Chisago County, Minnesota

Chisago County (/ʃɪˈsɑːɡoʊ/ shi-SAH-goh)[2] is a county in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county covers an area of 442 square miles (1,140 square kilometers) and, as of the 2020 Census, had a population of 56,621 people. It is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Not to be confused with Chicago.

Chisago County
County
Old Chisago County Courthouse originally in Center City, Minnesota, moved in 1990 to Almelund, Minnesota.
Old Chisago County Courthouse originally in Center City, Minnesota, moved in 1990 to Almelund, Minnesota.
Map of Minnesota highlighting Chisago 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°30′09″N 92°54′30″W
Country United States
State Minnesota
FoundedSeptember 1, 1851[1]
Named forChisago Lake
SeatCenter City
Largest cityNorth Branch
Area
 • Total442 sq mi (1,140 km2)
 • Land415 sq mi (1,070 km2)
 • Water28 sq mi (70 km2)  6.2%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total56,621
 • Estimate 
(2022)
57,988 Increase
 • Density136.4/sq mi (52.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitewww.chisagocountymn.gov

The county's largest city is North Branch. Within Chisago County is the Chisago Lakes area, which includes the combined areas of Shafer, Chisago City, Lindström, and Center City. Center City is the county seat.[3]

The county has a diverse economy, including manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism.[4]

History

Early history

Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Chisago County was home to the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes. The Dakota lived in the southern part of the county and the Ojibwe in the northern part.[5]

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, French fur traders who traveled south from Lake Superior established trading posts along the river, extending as far south as Taylors Falls.

European Settlement

The first European settlers arrived in the Chisago County area in the early 1800s. Most of them were of Swedish descent, and they came in search of land and new opportunities. They established small farms and communities throughout the county, and the first church organization in the county was that of the Swedish Evangelical-Lutheran tradition.

In the mid-1800s, the area that is now Chisago County was part of the Minnesota Territory, and it was not officially established as a county until 1851.[6] It took its name from the Chisago Lake.[7] In its aboriginal form it was "Ki-chi-saga", from two Ojibwe words: "kichi" (large) and "saga" (fair or lovely).[8]

The county seat was originally in Taylors Falls, but was relocated to Chisago City in 1865. It took three more years before the legislature approved this relocation and voters approved it in a referendum. The move was later challenged in the courts on allegations of election fraud, resulting in a two-year delay before the state Supreme Court validated the results.

Economic growth

Chisago County's early economy was based on farming, logging, and mining. The county was rich in natural resources, and its forests and mines attracted many settlers to the area. As the county grew, it became a hub of commerce and trade, with many businesses and industries establishing themselves in the area. Records of early businesses in Chisago County are recorded in Lindströmsjö.[9]

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the county's economy shifted toward manufacturing and industry. The county was home to many factories and mills, including sawmills, flour mills, and paper mills. These industries helped fuel the county's growth and prosperity, and they remain an important part of the county's economy.[9]

Modern era

Today, Chisago County has a diverse economy. It is home to several manufacturing companies, including the Anderson Corporation, a major producer of windows and doors.[10] Agriculture is also an essential part of the local economy, with crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat grown in the county.[11] Tourism is also a significant industry in the county, with visitors drawn to the Chisago Lakes area's recreational opportunities.[3]

The county has retained and continues to celebrate much of its Swedish heritage.[12]

Geography

Chisago County lies on Minnesota's eastern border, abutting the western border of Wisconsin (across the Saint Croix River). The Saint Croix flows south-southeast along the county's eastern border. The Sunrise River flows north through the county's central part, collecting the waters of the North Branch Sunrise River and Hay Creek before discharging into the St. Croix at the county's eastern boundary. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, devoted to agriculture.[13] The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near the northwest corner, at 1,017 ft (310 m) ASL.[14] The county has an area of 442 square miles (1,140 km2), of which 415 square miles (1,070 km2) is land and 28 square miles (73 km2) (6.2%) is water.[15]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas
  • Fish Lake County Park
  • Franconia Bluffs Scientific and Natural Area
  • Interstate State Park
  • Lawrence Creek Scientific and Natural Area
  • Ojiketa Regional Park
  • Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway (part)
  • Wild River State Park

[13]

Climate and weather
Center City, Minnesota
Climate chart (explanation)
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Source:The Weather Channel[16]
Metric conversion
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Chisago County has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with long, cold winters and warm summers. The average high temperature in the summer is around 80 °F (27 °C), while the average low temperature in the winter is around 5 °F (−15 °C).

