Scott 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

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 150,928. 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 Shakopee. The county was organized in 1853 and named in honor of General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as Commanding General of the United States Army from 1841 to 1861, and was a veteran of the War of 1812, American Indian Wars, Mexica ...

. Scott County is part of the

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

- St. Paul- Bloomington, MN- WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is a member of the Metropolitan Council, and shares many of the council's concerns about responsible growth management, advocating for progressive development concepts such as clustering, open-space design, and the preservation of open space and rural/agricultural land. The Shakopee-Mdewakanton Indian Reservation is entirely within the county and within the cities of Prior Lake and Shakopee. Due to its proximity to major cities, the tribe has earned significant revenue at its gaming casinos and hotel; it has used funds to reinvest in economic development for the tribe and other initiatives. Historically, the Minnesota River supported the county's fur trading, lumbering, and farming industries in the 19th century. Today, Scott County experiences a growing mix of commercial, industrial, and housing development, but is still primarily rural. Scott County is home to several historical, scenic, and entertainment destinations including Canterbury Park, The Landing, Minnesota's Largest Candy Store, Elko Speedway, Mystic Lake Casino run by the Shakopee-Mdewakanton Dakota; the

Renaissance Festival A Renaissance Festival (medieval fair or ren faire) is an outdoor gathering that aims to entertain its guests by recreating a historical setting, most often the English Renaissance. Renaissance festivals generally include costumed entertainers ...

, and Valleyfair Amusement Park.

History

Scott County was first inhabited by two bands of the Santee Sioux (Dakota) Indians, the

Mdewakanton The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota people, Dakota (Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Da ...

and Wahpeton. Their semi-nomadic life followed a seasonal cycle. They gathered food, hunted, fished, and planted corn. In the summer the Dakota villages were occupied but in the winter the groups separated for hunting. They had many permanent villages along the Minnesota River. They had many trails leading to these settlements and to the

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 ...

in the North, and the Prairie du Chien to the Southeast. These trails were later used by the fur traders and settlers, and were known as the "ox cart trails." The area of Scott County, as well as much of southern Minnesota, was opened for settlement by two treaties signed at Mendota and Traverse des Sioux, in 1851 and 1853. These treaties removed the Dakota Indians to reservations in upper Minnesota. Scott County was established and organized by an Act passed in the legislature on March 5, 1853. The county was named after General

. Settlers started entering the area in the mid-1850s. The Minnesota River and the ox cart trails were the primary transportation routes. The first settlers were Yankees, followed by groups of

Germans Germans (, ) are the natives or inhabitants of Germany, or sometimes more broadly any people who are of German descent or native speakers of the German language. The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, constitution of Germany, imple ...

, Irish,

Czechs The Czechs (, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavs, West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common Bohemia ...

, and

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

ns. They each brought their own traditions and religions. Most of these settlers became farmers. Fur trading, lumbering, and farming were Minnesota's major industries all throughout the 19th century. With the fast-growing farms, towns sprang up. Shakopee, the county seat, began in 1851 as a trading post by the Dakota Village of Chief Shakopee (or Shakpay). Other towns were established alongside transportation routes. When the railroads came to Minnesota, they became the primary mode of transportation, and eventually highways were developed along the ox cart trails between the communities. Due to suburbanization, this once-rural county is changing dramatically. Cities are continually growing, as evidenced by an increase in population from roughly 90,000 in 2000 to more than 150,000 today, making Scott County one of Minnesota's fastest-growing counties.

