Cook County, Minnesota

Cook County, Minnesota
Location in the state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 9, 1874 [1]
Named for	Major Michael Cook who served as both a territorial and state senator.
Seat	Grand Marais
Largest city	Grand Marais
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	3,339.72 sq mi (8,650 km²) 1,450.60 sq mi (3,757 km²) 1,889.11 sq mi (4,893 km²), 56.56%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	5,176 4/sq mi (1/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.cook.mn.us

Cook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,176. Its county seat is Grand Marais. The Grand Portage Indian Reservation is entirely within the county.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 3,339.72 square miles (8,649.8 km²), of which 1,450.60 square miles (3,757.0 km²) (or 43.43%) is land and 1,889.11 square miles (4,892.8 km²) (or 56.56%) is water. (mostly within Lake Superior). The highest natural point in Minnesota, Eagle Mountain at 2,301 feet (701 m), and the highest lake in Minnesota, Lake Abita at 2,048 feet (624 m), are located in Cook County.

Major highways

• Minnesota State Highway 61

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 (north, northeast)
• Lake County, Minnesota (west)
• Ashland County, Wisconsin (south - water boundary in Lake Superior)
• Keweenaw County, Michigan (east - water boundary in Lake Superior, near Isle Royale)
• Ontonagon County, Michigan (southeast - water boundary in Lake Superior)

National protected areas

• Grand Portage National Monument
• Superior National Forest (eastern part)
• Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (eastern part)

Demographics

Historical populations
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%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,168 people, 2,350 households, and 1,438 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 4,708 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.45% White, 7.59% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.6% were of German, 17.7% Norwegian, 11.5% Swedish, 7.2% Irish and 5.4% English ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,350 households out of which 24.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.80% were non-families. 32.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.40% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 31.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 U.S. census data.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,640, and the median income for a family was $47,132. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $23,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,775. About 8.10% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.

Localities

Cities	Townships	Unincorporated communities	Unorganized	Ghost towns
Grand Marais	Lutsen Township Schroeder Township Tofte Township	Croftville Grand Portage Hovland Lutsen Mineral Center Pigeon River Schroeder Taconite Harbor Tofte	East Cook Grand Portage West Cook	Chippewa City Covill

Climate

Climate data for Lutsen, Minnesota
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °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)
Average low °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)
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 (671)
Snowfall inches (cm)	15.2 (38.6)	8.1 (20.6)	8.1 (20.6)	2.2 (5.6)	0.2 (0.5)	0.0 (0)	0.0 (0)	0.0 (0)	0.0 (0)	0.4 (1)	3.8 (9.7)	13.3 (33.8)	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 °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°C
8.2	6	1.5	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0.5	4.8	21

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cook County, Minnesota

References

External links

• Cook County Government's Website
• Minnesota DOT map of Cook County (Southwest portion, Eastern portion, Northwest portion)