Wabasha County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers 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 sover ...

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 21,387. 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 Wabasha. Wabasha County is part of the

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

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 town, incorporate ...

History

The recently organized

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota and wester ...

legislature created Wabasha County on October 27, 1849, one of nine original counties in the territory. An area on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

's west bank, originally called Cratte's Landing, had grown into a town named Wabasha, then a city, and when the legislature created the county west of the river around this city, Wabasha was designated the county seat. The city had been named for three successive chiefs of Mississippi bands of

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, a ...

Indians. Wabasha County's area was reduced in 1853 when sections were partitioned off to create Fillmore, Goodhue, and

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

counties. More area was partitioned off in 1854 to create

Winona County Winona County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, its population was 49,671. Its county seat is Winona. Winona County comprises the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The Wisconsin Territory was ...

, and another part in 1855 to create Olmsted County. The county boundaries have remained the same since 1855.

Geography

Wabasha County lies on Minnesota's border with

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

(across the

. The Mississippi flows southeast along the county's eastern line. The North Fork of the Whitewater River flows east through the southern part of the county, then discharges into the

Whitewater Whitewater forms in a rapid context, in particular, when a river's gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that froths, making the water appear opaque and ...

in Olmsted County. The combined Whitewater then enters the southeastern part of Wabasha County, flowing northeast to its discharge point into the Mississippi. The

Zumbro River The Zumbro River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota in the United States. It is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, access ...

flows east-northeast through the county to its discharge point into the Mississippi. East Indian Creek and Miller Creek drain the northern part of the county into the Mississippi. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, considerably rutted by drainages, with all available area devoted to agriculture.Wabasha County MN Google Maps (accessed April 20, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the east and south, with its highest point on its upper west border at 1,191' (363m) ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (4.8%) is water. Wabasha is one of 17 Minnesota counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils.

Major highways

U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Route 61 or U.S. Highway 61 (U.S. 61) is a major United States highway that extends between New Orleans, Louisiana and the city of Wyoming, Minnesota. The highway generally follows the course of the Mississippi River and is designated ...

* U.S. Highway 63 *

Minnesota State Highway 42 Minnesota State Highway 42 (MN 42) is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate 90 near Eyota and continues north and northeast to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S. Highway 61 i ...

Minnesota State Highway 60 Trunk Highway 60 (MN 60) is a highway in southern Minnesota, which runs from Iowa Highway 60 at the Iowa state line (at Bigelow) and continues east-northeast to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line (at Wabasha), where the route ...

Minnesota State Highway 74 Minnesota State Highway 74 (MN 74) is a highway in southeast Minnesota that runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 52 and State Highway 30 in Chatfield and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with U.S. High ...

Minnesota State Highway 247 Minnesota State Highway 247 (MN 247) is a highway in southeast Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 63 in Farmington Township, north of Rochester; and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with ...

Adjacent counties

Pepin County, Wisconsin Pepin County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,318, making it the fourth-least populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat is Durand. Pepin County is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wild ...

- northeast *

Buffalo County, Wisconsin Buffalo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,317. Its county seat is Alma. The county was created in 1853 and organized the following year. History Buffalo County, founded in ...

- east *

- southeast * Olmsted County - south * Goodhue County - west, northwest

Protected areas

* Carley State Park * Kellogg-Weaver Dunes Scientific and Natural Area * Mazeppa State Wildlife Management Area * McCarthy Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Miller Creek Aquatic Management Area * Zumbro Falls Woods Scientific and Natural Area

Lakes

* Lake Pepin (part) * Robinson Lake * Zumbro Lake (part) * These lakes are located within the

Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is a ,2000 census, there were 21,610 people, 8,277 households, and 5,876 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 RosenberPopul ...

was 41.3/sqmi (16.0/km²). There were 9,066 housing units at an average density of 17.3/sqmi (6.69/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.97%

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 on ...

, 0.25%

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 have o ...

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 0.43%

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 ...

, 0.62% 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 0.45% from two or more races. 1.68% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, 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 Vic ...

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. 53.3% 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 ...

, 11.1%

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 ...

, 7.3%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and 5.0%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ancestry. There were 8,277 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% 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, 6.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 24.30% 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 2.57 and the average family size was 3.07. The county population contained 27.10% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 27.00% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $42,117, and the median income for a family was $50,480. Males had a median income of $33,053 versus $24,316 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 $19,664. About 4.10% of families and 6.00% 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 t ...

, including 6.00% of those under age 18 and 9.30% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

* Bellechester (partly in Goodhue County) * Elgin * Hammond * Kellogg * Lake City (partly in Goodhue County) * Mazeppa * Millville * Minneiska (partly in

) * Plainview * Wabasha (county seat) * Zumbro Falls

Unincorporated communities

* Bear Valley * Camp Lacupolis * Conception *

Dumfries Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...

* Jarrett * Maple Springs * Oak Center * Reads Landing * South Troy * Theilman * Weaver * West Albany * West Newton

Townships

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

* Elgin * Gillford *

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

* Greenfield *

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 ...

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

* Mazeppa * Minneiska * Mount Pleasant * Oakwood * Pepin * Plainview *

Watopa Watopa Township is a township in Wabasha County, Minnesota, Wabasha County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 265 at the 2000 census. History Watopa Township was organized in 1858, and named for the Dakota-language word meaning "paddle ...

* West Albany * Zumbro

Politics

Wabasha County voters have traditionally voted Republican. In only two national elections since 1964 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2020).

References

External links

Wabasha-Kellogg (Minnesota) Convention and Visitors Bureau

Wabasha County government's website

Wabasha County Health and Demographic Data
{{authority control Rochester metropolitan area, Minnesota Minnesota counties on the Mississippi River Minnesota placenames of Native American origin Dakota toponyms 1849 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1849