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Stearns County, Minnesota

Coordinates: 45°33′N 94°37′W / 45.55°N 94.61°W / 45.55; -94.61
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Stearns County
County
Stearns County Courthouse
Stearns County Courthouse
Map of Minnesota highlighting Stearns County
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Map of the United States highlighting Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 45°33′N 94°37′W / 45.55°N 94.61°W / 45.55; -94.61
Country United States
State Minnesota
FoundedFebruary 20, 1855
Named forCharles Thomas Stearns
SeatSt. Cloud
Largest citySt. Cloud
Area
 • Total
1,390 sq mi (3,600 km2)
 • Land1,343 sq mi (3,480 km2)
 • Water47 sq mi (120 km2)  3.4%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
158,292
 • Estimate 
(2023)
160,977 Increase
 • Density110/sq mi (44/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts6th, 7th
Websitewww.co.stearns.mn.us

Stearns County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,292.[1] Its county seat and largest city is St. Cloud.[2]

Included within the Minnesota Territory since 1849, the county was founded by European Americans in 1855. It was originally named for Isaac Ingalls Stevens, then renamed for Charles Thomas Stearns. Stearns County is part of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Combined Statistical Area.

History

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The Stearns County area was formerly occupied by numerous indigenous tribes, such as the Sioux (Dakota), Chippewa (Ojibwe) and Winnebago (Ho-chunk). The first large immigration was of German Catholics in the 1850s. Early arrivals also came from eastern states. The Wisconsin Territory was established by the federal government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848.

The federal government set up the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. The original counties had portions partitioned off in 1851 to create Cass County and in 1853 to create Sibley, Pierce, and Nicollet counties. In 1855 parts of those counties were partitioned off to create Stearns County. It was to be named Stevens County for territorial governor Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who had conducted an expedition through the area in 1853, but due to a clerical error, the county was named Stearns for Charles Thomas Stearns, a member of the Territorial Council. (To compensate for this error the area two counties west was later named Stevens County.)

The February 20, 1855, act[3] that created the county directed the naming of three county commissioners and specified St. Cloud as the county seat.

Writing in 1997, Jewish-American historian of America's religious architecture Marilyn J. Chiat commented, "Father Francis X. Pierz, a missionary to Indians in central Minnesota, published a series of articles in 1851 in German Catholic newspapers advocating Catholic settlement in central Minnesota. Large numbers of immigrants, mainly German, but also Slovenian and Polish, responded. Over 20 parishes where formed in what is now Stearns County, each centered on a church-oriented hamlet. As the farmers prospered, the small frame churches were replaced by more substantial buildings of brick or stone such as St. Mary, Help of Christians, a Gothic Revival stone structure built in 1873. Stearns County retains in its German character and is still home to one of the largest rural Catholic populations in Anglo-America."[4]

Furthermore, according to Kathleen Neils Conzen, "Stearns County Germans early established daughter settlements at West Union in Todd County, Millerville in Douglas County, and Pierz in Morrison County, later flooded into North Dakota (where 'Stearns County German' remains a recognized ethnicity today), and in 1905 negotiated with the Canadian authorities to establish the St. Peter Colony in north-central Saskatchewan."[5]

The first courthouse was put into service on July 12, 1864, and it remained in use until the present courthouse was dedicated in 1922. In 1913 a campaign was mounted to shift the county seat to Albany, due to its more central location. The effort was not successful.[6]

Stearns County was also founded off of farmers' markets and crop trades, making it one of the top grossing crop producing counties in the state of Minnesota.

Geography

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Soils of Stearns County[7]
Soils of Padua area
Soils of St. John's University area

Stearns County borders nine counties. The Mississippi River flows southeast along its northeast border, and the Sauk River drains the central part of the county into the Mississippi at St. Cloud. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, lightly wooded, dotted with lakes and ponds, and carved with drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture or has been developed.[8] The terrain slopes to the east and south,[9] with its highest point a local protuberance at 7.6 miles (12.2 km) west and 1.6 miles (2.6 km) south of St. Joseph, at 1,461 ft (445 m) ASL.[10] The county's total area is 1,390 square miles (3,600 km2), of which 1,343 square miles (3,480 km2) is land and 47 square miles (120 km2) (3.4%) is water.[11]

The northeastern border of Stearns County is formed by the Mississippi River. The land consists of rolling hills, scenic lakes, prairies, savannas and woodlands of a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. Stearns is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils. The county has 166 lakes.

