Norman County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,441. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Ada. The county is in Minnesota's

Red River Valley The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by the Red River of the North; it is part of both Canada and the United States. Forming the border between Minnesota and North Dakota when these territories were admitted ...

region.

History

Norwegians started settling in Norman County in the early 1870s and up until Dec. 27th, 1906 that also included what is now Mahnomen County (Ojibwe for "wild rice"). The county was created by the Minnesota legislature on March 17, 1881, with Ada (which had been founded in 1874) as county seat. Even though Twin Valley was much closer to the geographic center of the county Ada was chosen as the county seat, sparking a 6 year legal battle. It was named in recognition of the many settlers who came from Scandinavian countries, especially Norway. Another source posits that it was named for Norman Kittson, an early historical figure of the region.

Geography

Norman County lies on Minnesota's western border, abutting

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

across the Red River, which flows north along (and defines) the county's west line. The Wild Rice River flows west through the lower part of the county, discharging into the Red slightly north of the county's southwest corner. The Marsh River rises in central Norman County and flows northwest into the Red near the county's northwest corner. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and lightly dotted with lakes and swampy areas. The terrain is devoted to agriculture.Norman County MN Google Maps (accessed April 17, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the north and west with its highest point near its southeast corner, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (0.4%) water. Flom Township contains a prominent, irregular hill of morainic drift known as Frenchman's Bluff. It rises above the shoreline of the former Lake Agassis, to the northwest.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 75 *

Minnesota State Highway 9 State Highway 9 or Trunk Highway 9 (MN 9, TH 9) is a state highway in west-central and northwest Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with Minnesota State Highway 23, MN 23 in New London, Minnesota, New London a ...

* Minnesota State Highway 32 * Minnesota State Highway 113 * Minnesota State Highway 200

Adjacent counties

* Polk County - north * Mahnomen County - east * Becker County - southeast *

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Fl ...

- south *

Cass County, North Dakota Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 184,525, making it the most populous county in North Dakota, and was estimated to be 200,945 in 2024. It contains over 25.23% of the state' ...

- southwest *

Traill County, North Dakota Traill County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Dakota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population at 7,997, and was estimated to be 7,989 in 2024. The county seat is Hillsboro, North Dakota, H ...

- west

Protected areas

Source: * Agassiz Dunes Scientific and Natural Area (part) * Agassiz No. 1 State Wildlife Management Area * Agassiz No. 2 State Wildlife Management Area * Dalby State Wildlife Management Area * Faith State Wildlife Management Area * Home Lake State Wildlife Management Area * Moccasin State Wildlife Management Area * Neal State Wildlife Management Area * Prairie Smoke Dunes Scientific and Natural Area * Sandpiper Scientific and Natural Area * Santee Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Syre State Wildlife Management Area * Twin Valley Prairie Scientific and Natural Area * Twin Valley State Wildlife Management Area * Vangsness State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

Source: * Home Lake * Lockhart Swamp

Demographics

2020 Census

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 7,442 people, 3,010 households, and 2,007 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 3,455 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.30%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.11%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.73% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 1.13% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 3.05% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 57.5% were of Norwegian and 21.7%

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

ancestry. There were 3,010 households, out of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04. The county population contained 25.70% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% of over age 64. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,535, and the median income for a family was $41,280. Males had a median income of $28,674 versus $20,619 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $15,895. About 7.10% of families and 10.30% 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 10.70% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Ada (county seat) * Borup * Gary * Halstad * Hendrum * Perley * Shelly * Twin Valley

Unincorporated communities

* Betcher *

Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...

* Flom * Hadler * Lockhart * Ranum * Syre * Waukon

Townships

* Anthony Township * Bear Park Township * Flom Township * Fossum Township * Good Hope Township * Green Meadow Township * Halstad Township * Hegne Township * Hendrum Township * Home Lake Township * Lake Ida Township * Lee Township * Lockhart Township * Mary Township * McDonaldsville Township * Pleasant View Township * Rockwell Township * Shelly Township * Spring Creek Township * Strand Township * Sundal Township * Waukon Township * Wild Rice Township * Winchester Township

Government and politics

From 1932 to 2012, Norman County voted Democratic, typically by large margins, in all but three elections, two were the nationwide Republican landslide victories of

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

in 1952 and

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

in 1972, and the third was in 2000, when strong third party showings in the state helped swing the county to

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. The 2016 election, however, saw the county swing significantly to the right, as

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

won the county by over 13%. He increased his margin of victory in 2020 to nearly 16%, and turned in the best performance for a Republican in Norman County since

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was the 31st president of the United States, serving from 1929 to 1933. A wealthy mining engineer before his presidency, Hoover led the wartime Commission for Relief in Belgium and ...

in 1928. Trump increased his margin of victory to over 22% in the county in 2024, breaking this record yet again.

References

External links

Norman County government’s website
{{authority control Minnesota counties 1881 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1881