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Wright County, Minnesota facts for kids

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Wright County
Howard Lake City Hall
Map of Minnesota highlighting Wright County
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Map of the United States highlighting Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Minnesota
Founded February 20, 1855
Named for Silas Wright
Seat Buffalo
Largest city Otsego
Area
 • Total 714 sq mi (1,850 km2)
 • Land 661 sq mi (1,710 km2)
 • Water 53 sq mi (140 km2)  7.4%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 141,337
 • Estimate 
(2021)
144,845 Increase
 • Density 213.8/sq mi (82.5/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 6th

Wright County is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 141,337. Its county seat is Buffalo. The county was founded in 1855. Wright County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area. In terms of population, Wright County is the tenth-largest county in Minnesota and the second-fastest growing.

History

The county was established in 1855, and was named after New York politician Silas Wright. 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.

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. The terrain is undulating and contains numerous small lakes. The county is bounded on the northeast by the Mississippi River. 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).

Major highways

  • I-94.svg Interstate 94
  • US 12.svg U.S. Highway 12
  • US 52.svg U.S. Highway 52 (runs hidden with I-94)
  • MN-24.svg Minnesota State Highway 24
  • MN-25.svg Minnesota State Highway 25
  • MN-55.svg Minnesota State Highway 55
  • MN-101.svg Minnesota State Highway 101
  • MN-241.svg Minnesota State Highway 241

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 3,729
1870 9,457 153.6%
1880 18,104 91.4%
1890 24,164 33.5%
1900 29,157 20.7%
1910 28,082 −3.7%
1920 28,685 2.1%
1930 27,119 −5.5%
1940 27,550 1.6%
1950 27,716 0.6%
1960 29,935 8.0%
1970 38,933 30.1%
1980 58,681 50.7%
1990 68,710 17.1%
2000 89,986 31.0%
2010 124,700 38.6%
2020 141,337 13.3%
2021 (est.) 144,845 16.2%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020
USA Wright County, Minnesota age pyramid
Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 census data

2010

The ethnic makeup of the county, according to the 2010 United States census, was the following:

2000

As of the 2000 census, there were 89,986 people, 31,465 households, and 23,913 families 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.

The county population contained 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% over age 64. 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.

Communities

Cities

Townships

  • Albion
  • Buffalo
  • Chatham
  • Clearwater
  • Cokato
  • Corinna
  • Franklin
  • French Lake
  • Maple Lake
  • Marysville
  • Middleville
  • Monticello
  • Rockford
  • Silver Creek
  • Southside
  • Stockholm
  • Victor
  • Woodland

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Largest Cities in Wright County

2015 Rank City 2015 Estimate
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&01.&&&&&01 St. Michael 17,196 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02 Buffalo 16,026 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&03.&&&&&03 Otsego 15,551 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&04.&&&&&04 Monticello 13,299 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05 Albertville 7,345 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&06.&&&&&06 Delano 5,875 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07 Rockford 4,358 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08 Annandale 3,304 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09 Hanover 3,289 NA
&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010 Montrose 3,079 NA

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Wright (Minnesota) para niños

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