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Carlton County, Minnesota facts for kids

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Carlton County
U.S. county
Carlton County Courthouse
Map of Minnesota highlighting Carlton 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 May 23, 1857 (created)
1870 (organized)
Named for Reuben B. Carlton
Seat Carlton
Largest city Cloquet
Area
 • Total 875 sq mi (2,270 km2)
 • Land 861 sq mi (2,230 km2)
 • Water 14 sq mi (40 km2)  1.6%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 36,207
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 36,825 Increase
 • Density 42.1/sq mi (16.3/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 8th

Carlton County is a county in the State of Minnesota, formed in 1857. As of the 2020 census, the population was 36,207. Its county seat is Carlton. Part of the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation lies in northeastern Carlton County.

Carlton County is part of the Duluth, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Carlton County lies on Minnesota's eastern edge. Its eastern boundary abuts Wisconsin. The Saint Louis River flows east-southeast through the county, discharging into Lake Superior. The Moose Horn River flows southwest through the county, discharging into the Kettle River. The Nemadji River and the South Fork Nemadji River flow east through the county, meeting a few miles east of its eastern boundary before reaching Lake Superior. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, heavily wooded, and slopes to the several river valleys. The county's northwest corner lies at 1,329 ft (405 m) ASL, and a small hill 0.2 miles (0.32 km) west of Rogers Lake rises to 1,450 ft (440 m) ASL.

The county has an area of 875 square miles (2,270 km2), of which 861 square miles (2,230 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (1.6%) is water.

Major highways

  • I-35.svg Interstate 35
  • MN-23.svg Minnesota State Highway 23
  • MN-27.svg Minnesota State Highway 27
  • MN-33.svg Minnesota State Highway 33
  • MN-45.svg Minnesota State Highway 45
  • MN-73.svg Minnesota State Highway 73
  • MN-210.svg Minnesota State Highway 210
  • MN-289.svg Minnesota State Highway 289

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

  • Black Hoof Wildlife Management Area
  • Dye State Wildlife Management Area
  • Fond du Lac State Forest (part)
  • Jay Cooke State Park
  • Kettle Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Nemadji State Forest (part)
  • Sawyer State Wildlife Management Area

History

Under a 1854 Treaty of La Pointe the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and other reservations were established in exchange for all the Lake Superior Ojibwe land in the Arrowhead Region. Carlton County was formed and organized in 1870. It was named for Reuben B. Carlton, a member of the Minnesota Senate (1857–58).

In October 1918, an immense forest fire occurred, known as the Cloquet fire. The Carlton County Historical Society hosts a permanent exhibit about the fire of 1918, along with ones about the Ojibwe of Carlton County and the Logging Era.

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Carlton, Minnesota
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
1
 
20
1
 
 
0.9
 
27
6
 
 
1.5
 
38
17
 
 
2.3
 
54
29
 
 
3.2
 
67
39
 
 
4.2
 
75
48
 
 
4.2
 
80
54
 
 
4
 
78
53
 
 
4.3
 
68
45
 
 
3.1
 
54
34
 
 
2
 
37
22
 
 
1.1
 
23
7
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
24
 
-7
-17
 
 
22
 
-3
-14
 
 
38
 
3
-8
 
 
59
 
12
-2
 
 
82
 
19
4
 
 
108
 
24
9
 
 
107
 
27
12
 
 
102
 
26
12
 
 
110
 
20
7
 
 
79
 
12
1
 
 
50
 
3
-6
 
 
29
 
-5
-14
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Carlton have ranged from a low of 1 °F (−17 °C) in January to a high of 80 °F (27 °C) in July, although a record low of −45 °F (−43 °C) was recorded in January 1912 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.87 inches (22 mm) in February to 4.34 inches (110 mm) in September.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 51 —
1870 286 460.8%
1880 1,230 330.1%
1890 5,272 328.6%
1900 10,017 90.0%
1910 17,559 75.3%
1920 19,391 10.4%
1930 21,232 9.5%
1940 24,212 14.0%
1950 24,584 1.5%
1960 27,932 13.6%
1970 28,072 0.5%
1980 29,936 6.6%
1990 29,259 −2.3%
2000 31,671 8.2%
2010 35,386 11.7%
2020 36,207 2.3%
2023 (est.) 36,825 4.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

Democgraphic profile of Carlton County, Minnesota
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 31,458 30,910 88.90% 85.37%
Black or African American alone (NH) 494 556 1.40% 1.54%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 2,012 2,148 5.69% 5.93%
Asian alone (NH) 160 153 0.45% 0.42%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 2 12 0.01% 0.03%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 9 85 0.03% 0.23%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 767 1,731 2.17% 4.78%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 484 612 1.37% 1.69%
Total 35,386 36,207 100.00% 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.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 35,386 people living in the county. 89.7% were White, 5.9% Native American, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% of some other race and 2.4% of two or more races. 1.4% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race). 16.4% were of German, 13.5% Finnish, 8.9% Norwegian, 8.6% Swedish and 5.6% American ancestry.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Atkinson Township
  • Automba Township
  • Barnum Township
  • Beseman Township
  • Blackhoof Township
  • Eagle Township
  • Holyoke Township
  • Kalevala Township
  • Lakeview Township
  • Mahtowa Township
  • Moose Lake Township
  • Perch Lake Township
  • Silver Township
  • Silver Brook Township
  • Skelton Township
  • Split Rock Township
  • Thomson Township
  • Twin Lakes Township
  • Wrenshall Township

Unorganized territories

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Carlton para niños

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