Brown County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brown County
U.S. county
Brown County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855 (created) 1856 (organized)
Named for	Joseph Renshaw Brown
Seat	New Ulm
Largest city	New Ulm
Area
• Total	618 sq mi (1,600 km2)
• Land	611 sq mi (1,580 km2)
• Water	7.4 sq mi (19 km2)  1.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,912
• Estimate  (2023)	25,628
• Density	41.9/sq mi (16.2/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

This 1862 map shows Brown County. It was much larger during the Dakota War and was later divided into several other counties.

Brown County is a county located in the state of Minnesota. In 2020, about 25,912 people lived here. The main city and county seat is New Ulm.

The county was officially created in 1855. It was then organized in 1856, meaning it set up its government. Brown County is part of the New Ulm area. It is also included in the larger Mankato-New Ulm-North Mankato region.

History of Brown County

Brown County was established in 1855. At that time, it was in the southwest part of what was called Minnesota Territory. The county was named after Joseph Renshaw Brown. He was an important member of the Governor's Council in the Territory.

How Brown County Changed Over Time

In 1857, Brown County was divided. This created several new counties. These included Cottonwood, Jackson, and Martin. Other counties formed were Murry, Nobles, Pipestone, and Rock.

Later, Watonwan was separated in 1860. In 1862, a large part of Brown County became Redwood. Redwood County was then further divided in the 1870s. This created Lac qui Parle, Lincoln, Lyon, and Yellow Medicine Counties.

The Dakota War of 1862

In 1862, the northern border of Brown County was important. It was the boundary for the Upper and Lower Sioux reservations. This was when the Dakota War began.

New Ulm, the county seat, was attacked twice. A strong group of Mdewakanton Dakota people attacked the town. However, the attacks were stopped. Most of the town was burned, and many people left. They went to nearby towns like St. Peter and Mankato. Many people in the town were hurt or died.

In 1863, agreements with the eastern Dakota people were ended. The two reservations were closed. Because of this, the county border moved north. It moved about 10 miles closer to the Minnesota River.

Geography and Nature

The Minnesota River flows along the northern edge of Brown County. The Cottonwood River also flows through the middle of the county. It joins the Minnesota River at the northern border. The Little Cottonwood River flows through the southern part. It eventually joins the Minnesota River in Blue Earth County.

The land in Brown County has rolling hills. Most of it is used for farming. The land generally slopes towards the east. It tends to drop down into the river valleys. The highest point is in the southwest corner. It is about 1,263 ft (385 m) above sea level.

The county covers about 618 square miles (1,600 km²) in total. Of this, 611 square miles (1,580 km²) is land. The remaining 7.4 square miles (19 km²) (which is 1.2%) is water.

Travel and Roads

• Hermann Express is a local transit service.

Major Highways in Brown County

Neighboring Counties

Lakes of Brown County

Climate and Weather

In recent years, the average temperatures in New Ulm have varied. In January, the low temperature is about 6 °F (−14 °C). In July, the high temperature is about 83 °F (28 °C). The coldest temperature ever recorded was −37 °F (−38 °C) in January 1984. The hottest was 105 °F (41 °C) in July 1988.

The average monthly rainfall also changes. It is about 0.64 inches (16 mm) in January. It goes up to about 4.82 inches (122 mm) in June.

People of Brown County (Demographics)

2020 Census Information

This table shows the different groups of people living in Brown County in 2020.

Towns and Communities

Cities in Brown County

Special Community Areas

• Searles is a census-designated place. This means it's a community that the census bureau tracks.

Smaller Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller places that are not officially organized as cities or towns.

• Essig
• Godahl (partially in Brown County)
• Leavenworth

Townships in Brown County

Townships are local government areas.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Brown (Minnesota) para niños