A record low of −38 °F (−39 °C) was recorded in January 1977 and a record high of 104 °F (40 °C) was recorded in July 1988.[16]

The county's location in the Upper Midwest region of the United States exposes it to a wide range of weather patterns, including severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and blizzards. The county experiences moderate precipitation throughout the year, with an average annual rainfall of 30 inches (760 mm) and an average annual snowfall of 47 inches (1,200 mm). Spring is the most active season for severe weather, with thunderstorms and tornadoes common. Winter storms are common during the winter, with heavy snowfall and blizzards.

Chisago County has many lakes and wetlands, which significantly affect its weather and climate. It has over 100 lakes, the largest being North and South Center Lakes, Green Lake, and Chisago Lake. The lakes and wetlands moderate temperatures by absorbing heat during the summer and releasing it during the winter.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18601,743—
18704,358150.0%
18807,98283.2%
189010,35929.8%
190013,24827.9%
191013,5372.2%
192014,4456.7%
193013,189−8.7%
194013,124−0.5%
195012,669−3.5%
196013,4195.9%
197017,49230.4%
198025,71747.0%
199030,52118.7%
200041,10134.7%
201053,88731.1%
202056,6215.1%
2022 (est.)57,988[17]2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[18]
1790-1960[19] 1900-1990[20]
1990-2000[21] 2010-2020[22]

According to the most recent census data, Chisago County's population is 56,621, making it Minnesota's 18th-most populous county. 52.1% of residents are male and 47.9% are female. The average family size in Chisago County was 3.05 persons, and 62.2% of households were married-couple families.

95.4% of residents have at least a high school education, and 22.2% have attained a bachelor's degree or higher. 4.9% are veterans.[23]

Population by decade

Race and ethnicity

Historically, Chisago County has been overwhelmingly populated by non-Hispanic Whites. Since 2000, it has been home to a small but growing Black, Asian, and Hispanic population.

Race/ethnicity
1990[24] 2000[25] 2010[26] 2020[27]
Number  % Number  % Number  % Number  %
White alone30,09998.62%39,95397.21%51,01394.67%50,80489.73%
Black alone650.21%2100.51%6361.18%8451.49%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)1370.45%4731.15%8351.55%1,4512.56%
Native American alone1250.41%1870.45%3130.58%3090.55%
Asian alone900.29%2870.7%4800.89%7711.36%
Other race alone530.17%1260.31%190.04%1850.33%
Two or more races——3270.8%5911.1%2,2563.98%

Ancestry

The most common ancestries in Chisago County are German (33.4%), Swedish (15.8%), Norwegian (13.0%), Irish (9.7%), and English (5.4%).

Nativity

In 1930, 2,733 persons were foreign-born, 2,319 (84.9%) of whom were born in Sweden.

In 1970, 3,804 persons were foreign-born, 2,190 (57.6%) of whom were born in Sweden. 19.6% were native-born with one or both parents born abroad.[28]

In 2021, 97.9% of residents were born in the United States, and 78.5% had been born in Minnesota. Among the foreign-born population, 56.5% were naturalized U.S. citizens. 97.1% of residents spoke only English at home.

