Lake of the Woods. It is bordered largely by the unorganized portion of Division No. 1, Manitoba, and also has ...

- northeast *

Lake of the Woods County Lake of the Woods County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,763, making it the second-least populous county in Minnesota. Its county seat is Baudette. The county ...

- east *

- southeast * Marshall County - south * Kittson County - west

Protected areas

Beltrami Island State Forest The Beltrami Island State Forest is a state forest located in Lake of the Woods, Roseau, and Beltrami counties, Minnesota. Named after Italian explorer Giacomo Beltrami, it is the second-largest state forest in the Minnesota system after Pi ...

* Hayes Lake State Park * Lost River State Forest * Luxemburg Peatland Scientific and Natural Area * Roseau River State Wildlife Management Area * Sprague Creek Peatland Scientific and Natural Area * Two Rivers Aspen Park Scientific and Natural Area

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 16,338 people, 6,190 households, and 4,438 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 9.77/sqmi (3.77/km²). There were 7,101 housing units at an average density of 4.25/sqmi (1.64/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.92%

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 ...

, 0.13%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 1.42% Native American, 1.73% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.08% 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 0.70% from two or more races. 0.43% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race. 41.0% 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 ...

, 18.8%

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 **Ge ...

and 10.7% Swedish ancestry. There were 6,190 households, out of which 38.40% had

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

under the age of 18 living with them, 60.00% 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 ...

living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 24.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average

household A household consists of two or more persons who live in the same dwelling. It may be of a single family or another type of person group. The household is the basic unit of analysis in many social, microeconomic and government models, and is i ...

size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11. The county

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

contained 29.80% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 105.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,852, and the

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways o ...

for a family was $46,185.

Male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

s had a

of $29,747 versus $23,630 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 $17,053. About 4.60% of families and 6.60% 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 6.50% of those under age 18 and 12.20% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Government and politics

In presidential elections, Roseau is Minnesota's most reliably Republican-voting county.

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two te ...

's and George W. Bush's best performances in Minnesota were in Roseau County. Bush won it twice, with over 65% of the vote. It was also one of the few Minnesota counties that George H. W. Bush won in 1992 and

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his t ...

won in 1996. Roseau County is less reliably Republican in

senatorial A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

and

gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of politica ...

elections. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has won two senatorial elections here since 1992. Independents do not perform as well in Roseau County as in the rest of

. In the 1998 gubernatorial election,

Norm Coleman Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. First elec ...

's best performance in

was in Roseau County, where he won with almost 50% of the vote.

Communities

Cities

Badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

* Greenbush * Roosevelt (part) *

(county seat) * Strathcona * Warroad

Unincorporated communities

* Fox * Mandus * Pelan (part) * Pencer * Pinecreek * Ross * Salol * Skime *

Swift Swift or SWIFT most commonly refers to: * SWIFT, an international organization facilitating transactions between banks ** SWIFT code * Swift (programming language) * Swift (bird), a family of birds It may also refer to: Organizations * SWIFT, ...

* Wannaska

Ghost towns

* Haug * Winner

Townships

* Barnett Township * Barto Township * Beaver Township * Cedarbend Township * Deer Township * Dewey Township * Dieter Township * Enstrom Township * Falun Township * Golden Valley Township * Grimstad Township * Hereim Township * Huss Township * Jadis Township * Lake Township * Laona Township * Lind Township * Malung Township * Mickinock Township * Moose Township * Moranville Township * Nereson Township * Palmville Township * Pohlitz Township * Polonia Township * Poplar Grove Township * Reine Township * Ross Township * Skagen Township * Soler Township * Spruce Township * Stafford Township * Stokes Township

Unorganized territories

* North Roseau * Northwest Roseau * Southeast Roseau

References

External links

Official Roseau County website
{{Coord, 48.77, -95.80, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minnesota counties 1894 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1894