Wright County, Minnesota

Wright County, Minnesota
Map of Minnesota highlighting Wright County
Location in the U.S. state of Minnesota
Map of the United States highlighting Minnesota
Minnesota's location in the U.S.
Founded February 20, 1855[1]
Named for Silas Wright
Seat Buffalo
Largest city St. Michael
Area
 • Total 714 sq mi (1,849 km2)
 • Land 661 sq mi (1,712 km2)
 • Water 53 sq mi (137 km2), 7.4%
Population (est.)
 • (2017) 134,286
 • Density 189/sq mi (73/km2)
Congressional district 6th
Time zone Central: UTC−6/−5
Website www.co.wright.mn.us

Wright County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 124,700.[2] Its county seat is Buffalo.[3] The county was founded in 1855.

Wright County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The county was established in 1855, and was named after New York politician Silas Wright.[4] The first county seat was Monticello; in 1868 the county seat was changed to Buffalo. The majority of people to first settle this area were German and Swedish. The county's population in 1860 was 3,729 people; in 1875, it was 13,775.[5]

The 1998 thriller A Simple Plan was set in Wright County, though it does not mention a specific town.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 714 square miles (1,850 km2), of which 661 square miles (1,710 km2) is land and 53 square miles (140 km2) (7.4%) is water.[6] The terrain is undulating and contains numerous small lakes. The county is bounded on the northeast by the Mississippi River.[5] Wright is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils, and one of only two Minnesota counties where savanna soils make up more than 75% of the county area (the other is Hennepin County).

Soils of Wright County[7]

Major highways

Soils of Lake Maria State Park

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18603,729—
18709,457153.6%
188018,10491.4%
189024,16433.5%
190029,15720.7%
191028,082−3.7%
192028,6852.1%
193027,119−5.5%
194027,5501.6%
195027,7160.6%
196029,9358.0%
197038,93330.1%
198058,68150.7%
199068,71017.1%
200089,98631.0%
2010122,70036.4%
Est. 2017134,286[8]9.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790–1960[10] 1900–1990[11]
1990–2000[12] 2010–2016[2]
Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 U.S. census data

2010

The ethnic makeup of the county, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, was the following:

2000

As of the 2000 census, there were 89,986 people, 31,465 households, and 23,913 families residing in the county. The population density was 136 people per square mile (53/km²). There were 34,355 housing units at an average density of 52 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.85% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 42.3% were of German, 11.9% Norwegian, 7.4% Swedish and 6.6% Irish ancestry.

There were 31465 households out of which 42.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.50% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.00% were non-families. 18.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the county, the population was spread out with 31.10% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 19.90% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 101.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,945, and the median income for a family was $60,940. Males had a median income of $40,630 versus $28,201 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,844. About 3.60% of families and 4.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.50% of those under age 18 and 7.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Presidential elections results
Presidential elections results[13]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 62.2% 43,274 29.2% 20,334 8.6% 6,010
2012 59.7% 40,466 38.0% 25,741 2.4% 1,609
2008 57.6% 37,779 40.2% 26,343 2.2% 1,456
2004 60.8% 36,176 38.0% 22,618 1.2% 740
2000 55.0% 23,861 38.7% 16,762 6.3% 2,743
1996 37.9% 13,224 44.6% 15,542 17.5% 6,108
1992 33.1% 11,650 35.5% 12,465 31.4% 11,045
1988 50.7% 14,987 48.0% 14,177 1.3% 379
1984 54.8% 15,399 44.5% 12,486 0.7% 205
1980 45.5% 12,293 45.9% 12,383 8.6% 2,315
1976 39.7% 9,314 57.0% 13,379 3.3% 771
1972 51.6% 9,996 44.9% 8,695 3.6% 695
1968 40.1% 6,321 55.8% 8,793 4.1% 639
1964 38.6% 5,476 61.2% 8,687 0.2% 22
1960 52.6% 7,180 47.2% 6,452 0.2% 26
1956 59.4% 7,257 40.5% 4,944 0.1% 12
1952 64.6% 8,089 34.9% 4,373 0.5% 62
1948 49.5% 5,589 48.9% 5,523 1.6% 185
1944 65.0% 6,961 34.3% 3,678 0.7% 72
1940 67.0% 8,297 32.3% 3,993 0.7% 87
1936 36.0% 4,087 47.3% 5,363 16.8% 1,901
1932 31.5% 3,406 66.5% 7,205 2.0% 219
1928 56.6% 6,011 42.2% 4,483 1.2% 132
1924 47.5% 4,349 6.2% 567 46.3% 4,235
1920 79.5% 7,013 14.7% 1,299 5.8% 508
1916 52.2% 2,683 44.0% 2,262 3.7% 191
1912 19.4% 837 30.9% 1,333 49.6% 2,139
1908 63.5% 2,820 31.4% 1,396 5.1% 226
1904 75.0% 3,183 20.3% 860 4.7% 199
1900 60.7% 3,153 36.4% 1,888 2.9% 152
1896 59.4% 3,312 38.9% 2,172 1.7% 95
1892 48.6% 2,271 39.1% 1,829 12.3% 577

Communities

Townships

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Largest Cities in Wright County

2015 Rank City 2015 Estimate[14]
1 St. Michael 17,196 NA
2 Buffalo 16,026 NA
3 Otsego 15,551 NA
4 Monticello 13,299 NA
5 Albertville 7,345 NA
6 Delano 5,875 NA
7 Rockford 4,358 NA
8 Annandale 3,304 NA
9 Hanover 3,289 NA
10 Montrose 3,079 NA

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 586.
  5. 1 2 Wikisource Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879). "Wright. I. A central county of Minnesota". The American Cyclopædia.
  6. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  7. ↑ Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 49–52. ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2.
  8. ↑ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  9. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  14. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.

Coordinates: 45°11′N 93°58′W / 45.18°N 93.97°W / 45.18; -93.97

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