Religion
Chisago Lake Evangelical Lutheran Church

The 2020 U.S. Religion Census conducted by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies found that 7,549 Chisago County residents were affiliated with the Catholic Church, 6,098 with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and 2,975 with the Assemblies of God.[29]

A notable religious building in Chisago County is the Chisago Lake Lutheran Church. The church was founded in 1890 and has been in Center City since 1906. It is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Another prominent religious building in the county is the First United Methodist Church of Lindström. The church has served the community for over 130 years.

The Church of St. Joseph in Taylors Falls is a Catholic church that was founded in 1854. The current building was constructed in 1896.

Transportation

Among workers 16 years and older, 80.3% commuted to work by car, 9.0% carpooled, 1.6% used public transit, and 2.2% walked, biked, or used some other method. 7.0% worked from home. The median household income was $86,900, slightly above the state average. 6.4% of residents lived below the poverty line, and 2.5% were unemployed. 86.4% of housing in the county was owner-occupied.

Education

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Culture
Swedish immigrants in Rush City, Minnesota, in 1887.

Chisago County is strongly influenced by the German, Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who settled there in the mid-19th century. It provided the setting for much of Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg's suite of novels The Emigrants in the 1950s, and Moberg engaged in both archival and oral history research for his books to recreate the area's early Swedish immigration. Sculptor Ian Dudley's bronze statue of Moberg stands in Chisago City's park. Moberg's fictional characters Karl-Oskar and Kristina Nilsson from Ljuder parish in Småland settled around Lake Ki-Chi-Saga (from the Ojibwe Ki-chi-saga-igun, or Gichi-zaaga'igan in contemporary spelling), meaning "big lake with an outlet", which was later shortened to Lake Chisago. The annual Karl Oskar Days in Lindström honor the early settlers' heritage.

Government and politics

Government

The County Board, comprising five members, is responsible for setting policies and making laws in the county. Its members are elected from specific regions and serve four-year terms in a rotating manner.[30]

The County Board sets the county tax rate, adopts the budget, appoints boards and commissions, approves grants and personnel actions, and oversees the administration of county government.

The Chisago County Court Administrator's Office is responsible for maintaining records, managing case flow, overseeing jury management, and collecting fines for all District Court cases in the county. These cases encompass various types, such as juvenile, civil, family, probate, criminal, and conciliation court cases. Chisago County accommodates three chambered judges in a full-time capacity, and is part of the 10th Judicial District, which comprises eight counties and 45 judges. Any judge in this district may preside over cases in Chisago County.

County Commissioners
Office[30] Name Party
  District 1 Jim Swenson Nonpartisan
  District 2 Rick Greene Nonpartisan
  District 3 Marlys Dunne Nonpartisan
  District 4 Ben Montzka Nonpartisan
  District 5 Dan Dahlberg Nonpartisan

County officials
Office[31] Name Party
  Attorney Janet Reiter Nonpartisan
  Auditor-Treasurer Bridgitte Konrad Nonpartisan
  Recorder Karen Long Nonpartisan
  Sheriff Brandon Thyen Nonpartisan

Politics

Chisago County has trended conservative in recent state and federal elections, backing every Republican nominee for president since 2000.

State legislators
Office District Name Party Residence
  Senate 11 Jason Rarick Republican Pine City
  Senate 28 Mark Koran Republican North Branch
  House 11B Nathan Nelson Republican Hinckley
  House 28A Brian Johnson Republican Cambridge
  House 28B Anne Neu Brindley Republican North Branch

Federal officials
Office District Name Party
  Senate Statewide Amy Klobuchar DFL
  Senate Statewide Tina Smith DFL
  House 8th Pete Stauber Republican

