Wabasha County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wabasha County
U.S. county
Wabasha County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	October 27, 1849
Named for	Wabasha (city)
Seat	Wabasha
Largest city	Lake City
Area
• Total	550 sq mi (1,400 km2)
• Land	523 sq mi (1,350 km2)
• Water	27 sq mi (70 km2)  4.8%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	21,387
• Estimate  (2023)	21,683
• Density	40.9/sq mi (15.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Wabasha County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,387. Its county seat is Wabasha.

Wabasha County is part of the Rochester Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The recently organized Minnesota Territory legislature created Wabasha County on October 27, 1849, one of nine original counties in the territory. An area on the Mississippi River's west bank, originally called Cratte's Landing, had grown into a town named Wabasha, then a city, and when the legislature created the county west of the river around this city, Wabasha was designated the county seat. The city had been named for three successive chiefs of Mississippi bands of Dakota Indians.

Wabasha County's area was reduced in 1853 when sections were partitioned off to create Fillmore, Goodhue, and Rice counties. More area was partitioned off in 1854 to create Winona County, and another part in 1855 to create Olmsted County. The county boundaries have remained the same since 1855.

Geography

Wabasha County lies on Minnesota's border with Wisconsin (across the Mississippi River. The Mississippi flows southeast along the county's eastern line. The North Fork of the Whitewater River flows east through the southern part of the county, then discharges into the Whitewater in Olmsted County. The combined Whitewater then enters the southeastern part of Wabasha County, flowing northeast to its discharge point into the Mississippi. The Zumbro River flows east-northeast through the county to its discharge point into the Mississippi. East Indian Creek and Miller Creek drain the northern part of the county into the Mississippi. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, considerably rutted by drainages, with all available area devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and south, with its highest point on its upper west border at 1,191 ft (363 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 550 square miles (1,400 km²), of which 523 square miles (1,350 km²) is land and 27 square miles (70 km²) (4.8%) is water. Wabasha is one of 17 Minnesota counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Wabasha County Jail, built 1916.

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Wabasha para niños