McLeod County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McLeod County
U.S. county
McLeod County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	March 1, 1856
Named for	Martin McLeod
Seat	Glencoe
Largest city	Hutchinson
Area
• Total	506 sq mi (1,310 km2)
• Land	491 sq mi (1,270 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)  2.8%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	36,771
• Estimate  (2023)	36,785
• Density	74.9/sq mi (28.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	7th

McLeod County is a county located in the state of Minnesota in the United States. In 2020, about 36,771 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Glencoe.

McLeod County is part of the Hutchinson, MN area. It is also connected to the larger Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN area, which is a big group of cities and towns.

History of McLeod County

For thousands of years, different indigenous peoples (native groups) lived in this area. When Europeans first arrived, the Dakota Sioux people lived here.

The county was officially created by the Minnesota government on March 1, 1856. It was named after Martin McLeod. He was an adventurer from Canada who became a fur trader. Later, he was elected to represent the area in the Minnesota government from 1849 to 1856.

In 1859, several Czech families moved to McLeod County. They settled near the town of Rich Valley. Other settlers followed them, building homes nearby.

The town of Glencoe was chosen as the county seat when the county was founded. Martin McLeod helped start Glencoe on June 11, 1855.

McLeod County was also involved in some events during the Dakota War of 1862. This included a difficult time for the town of Hutchinson and an event near Brownton.

Geography of McLeod County

McLeod County is located in Minnesota. The South Fork of the Crow River flows through the northern part of the county. Buffalo Creek also flows through the southern part.

The land in the county has gentle, rolling hills. It has many lakes and small streams. Most of the land is used for farming. The highest point in the county is about 1,096 feet (334 meters) above sea level.

The county covers about 506 square miles (1,311 square kilometers). Of this, 491 square miles (1,272 square kilometers) is land, and 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) is water. This means about 2.8% of the county is water. The soil in McLeod County is mostly savanna and prairie soil.

Long ago, the northeast part of McLeod County had large areas of "Big Woods" forests, which included Maple and Basswood trees.

Main Roads in McLeod County

Neighboring Counties

Lakes in McLeod County

People of McLeod County (Demographics)

The population of McLeod County has grown steadily over the years. In 1860, there were only 1,286 people. By 1950, the population had doubled to over 22,000. In 2020, the county had 36,771 residents. The population is estimated to be slightly higher in 2023.

Most people in McLeod County are White. However, the county is becoming more diverse. The number of people who identify as mixed race or Hispanic or Latino has increased significantly between 2010 and 2020.

Communities in McLeod County

Cities

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller communities that are not officially organized as cities.

Townships

Townships are smaller local government areas, often covering rural land.

Images for kids

• 

  McLeod County Courthouse

See also

In Spanish: Condado de McLeod para niños