Geography

Cedar Lake Farm Reg Park Area Wiki Version

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (3.2%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Minnesota by land area and second-smallest by total area. The Minnesota River is the county's boundary in both the north and the west. The broad river valley juts through glacial sediment into some of the oldest rock known. Now mostly farmland, it was an oak savanna and a mixture of grass and clusters of trees that grew parallel to the river valley. The savanna bordered the " Big Woods," a "closed-forest savanna" that covered most of Minnesota before it was logged in the mid-19th century. Scott is one of 17 Minnesota savanna counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils. One example of native vegetation in Scott County:

Lakes

* Ahlswede Lake: in St. Lawrence Township * Blue Lake: in Jackson Township * Browns Lake: in St. Lawrence Township * Campbell Lake: in Spring Lake Township * Cedar Lake: western two-thirds is in Helena Township; eastern third is in Cedar Lake Township * Cedar Lake: there is a smaller Cedar Lake in the eastern part of Cedar Lake Township * Clark Lake: in Blakely Township * Cleary Lake: mostly in

Credit River The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario, which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately . The total l ...

; the western part stretches into Spring Lake Township * Crystal Lake: in Spring Lake Township * Cynthia Lake: northern two thirds is in Spring Lake Township; the rest is in Cedar Township * Deans Lake: in Jackson Township * Fish Lake: in Spring Lake Township * Fisher Lake: in Jackson Township * Gifford Lake: in Jackson Township * Hanrahan Lake: in Jackson Township * Hickey Lake: eastern two thirds is in Helena Township; western third is in Cedar Lake Township * Horseshoe Lake: in St. Lawrence Township * Howard Lake: in Jackson Township * Kane Lake: in Spring Lake Township * Lennon Lake: in Cedar Lake Township * Lower Prior Lake: in the city of Prior Lake * Markley Lake: eastern half is in

; the western half is in Prior Lake * McMahon Lake: in Spring Lake Township * Mud Lake: in Cedar Lake Township * Murphy Lake: in

O'Dowd Lake O'Dowd Lake is a lake in Scott County, in the U.S. state of 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 ...

: western third is in Louisville Township; eastern two thirds is in Jackson Township * Pike Lake: in Jackson Township * Pleasant Lake: in Helena Township * Rice Lake: west half is in Cedar Lake Township; east half is in Dakota County * Rice Lake: there is another Rice Lake in Jackson Township * Rice Lake: there is a third Rice Lake in Spring Lake Township * Schneider Lake: in Louisville Township * Spring Lake: in Spring Lake Township and Prior Lake * St. Catherine Lake: in Cedar Lake Township * Thole Lake: in Louisville Township * Upper Prior Lake: in Prior Lake

Major highways

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

* U.S. Highway 169 * MN-13

Minnesota State Highway 13 Minnesota State Highway 13 (MN 13) is a highway in Minnesota that runs from its Intersection (road), intersection with U.S. Route 65, U.S. Highway 65 in Albert Lea, Minnesota, Albert Lea to its northern terminus at its intersection with Minneso ...

Minnesota State Highway 19 Minnesota State Highway 19 (MN 19) is a highway in southern Minnesota, which runs from South Dakota Highway 30 at the South Dakota state line near Ivanhoe, Minnesota, Ivanhoe and continues east to its eastern terminus at its Intersection (road) ...

Minnesota State Highway 21 * MN-25

Minnesota State Highway 25 * MN-41

Minnesota State Highway 41 * MN-282

Minnesota State Highway 282 * County Road 42 * County Road 101 * '' Other County Roads''

Adjacent counties

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...

(north) * Dakota County (east) * Rice County (southeast) * Le Sueur County (southwest) * Sibley County (west) * Carver County (northwest)

National protected area

* Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)

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

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, the county had 89,498 people, 30,692 households, and 23,970 families. The population density was . There were 31,609 housing units at an average density of . The county's racial makeup was 93.65%

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 ...

, 0.92%

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 ...

, 0.77% Native American, 2.17% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.24% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 2.66% 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. 39.6% were of

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 ...

