Otter Tail County, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Otter Tail County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota |
|
 Minnesota's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 18, 1858 [1] |
|---|---|
| Seat | Fergus Falls |
| Largest city | Fergus Falls |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
2,225 sq mi (5,762 km²) 1,980 sq mi (5,127 km²) 245 sq mi (635 km²), 11.02% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
57,159 29/sq mi (11/km²) |
| Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.co.otter-tail.mn.us | |
| Named for: Otter Tail Lake and Otter Tail River | |
Otter Tail County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2000, the population was 57,159. Its county seat is Fergus Falls[1].
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,225 square miles (5,762 km²), of which, 1,980 square miles (5,127 km²) of it is land and 245 square miles (635 km²) of it (11.02%) is water. According to the official web site, Otter Tail County contains over 1000 lakes and two Minnesota state parks, Maplewood and Glendalough. The highest point in Otter Tail County is Inspiration Peak in the Leaf Mountains, at 1750 feet above sea level.
[edit] Major highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Becker County (north)
- Wadena County (northeast)
- Todd County (southeast)
- Douglas County (southeast)
- Grant County (southwest)
- Wilkin County (west)
- Clay County (northwest)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 57,159 people, 22,671 households, and 15,779 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 33,862 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (7/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.11% White, 0.29% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population. 35.5% were of German and 31.2% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 22,671 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,395, and the median income for a family was $42,740. Males had a median income of $30,151 versus $20,930 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,014. About 6.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities and towns
† a part of Rothsay extends into Wilkin County.
‡ Wadena is in Wadena County, but a small part of the city extends into Otter Tail County.
[edit] References
- ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Otter Tail Country Tourism Association
- Otter Tail County government’s website
- Otter Tail County Historical Society
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