Presidential elections
United States presidential election results for Chisago County, Minnesota[32]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 21,916 63.40% 11,806 34.15% 848 2.45%
2016 18,441 61.01% 9,278 30.69% 2,509 8.30%
2012 16,227 55.12% 12,524 42.54% 690 2.34%
2008 15,789 53.88% 12,783 43.62% 733 2.50%
2004 15,705 55.57% 12,219 43.24% 336 1.19%
2000 10,937 49.74% 9,593 43.63% 1,457 6.63%
1996 5,984 33.74% 8,611 48.56% 3,138 17.70%
1992 4,813 28.11% 7,077 41.34% 5,229 30.55%
1988 6,163 43.49% 7,875 55.58% 132 0.93%
1984 6,279 48.12% 6,683 51.21% 87 0.67%
1980 5,017 40.06% 6,240 49.83% 1,266 10.11%
1976 3,874 35.65% 6,625 60.96% 368 3.39%
1972 4,718 51.06% 4,174 45.17% 349 3.78%
1968 3,053 39.90% 4,102 53.61% 496 6.48%
1964 2,525 36.65% 4,347 63.10% 17 0.25%
1960 3,822 56.59% 2,907 43.04% 25 0.37%
1956 3,413 55.47% 2,731 44.38% 9 0.15%
1952 3,892 60.25% 2,536 39.26% 32 0.50%
1948 2,704 44.58% 3,184 52.50% 177 2.92%
1944 3,020 55.58% 2,376 43.72% 38 0.70%
1940 3,569 55.97% 2,746 43.06% 62 0.97%
1936 2,462 40.49% 3,360 55.26% 258 4.24%
1932 2,524 43.86% 3,047 52.95% 184 3.20%
1928 4,215 75.51% 1,297 23.24% 70 1.25%
1924 2,678 52.80% 135 2.66% 2,259 44.54%
1920 4,361 80.02% 484 8.88% 605 11.10%
1916 1,749 61.22% 944 33.04% 164 5.74%
1912 346 13.31% 435 16.73% 1,819 69.96%
1908 2,107 79.90% 408 15.47% 122 4.63%
1904 2,417 91.45% 156 5.90% 70 2.65%
1900 2,354 83.36% 411 14.55% 59 2.09%
1896 2,558 84.37% 437 14.41% 37 1.22%
1892 1,480 75.01% 338 17.13% 155 7.86%

See also

References
  1. "Chisago County History". Chisago County Office. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  2. "Minnesota Pronunciation Guide". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  3. "Home". Chisago Lakes Visitor Bureau. April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  4. "Housing & Redevelopment Authority - Economic Development Authority (HRA-EDA) - Official Website". Chisago County, MN. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  5. Risjord, Norman K. (2005). A popular history of Minnesota. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87351-531-5. OCLC 56840368.
  6. "Chisago County, Minnesota". Minnesota Geographic Names. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  7. Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 107.
  8. "Page:A history of the Swedish-Americans of Minnesota.djvu/9". Wikisource, the free online library. March 27, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  9. "Chisago County Historical Society". Chisago County Historical Society. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  10. "Our Mission". Chisago County. July 29, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  11. "National Agricultural Statistics Service - Minnesota - County Estimates". USDA. February 24, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  12. Bosman, Julie (April 16, 2015). "Lindström Loses Umlauts on Road Signs, and the Town is Dotted With Displeasure (Published 2015)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  13. Chisago County MN Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019)
  14. ""Find an Altitude/Chisago County MN" Google Maps (accessed March 6, 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  15. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  16. "Monthly Averages for Center City MN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  17. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  18. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  19. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  20. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  21. "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 6, 2014.
  22. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  23. Bureau, U.S. Census. "Explore Census Data". Explore Census Data. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  24. "1990 Census of Population: General Population Characteristics Minnesota" (PDF). Census.gov. October 6, 2022. p. 20. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  25. Bureau, US Census (January 18, 2022). "Population by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Origin: 2000" (PDF). Census.gov. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  26. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Chisago County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
  27. "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Chisago County, Minnesota". United States Census Bureau.
  28. "Table 119. Social Characteristics for Counties: 1970" (PDF). U.S. Census. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  29. C, Joel (April 24, 2023). "Congregational Membership". theARDA. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  30. "County Board of Commissioners - Official Website". Chisago County, MN. January 3, 2023. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  31. "Departments - Official Website". Chisago County, MN. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  32. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
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