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Jackson County, Minnesota facts for kids

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This article is about Jackson County (disambiguation)|Jackson County. For other uses, see Jackson County, Minnesota (disambiguation).
Quick facts for kids
Jackson County
U.S. county
Jackson County gainCourthouse in Jackson
Map of Minnesota highlighting Jackson 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 May 23, 1857
Named for Henry Jackson
Seat Jackson
Largest city Jackson
Area
 • Total 719 sq mi (1,860 km2)
 • Land 703 sq mi (1,820 km2)
 • Water 16 sq mi (40 km2)  2.3%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 9,989
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 9,919 Decrease
 • Density 13.893/sq mi (5.364/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Jackson County is a special area in the U.S. state of Minnesota, called a county. It's like a large neighborhood or district within the state. In 2020, about 9,989 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, where the county government is located, is called Jackson.

History of Jackson County

Jackson County was officially created on May 23, 1857. It was named after Henry Jackson. He was a very important person because he was the first merchant, or shop owner, in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota.

Geography and Nature

Jackson County is located right on Minnesota's border with the state of Iowa. The Des Moines River flows through the middle of the county, heading south into Iowa.

The land in Jackson County has many hills, valleys, and small streams. Most of the area is used for farming. The land generally slopes downwards towards the south and east. The highest point in the county is about 1,545 feet (471 meters) above sea level, found on the lower western border.

The county covers a total area of about 719 square miles (1,862 square kilometers). Most of this, about 703 square miles (1,821 square kilometers), is land. The remaining 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) is water, mostly from its many lakes and rivers.

Lakes in Jackson County

Jackson County is home to many beautiful lakes and water bodies. Some of these are shared with neighboring areas.

  • Andersons Marsh
  • Bennett Slough (Partially Drained)
  • Boot Lake
  • Chandler Lake
  • Clear Lake (part)
  • Clear Lake (Des Moines Township and Hunter Township)
  • Fish Lake (part)
  • Grovers Lake (part)
  • Heron Lake (4 basins: Duck, North Marsh, North Lake, South Lake, connected by streams)
  • Illinois Lake
  • Independence Lake
  • Iowa Lake (part)
  • Lake Flaherty
  • Laurs Lake
  • Little Spirit Lake (part)
  • Long Lake (Drained CD13)
  • Loon Lake
  • Pearl Lake
  • Quevli and Goose Slough (Drained JD3)
  • Quelvis Lake (Drained)
  • Round Lake
  • Rush Lake (Sioux Valley Township)
  • Rush Lake (Minneota Township)
  • Skunk Lake
  • Spirit Lake
  • String Lake (part)
  • Swenson Lake (Drained)
  • Teal Lake
  • Timber Lake

Protected Natural Areas

Jackson County has many protected areas where nature is preserved. These include county parks, state wildlife management areas (WMAs), and scientific and natural areas (SNAs). These places help protect animals, plants, and important natural features.

  • Anderson County Park
  • Artz WMA
  • Belmont County Park
  • Bootleg Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Brown County Park
  • Caraway State Wildlife Management Area
  • Christiana WPA
  • Clear Lake Recreation Area
  • Community Point County Park
  • Cotton-Jack WMA
  • Dead Horse WMA
  • Des Moines River Scientific and Natural Area
  • Fish Lake WPA
  • Graham Creek WMA
  • Heron Lake WMA
  • Heron Meadows WMA
  • Holthe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
  • Holy Trinity WPA
  • Husen Wildlife Management Area
  • Kilen Woods State Park
  • Laurs Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Lillegard WMA
  • Little Sioux WMA
  • Minnesota Slough State Wildlife Management Area
  • Oxbow WMA
  • Pietz Slough WMA
  • Robertson County Park
  • Rost WPA
  • Sandy Point County Park
  • Sangl State Wildlife Management Area
  • Sioux Forks WPA
  • Sioux Valley WMA
  • Skunk Lake WMA
  • String Lake WPA
  • Summers State Wildlife Management Area
  • Teal Lake WMA
  • Timber Lake WMA
  • Timber Lake WPA
  • Toe WMA
  • Valleau WMA
  • Winkler WMA

Main Roads and Highways

Several important roads pass through Jackson County, making it easy to travel to and from the area.

Jackson County MN sign I90 looking west
A sign welcoming you to Jackson County on Interstate 90.
  • I-90.svg Interstate 90
  • US 71.svg U.S. Highway 71
  • MN-60.svg Minnesota State Highway 60
  • MN-86.svg Minnesota State Highway 86
  • MN-264.svg Minnesota State Highway 264

Neighboring Counties

Jackson County shares its borders with several other counties. These are like its neighbors.

Population and People

The number of people living in Jackson County has changed over many years. Here's a look at how the population has grown and shrunk since 1860.

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 181 —
1870 1,825 908.3%
1880 4,806 163.3%
1890 8,924 85.7%
1900 14,793 65.8%
1910 14,491 −2.0%
1920 15,955 10.1%
1930 15,863 −0.6%
1940 16,805 5.9%
1950 16,306 −3.0%
1960 15,501 −4.9%
1970 14,352 −7.4%
1980 13,690 −4.6%
1990 11,677 −14.7%
2000 11,268 −3.5%
2010 10,266 −8.9%
2020 9,989 −2.7%
2023 (est.) 9,919 −3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

Who Lives in Jackson County?

The U.S. Census helps us understand the different groups of people who live in Jackson County. This table shows the different ethnic and racial backgrounds of residents in 2010 and 2020.

Jackson County, Minnesota - Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 9,701 9,026 94.50% 90.36%
Black or African American alone (NH) 47 120 0.46% 1.20%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 15 22 0.15% 0.22%
Asian alone (NH) 136 122 1.33% 1.22%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0.00% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 5 23 0.05% 0.23%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) 85 275 0.83% 2.75%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 277 401 2.70% 4.01%
Total 10,266 9,989 100.00% 100.00%

Note: The U.S. Census counts people who are Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic group. This means they can be of any race. The table above separates them from the racial categories.

Towns and Areas

Jackson County has several towns and communities where people live, work, and go to school.

Cities in Jackson County

These are the main cities in Jackson County:

Special Census Area

  • Fish Lake is a place that the census bureau counts as a specific community, even if it's not a city.

Smaller Communities

These are smaller, unincorporated communities in the county. They don't have their own city government.

Townships in Jackson County

Townships are smaller divisions of land within a county, often rural areas.

  • Alba Township
  • Belmont Township
  • Christiania Township
  • Delafield Township
  • Des Moines Township
  • Enterprise Township
  • Ewington Township
  • Heron Lake Township
  • Hunter Township
  • Kimball Township
  • La Crosse Township
  • Middletown Township
  • Minneota Township
  • Petersburg Township
  • Rost Township
  • Round Lake Township
  • Sioux Valley Township
  • Weimer Township
  • West Heron Lake Township
  • Wisconsin Township

See also

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

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