Mille Lacs County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mille Lacs County
U.S. county
Mille Lacs County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	May 23, 1857
Named for	Mille Lacs Lake
Seat	Milaca
Largest city	Princeton
Area
• Total	682 sq mi (1,770 km2)
• Land	572 sq mi (1,480 km2)
• Water	109 sq mi (280 km2)  16%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	26,459
• Estimate  (2023)	27,427
• Density	46.3/sq mi (17.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	8th

Mille Lacs County (/məˈlæks/ MƏ-lax) is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,459. Its county seat is Milaca. The county was founded in 1857, and its boundary was expanded in 1860.

Mille Lacs County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area.

A portion of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in the county.

Etymology

The name Mille Lacs, meaning "thousand lakes" in French, was associated with Mille Lacs Lake in the region. (Its full name in French was Grand lac du pays des mille lacs.) This is the largest lake in the Brainerd Lakes Area, which French colonists and traders called the "Region of the Thousand Lakes" (Pays des mille lacs).

History

The US legislature established the Wisconsin Territory effective July 3, 1836. It existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848. The federal government set up the Minnesota Territory from the remaining territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. On May 23, 1857, one of those original counties, Benton, had its eastern portion partitioned off to create Mille Lacs County. The original county consisted of the portion of the contemporary Mille Lacs County east of the west branch of the Rum River and two townships now part of Isanti County, adjacent to Mille Lacs County. In 1858 the 12 townships forming the contemporary southern 10 townships of Mille Lacs County and the two northwestern townships in Isanti County were organized apart from Benton and Mille Lacs Counties to form Monroe County, leaving the northern "Square Top-knot" as Mille Lacs County. In 1860, Monroe and Mille Lacs Counties merged. Shortly thereafter, the two southeastern townships were transferred to Isanti County, forming the county's present boundaries.

Geography

The Rum River flows south through the county, originating from Mille Lacs Lake. It is joined by the West Branch of the Rum River, which rises in northwest Mille Lacs County and flows south-southeast to its confluence with the Rum at Princeton. The county terrain consists of wooded rolling hills, carved by drainages, with open areas devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point at one mile (1.6 km) from the southwest shoreline of Mille Lacs Lake, in Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. A hill there measures 1,371 ft (418 m) ASL.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 682 square miles (1,770 km²), of which 572 square miles (1,480 km²) is land and 109 square miles (280 km²) (16%) is water.

Mille Lacs located in the north of Mille Lacs County

Major highways

Airports

• Milaca Municipal Airport (18Y) - northeast of Milaca
• Princeton Municipal Airport (PNM) - southwest of Princeton

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

• Vineland (Neyaashiing)

Unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Mille Lacs para niños