Houston County, Minnesota Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Houston County
U.S. county
Houston County Courthouse in Caledonia
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 23, 1854 (created) April 4, 1854 (organized)
Named for	Sam Houston
Seat	Caledonia
Largest city	La Crescent
Area
• Total	569 sq mi (1,470 km²)
• Land	552 sq mi (1,430 km²)
• Water	17 sq mi (40 km²) 2.9%%
Population (2020)
• Total	18,843
• Estimate (2023)	18,582
• Density	34.1/sq mi (13.2/km²)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Houston County (/ˈhjuːstən/ HEW-stən) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 18,843. Its county seat is Caledonia.

Houston County is included in the La Crosse–Onalaska metropolitan statistical area.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2020 Census
Transportation
Communities
Education
See also

History

The area covered by today's Houston County was first organized as St. Croix County, of the Wisconsin Territory, in 1839. On October 27, 1849, part of that county was partitioned off to create Wabashaw County of the Minnesota Territory. On February 23, 1854, the territorial legislature authorized the partitioning of sections of Wabashaw to create Fillmore County and Houston County. An election on April 4, 1854, allowed the county government to be completed. The county was named for Sam Houston, who had been president of the Republic of Texas and a US senator from Texas. The village of Houston was the first county seat. Then a land speculator made an effort to move the seat to Caledonia, and in 1855 the county board moved the county records to Caledonia, which became the de facto seat, and eventually the legal seat after several county votes. In 1855 the records were stored in the cabin of Commissioner Samuel McPhail; the first court hearings were held in that cabin, and a one-story courthouse and jail was built in Caledonia in 1857. A two-story building was built in Caledonia in 1867, and several referendums made Caledonia the county seat by 1874. From that point on, Caledonia prospered and Houston slowly declined. The only other area of prominence was La Crescent, which benefited from its connection to La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Geography

Houston County is at Minnesota's southeast corner. Its eastern border abuts Wisconsin (across the Mississippi River) and its southern border abuts Iowa. The Mississippi flows south-southeast along its eastern border. The Root River flows east through the northern part of the county, discharging into the Mississippi. Pine Creek flows east-southeast through the northeastern part of the county to discharge into the Mississippi, while Crooked Creek flows east across the southern part of the county to discharge into the Mississippi. The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills on its western end, transitioning to hills carved with drainages toward the east. The central and western portion of the county is a plateau with its highest point at 1,273 ft (388 m) ASL, near its southwest corner. The county has a total area of 569 square miles (1,470 km²), of which 552 square miles (1,430 km²) is land and 17 square miles (44 km²) (2.9%) is water.

Driftless scenery in Houston County

The county is in the Driftless Zone, marked by the absence of glacial drift and presence of bedrock cut by streams into steep hills. The plateau that surrounds Caledonia includes flat, fertile farm land and hilly, verdant pasture land.

Soils of Beaver Creek Valley State Park neighborhood

Lakes

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge runs along the county's eastern border. Four lakes in the refuge fall within the county:

Blue Lake
Hayshore Lake
Lawrence Lake
Target Lake

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Beaver Creek Valley State Park
Mound Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	6,645	—
1870	14,936	124.8%
1880	16,332	9.3%
1890	14,653	−10.3%
1900	15,400	5.1%
1910	14,297	−7.2%
1920	14,013	−2.0%
1930	13,845	−1.2%
1940	14,735	6.4%
1950	14,435	−2.0%
1960	16,588	14.9%
1970	17,556	5.8%
1980	18,382	4.7%
1990	18,497	0.6%
2000	19,718	6.6%
2010	19,027	−3.5%
2020	18,843	−1.0%
2023 (est.)	18,582	−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 Census

Houston County Racial Composition
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	17,840	94.7%
Black or African American (NH)	90	0.5%
Native American (NH)	42	0.22%
Asian (NH)	101	0.54%
Pacific Islander (NH)	4	0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH)	523	2.8%
Hispanic or Latino	243	1.3%