Major highways

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Airports

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Source:[8]

Adjacent counties

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Protected areas

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Sources:[8][9]

  • Avon Hills Forest Scientific and Natural Area
  • Birch Lakes State Forest
  • Christopher Kurilla Wildlife Management Area
  • Cold Spring Heron Colony Scientific and Natural Area
  • Crow River Wildlife Management Area
  • Edward Raymond Mohs Wildlife Management Area
  • Follies Wildlife Management Area (part)
  • Lake Koronis Regional Park
  • Legacy Marsh Wildlife Management Area
  • Miller Wildlife Management Area
  • Milton Kjedahl Wildlife Management Area
  • Norman T. Dahlman Wildlife Management Area
  • Oxcart Crossing Wildlife Management Area
  • Padua State Wildlife Management Area
  • Patch Woods Scientific and Natural Area
  • Quarry Park and Nature Preserve
  • Quarry Park Scientific and Natural Area
  • Rockville County Park and Nature Preserve
  • Roscoe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
  • Saint Wendel Tamarack Bog Scientific and Natural Area
  • Sauk River Wildlife Management Area
  • Sedan Brook Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
  • Stearns Prairie Heritage Wildlife Management Area
  • Tamarack State Wildlife Management Area
  • Tower State Wildlife Management Area
  • Tribute Wildlife Management Area
  • Victor Winder Wildlife Management Area
  • Warner Lake County Park
  • Zion State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes and streams

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18604,505—
187014,206215.3%
188021,95654.6%
189034,84458.7%
190044,46427.6%
191047,7337.4%
192055,74116.8%
193062,12111.4%
194067,2008.2%
195070,6815.2%
196080,34513.7%
197095,40018.7%
1980108,16113.4%
1990118,7919.8%
2000133,16612.1%
2010150,64213.1%
2020158,2925.1%
2023 (est.)160,977[12]1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]
1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15]
1990-2000[16] 2010-2020[1]

2020 census

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Stearns County, Minnesota - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010[17] Pop 2020[18] % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 136,414 129,276 90.56% 81.67%
Black or African American alone (NH) 4,595 13,224 3.05% 8.35%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 392 439 0.26% 0.28%
Asian alone (NH) 2,949 3,159 1.96% 2.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 38 61 0.03% 0.04%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 107 435 0.07% 0.28%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 1,957 4,747 1.30% 3.00%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4,190 6,951 2.78% 4.39%
Total 150,642 158,292 100.00% 100.00%

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

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2022 US Census population pyramid for Stearns County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2000, there were 133,166 people, 47,604 households, and 32,132 families in the county. The population density was 99.2 per square mile (38.3/km2). There were 50,291 housing units at an average density of 37.4 per square mile (14.4/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.99% White, 0.83% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.47% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 56.9% were of German and 9.4% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 47,604 households, out of which 35.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 7.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.50% were non-families. 23.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.15.

The county population contained 25.70% under the age of 18, 16.10% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 19.10% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,426, and the median income for a family was $51,553. Males had a median income of $34,268 versus $23,393 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,211. About 4.30% of families and 8.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

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Cities

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Townships

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Politics and government

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In its early history Stearns County was heavily Democratic due to being largely German Catholic and opposed to the pietistic Scandinavian Lutheran Republican Party of that era. It did not vote Republican until Theodore Roosevelt swept every Minnesota county in 1904.[19] Anti-Woodrow Wilson feeling from World War I caused the county to shift overwhelmingly to Warren G. Harding in 1920 before swinging to Robert M. La Follette, coreligionist Al Smith and fellow “wet” Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1936 the county's isolationism gave strong support to William Lemke’s Union Party.[20] Stearns County turned Republican until another Catholic nominee, John F. Kennedy, returned it to the Democratic ranks after being one of only 130 counties nationwide to back George McGovern in 1972. Since the “Reagan Revolution”, Stearns County has voted reliably Republican, with no Democrat gaining a majority since Jimmy Carter in 1976, and Bill Clinton in 1996 the only one to manage a plurality. The county's growing social conservative bent has fueled the Republican trend.

