Cook County, Minnesota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cook County
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Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
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 Minnesota's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Minnesota |
| Founded | March 9, 1874 |
| Named for | Michael Cook |
| Seat | Grand Marais |
| Largest city | Grand Marais |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,340 sq mi (8,700 km2) |
| • Land | 1,452 sq mi (3,760 km2) |
| • Water | 1,887 sq mi (4,890 km2) 57%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 5,600 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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5,639  |
| • Density | 1.677/sq mi (0.647/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 8th |
Cook County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,600, making it Minnesota's seventh-least populous county. Its county seat is Grand Marais. The Grand Portage Indian Reservation is in the county.
Contents
History
Ojibwe people were early inhabitants of this area. The first non-indigenous people to explore the area were French fur traders, a few of whom settled in the area. By the 1830s, the French population was a few dozen. In the 1830s, settlers began arriving from New England and from upstate New York. The completion of the Erie Canal (1825) and the settling of the Black Hawk War (1831) made migration easier.
Most of Cook County's 1830s settlers came from Orange County, Vermont and Down East Maine (modern day Washington County and Hancock County). Most were fishermen and farmers. By 1845 the future Cook County contained 350 people of European descent; by 1874 there were about 2,000. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church, Methodist, and Baptist churches. By 1900 there were about 3,000 people in Cook County.
The first decade of the 20th century saw a large influx of Europeans from Germany, Scandinavia, and Ireland. These waves introduced Lutheranism and Catholicism to Cook County.
The county was created on March 9, 1874. It was named for Territorial and State Senator Michael Cook.
Geography
Cook County is a rugged, heavily wooded triangle of land on Minnesota's northeastern tip. It abuts Canada's southern border and is largely surrounded by the northern end of the Great Lakes. It is heavily dotted with lakes, ponds and streams. The state's highest point is in the county, at 2,301 ft (701 m) ASL. The county has an area of 3,340 square miles (8,700 km2), of which 1,452 square miles (3,760 km2) is land and 1,887 square miles (4,890 km2) (57%) is water. It is Minnesota's second-largest county by area. Minnesota's highest natural point, Eagle Mountain at 2,301 feet (701 m), and the highest lake, Lake Abita at 2,048 feet (624 m), are in Cook County. Lake Superior is at the county's southern border.
Major highways
Minnesota State Highway 61
Cook County Road 12 – Gunflint Trail
Adjacent counties
Cook County is in the extreme northeast of the state at the tip of the Arrowhead region; it is adjacent to only one other county by land. Its geographic neighbors are:
- Rainy River District, Ontario Canada - northwest
- Thunder Bay District, Ontario Canada - northeast (EST Border east of the 90th meridian west)
- Lake County - west
- Ashland County, Wisconsin - south
- Keweenaw County, Michigan - east/EST Border
- Ontonagon County, Michigan - southeast/EST Border
Protected areas
- Cascade River State Park
- Grand Portage National Monument
- Judge C. R. Magney State Park
- Kodunce River State Wayside Area
- North Shore State Trail (part)
- Pat Bayle State Forest
- Superior National Forest (part)
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (part)
- Temperance River State Park
Climate
| Climate data for Lutsen, Minnesota | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 22 (−6) |
26 (−3) |
35 (2) |
47 (8) |
56 (13) |
64 (18) |
70 (21) |
70 (21) |
62 (17) |
52 (11) |
39 (4) |
27 (−3) |
48 (9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 4 (−16) |
7 (−14) |
19 (−7) |
31 (−1) |
39 (4) |
45 (7) |
52 (11) |
54 (12) |
47 (8) |
38 (3) |
26 (−3) |
11 (−12) |
31 (−1) |
| Average rainfall inches (mm) | 0.9 (23) |
0.7 (18) |
1.4 (36) |
1.9 (48) |
2.8 (71) |
3.5 (89) |
3.3 (84) |
3.3 (84) |
3.6 (91) |
2.5 (64) |
1.6 (41) |
1.1 (28) |
26.4 (670) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 15.2 (39) |
8.1 (21) |
8.1 (21) |
2.2 (5.6) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.4 (1.0) |
3.8 (9.7) |
13.3 (34) |
50.8 (129) |
| Source: Weatherbase | |||||||||||||
Northern Minnesota offers extreme winter weather. While the averages are low, the extremes provide more details. A third of the year is below freezing (31.9%, 116 days, or 4 months). Of those days, 21 are below zero degrees Fahrenheit (−17.8 °C).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days Below 32 °F/0 °C | ||||||||||||
| 20 | 18 | 19 | 13 | 3.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 5.8 | 16 | 20 | 116 |
| Days Below 0 °F/-17.8 °C | ||||||||||||
| 8.2 | 6 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0.5 | 4.8 | 21 |
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 65 | — | |
| 1890 | 98 | 50.8% | |
| 1900 | 810 | 726.5% | |
| 1910 | 1,336 | 64.9% | |
| 1920 | 1,841 | 37.8% | |
| 1930 | 2,435 | 32.3% | |
| 1940 | 3,030 | 24.4% | |
| 1950 | 2,900 | −4.3% | |
| 1960 | 3,377 | 16.4% | |
| 1970 | 3,423 | 1.4% | |
| 1980 | 4,092 | 19.5% | |
| 1990 | 3,868 | −5.5% | |
| 2000 | 5,168 | 33.6% | |
| 2010 | 5,176 | 0.2% | |
| 2020 | 5,600 | 8.2% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 5,639 | 8.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020 |
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2020 Census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 4,670 | 83.4% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 25 | 0.45% |
| Native American (NH) | 450 | 8.04% |
| Asian (NH) | 48 | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander (NH) | 1 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed (NH) | 283 | 5.1% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 123 | 2.2% |
Communities
City
- Grand Marais (county seat)
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
- Croftville
- Grand Portage
- Hovland
- Maple Hill
- Martin Landing
- Mineral Center
- Pigeon River
- Schroeder
- Taconite Harbor
- Tofte
Townships
- Lutsen Township
- Schroeder Township
- Tofte Township
Unorganized territories
Ghost towns
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Cook (Minnesota) para niños
