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Clearwater County, Minnesota facts for kids

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Not to be confused with Clearwater, Minnesota.
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Clearwater County
U.S. county
Clearwater County Building and Courthouse in Bagley, Minnesota.
Clearwater County Building and Courthouse in Bagley, Minnesota.
Map of Minnesota highlighting Clearwater County
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Map of the United States highlighting Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Minnesota
Founded December 20, 1902
Named for Clearwater Lake
Clearwater River
Seat Bagley
Largest city Bagley
Area
 • Total 1,030 sq mi (2,700 km2)
 • Land 999 sq mi (2,590 km2)
 • Water 31 sq mi (80 km2)  3.0%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 8,524
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 8,644 Increase
 • Density 8.5/sq mi (3.3/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 8th

Clearwater County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,524. Its county seat is Bagley.

Clearwater County is home to Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River. Parts of the Red Lake and White Earth Indian reservations extend into the county.

Geography

The Red Lake River flows west out of Red Lake across the top of Clearwater County on its way to discharge into the Red River at Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Clearwater River flows west-southwest across the central part of the county on its way to discharge into the Red Lake River. The county terrain consists of wooded rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The terrain slopes to the north, with the highest point on the lower west boundary, at 1,781 ft (543 m) ASL. The county has an area of 1,030 square miles (2,700 km2), of which 999 square miles (2,590 km2) is land and 31 square miles (80 km2) (3.0%) is water. The county's high point, just south of Scoop Lake, is one of a few places to exceed 2000 feet in Minnesota, rising to 2005 feet at 47.2318°N, -95.5034°W.

Major highways

  • US 2.svg U.S. Highway 2
  • MN-1.svg Minnesota State Highway 1
  • MN-92.svg Minnesota State Highway 92
  • MN-113.svg Minnesota State Highway 113
  • MN-200.svg Minnesota State Highway 200
  • MN-223.svg Minnesota State Highway 223

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

  • Bagley Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Clearwater State Wildlife Management Area
  • Iron Springs Bog SNA
  • Itasca State Park (part)
  • Jackson Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Little Pine State Wildlife Management Area
  • Lower Rice Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Old Red Lake Trail State Wildlife Management Area
  • Upper Rice Lake State Wildlife Management Area

Climate and weather

Weather chart for Bagley, Minnesota
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
0.7
 
16
-5
 
 
0.7
 
22
0
 
 
0.9
 
35
14
 
 
1.6
 
53
29
 
 
3
 
66
42
 
 
4.6
 
74
51
 
 
3.9
 
79
55
 
 
3.2
 
78
52
 
 
2.9
 
68
43
 
 
2.4
 
54
32
 
 
1
 
35
18
 
 
0.6
 
21
2
temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel
Metric conversion
J F M A M J J A S O N D
 
 
18
 
-9
-21
 
 
17
 
-6
-18
 
 
23
 
2
-10
 
 
41
 
12
-2
 
 
76
 
19
6
 
 
117
 
23
11
 
 
100
 
26
13
 
 
82
 
26
11
 
 
73
 
20
6
 
 
61
 
12
0
 
 
24
 
2
-8
 
 
16
 
-6
-17
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

In recent years average temperatures in Bagley have ranged from a low of −15 °F (−26 °C) in January to a high of 85 °F (29 °C) in July, with a record low of −53 °F (−47 °C) recorded in February 1996 and a record high of 103 °F (39 °C) recorded in August 1976. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.64 inches (16 mm) in December to 4.62 inches (117 mm) in June.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1910 6,870 —
1920 8,569 24.7%
1930 9,546 11.4%
1940 11,153 16.8%
1950 10,204 −8.5%
1960 8,864 −13.1%
1970 8,013 −9.6%
1980 8,761 9.3%
1990 8,309 −5.2%
2000 8,423 1.4%
2010 8,695 3.2%
2020 8,524 −2.0%
2023 (est.) 8,643 −0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 Census

Clearwater County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 7,151 83.9%
Black or African American (NH) 19 0.2%
Native American (NH) 752 8.82%
Asian (NH) 23 0.3%
Pacific Islander (NH) 2 0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH) 476 5.6%
Hispanic or Latino 101 1.2%

Communities

Cities

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

  • Alida
  • Big Bear Landing
  • Bonga Landing
  • Bush Landing
  • Lake Itasca
  • Mallard
  • Ponsford Landing
  • Vern
  • Weme
  • Zerkel

Townships

  • Bear Creek Township
  • Clover Township
  • Copley Township
  • Dudley Township
  • Eddy Township
  • Falk Township
  • Greenwood Township
  • Hangaard Township
  • Holst Township
  • Itasca Township
  • La Prairie Township
  • Leon Township
  • Long Lost Lake Township
  • Minerva Township
  • Moose Creek Township
  • Nora Township
  • Pine Lake Township
  • Popple Township
  • Rice Township
  • Shevlin Township
  • Sinclair Township
  • Winsor Township

Unorganized territories

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Clearwater (Minnesota) para niños

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