Nicollet County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicollet County
U.S. county
Nicollet County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	March 5, 1853
Named for	Joseph Nicolas Nicollet
Seat	St. Peter
Largest city	North Mankato
Area
• Total	467 sq mi (1,210 km2)
• Land	448 sq mi (1,160 km2)
• Water	18 sq mi (50 km2)  3.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	34,454
• Estimate  (2023)	34,242
• Density	76.9/sq mi (29.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Nicollet County (/ˈnɪkəlɪt/ nih-KƏ-lit) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,454. Its county seat is St. Peter.

Nicollet County is part of the Mankato – North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

In 1849 the Minnesota Territory legislature defined the boundaries of nine future counties. One of those, Dakota, contained the area north of the Minnesota River where it altered its flow from southeast to northeast. In 1853 the first settler had homesteaded an area on the northeast run of the river, and the following year the settlement of Saint Peter was platted there. Seeing the inflow of settlers into the areas adjoining the river, on March 5, 1853, the territorial legislature partitioned off the lower portion of Dakota County to form a separate entity. It was named for Joseph Nicolas Nicollet (1786-1843), a French explorer whose maps of the area had been instrumental in the territory's development. The county seat was established at Saint Peter.

Significant fighting occurred in the county during the 1862 Dakota War, most notably at the Battle of Fort Ridgely.

Geography

The Minnesota River flows eastward along the southern border of Nicollet County, from its northwestern corner to its northeastern corner, defining the county's southern line. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, completely devoted to agriculture where possible. The terrain slopes to the east. The county has an area of 467 square miles (1,210 km²), of which 448 square miles (1,160 km²) is land and 18 square miles (47 km²) (3.9%) is water.

Nicollet County's highest point is the lowest high point of all Minnesota counties, with an elevation of 1,065 feet. The county's high point is east of Clear Lake and west of the town of Lafayette.

Soils of Chamberlain Woods SNA area

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

• Fort Ridgely State Park (part)
• Minneopa State Park (part)
• Seven Mile Creek County Park

Lakes

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

• West Newton

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Nicollet para niños