In 2016 Donald Trump won the county with 59.8% of the vote, the highest percentage any presidential candidate has received since President Eisenhower in 1956. He improved on that in 2020 with 60.1% of the vote, and improved even further in 2024 with 62.3% of the vote.

As of 2024, one city in the county leans Democratic: St. Cloud, the largest city.[21]

United States presidential election results for Stearns County, Minnesota[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 53,932 62.25% 30,829 35.59% 1,871 2.16%
2020 50,959 60.07% 31,879 37.58% 1,997 2.35%
2016 47,617 59.83% 25,576 32.13% 6,399 8.04%
2012 43,015 54.81% 33,551 42.75% 1,911 2.44%
2008 41,194 52.31% 35,690 45.32% 1,872 2.38%
2004 41,726 55.21% 32,659 43.21% 1,192 1.58%
2000 32,402 51.86% 24,800 39.70% 5,274 8.44%
1996 21,474 39.01% 24,238 44.03% 9,333 16.96%
1992 22,502 37.92% 21,451 36.15% 15,387 25.93%
1988 27,529 52.85% 23,798 45.68% 766 1.47%
1984 30,216 58.51% 20,944 40.55% 485 0.94%
1980 24,888 48.31% 21,862 42.43% 4,772 9.26%
1976 19,574 40.93% 25,027 52.33% 3,220 6.73%
1972 18,951 45.78% 19,315 46.65% 3,134 7.57%
1968 15,422 45.93% 15,990 47.62% 2,168 6.46%
1964 13,009 40.44% 19,063 59.26% 94 0.29%
1960 13,522 41.50% 19,026 58.40% 33 0.10%
1956 17,364 63.70% 9,829 36.06% 64 0.23%
1952 18,267 64.75% 9,907 35.12% 39 0.14%
1948 10,153 39.50% 15,261 59.37% 292 1.14%
1944 13,298 60.37% 8,647 39.25% 84 0.38%
1940 16,027 63.01% 9,305 36.58% 102 0.40%
1936 5,262 23.30% 12,760 56.51% 4,558 20.19%
1932 4,499 19.52% 18,293 79.36% 258 1.12%
1928 6,459 28.56% 16,104 71.21% 52 0.23%
1924 6,469 37.36% 1,354 7.82% 9,491 54.82%
1920 13,566 86.33% 1,616 10.28% 532 3.39%
1916 4,312 54.44% 3,350 42.29% 259 3.27%
1912 1,134 17.63% 3,317 51.55% 1,983 30.82%
1908 2,614 38.75% 3,835 56.86% 296 4.39%
1904 2,849 50.43% 2,625 46.47% 175 3.10%
1900 2,460 35.55% 4,244 61.33% 216 3.12%
1896 2,873 36.06% 4,911 61.64% 183 2.30%
1892 1,624 23.68% 4,461 65.04% 774 11.28%

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  4. ^ Marilyn J. Chiat (1997), America's Religious Architecture: Sacred Places for Every Community, Preservation Press. Page 146.
  5. ^ Kathleen Neils Conzen (2003), Germans in Minnesota, Minnesota Historical Society Press. Pages 26-27.
  6. ^ History of Stearns County (from county website; accessed May 3, 2019)
  7. ^ Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 49-52. ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2.
  8. ^ a b c Stearns County MN Google Maps (accessed 3 May 2019)
  9. ^ a b "Find an Altitude/Stearns County MN" Google Maps (accessed May 3, 2019)
  10. ^ Stearns County High Point, Minnesota. PeakBaggers.com (accessed May 3, 2019)
  11. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  12. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  14. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  15. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  16. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  17. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Stearns County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
  18. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Stearns County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
  19. ^ Menendez, Albert J.; The Geography of Presidential Elections in the United States, 1868-2004, pp. 228-233 ISBN 0786422173
  20. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 428-430 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
  21. ^ a b Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 10, 2018.

Further reading

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  • Mitchell, William Bell. History of Stearns County, Minnesota (2vols.) H.C. Cooper Jr., 1915. Online. Volume 1 and Volume 2
  • Simpson, Lee M. A. Stearns County, Minnesota. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2000. Print. ISBN 9780738508337, OCLC 45709208
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45°33′N 94°37′W / 45.55°N 94.61°W / 45.55; -94.61

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