, 12.6% Norwegian, 8.3% Irish and 5.1% Swedish ancestry. There were 30,692 households, of which 45.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.90% 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, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.90% were non-families. 16.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.25. 31.20% of the county's population was under age 18, 6.70% was from age 18 to 24, 37.30% was from age 25 to 44, 18.60% was from age 45 to 64, and 6.20% was age 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.00 males. The county's median household income was $66,612, and the median family income was $72,212 (these figures had risen to $80,968 and $90,489 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $46,593 versus $32,482 for females. The county's

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 ...

was $26,418. About 2.00% of families and 3.40% 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 3.40% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over. However, in 2011, Scott County saw the steepest drop in median income of all the populous counties in Minnesota and household wealth fell by 10 percent.

Communities

Cities

* Belle Plaine *

* Elko New Market *

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

* New Prague (partly in Le Sueur County) * Prior Lake * Savage * Shakopee (county seat)

Townships

* Belle Plaine Township * Blakeley Township * Cedar Lake Township * Helena Township * Jackson Township * Louisville Township * New Market Township * Sand Creek Township * Spring Lake Township * St. Lawrence Township

Unincorporated communities

* Blakeley * Cedar Lake * Helena *

Lydia Lydia (; ) was an Iron Age Monarchy, kingdom situated in western Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Later, it became an important province of the Achaemenid Empire and then the Roman Empire. Its capital was Sardis. At some point before 800 BC, ...

Marystown Marystown is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, with a population of around 5,000. Situated 306 km from the province's capital, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, it is on the Burin Peninsula. Until ...

* Mudbaden * Spring Lake * St. Benedict * St. Patrick * Union Hill

Politics

In its early history Scott County was heavily Democratic due to being largely German Catholic and opposed to the pietistic Scandinavian Lutheran Republican Party of that era. It would never vote Republican until

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

swept every Minnesota county in 1904 but anti-

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

feeling from

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

caused the county to shift overwhelmingly to

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

in 1920 before swinging to Robert La Follette, coreligionist

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was the 42nd governor of New York, serving from 1919 to 1920 and again from 1923 to 1928. He was the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party's presidential nominee in the 1 ...

and fellow “wet” Democrat

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. In 1936 the county's isolationism gave a powerful vote to William Lemke’s Union Party, and apart from

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

’s Farm Belt appeal in the 1948 election Scott County would turn Republican until another Catholic nominee,

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

, returned it to the Democratic ranks. However, since the “Reagan Revolution”, Scott County has become solidly Republican voting, with no Democrat gaining a majority of the county's vote since

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

in 1976, although Carter in 1980 and Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996 won pluralities. Although a conservative stronghold in modern times, the suburban voters of Scott County, like those elsewhere, tend to be more liberal on social issues. For example, while Mitt Romney handily won Scott County in 2012, voters also rejected a proposed amendment to the Minnesota constitution that would have banned

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

Federal government

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

* Angie Craig (D-MN-2)

State government

MN Senate The Majority of Scott County is in the 55th Senate District. Small portions of the county are in the 20th and 56th Districts. * Rich Draheim (R-SD-20) * Eric Pratt (R-SD-55) * Lindsey Port (DFL-SD-56) MN House The Majority of the County take place within the 55A & 55B Districts. Shakopee is in the 55A district and most of the rest of the county is within the 55B District. Small portions of the county are in the 20A & 56A House Districts. * Brian Pfarr (R-HD-20A) * Brad Tabke (DFL-HD-55A) * Tony Albright (R-HD-55B) * Jessica Hanson (DFL-HD-56A) Scott County is Located in the First Judicial District of Minnesota District Court

County government

Executive * Attorney's Office: Ron Hocevar * Sheriff's Office: Luke Hennen

, Dakota County, and Scott County share a joint

Medical Examiner The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology and investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdicti ...

There are also many departments in the county Legislative: Scott County Board of Commissioners * Barb Brekke (1) * Tom Wolf (2) * Jody Brennan (3) * Dave Beer (4) -- Chair * Jon Ulrich (5) -- Vice Chair Judicial * Scott County's court system is Scott County District Court.

References

External links

Scott County government's website
{{coord, 44.65, -93.53, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MN_source:UScensus1990 Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minnesota counties 1853 establishments in Minnesota Territory Populated places established in 1853