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Murray County, Minnesota facts for kids

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Murray County
U.S. county
Murray County Government Center in Slayton, Minnesota
Murray County Government Center in Slayton, Minnesota
Map of Minnesota highlighting Murray 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 (created)
June 17, 1872 (organized)
Named for William Pitt Murray
Seat Slayton
Largest city Slayton
Area
 • Total 720 sq mi (1,900 km2)
 • Land 705 sq mi (1,830 km2)
 • Water 15 sq mi (40 km2)  2.1%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 8,179
 • Estimate 
(2023)
 8,049 Decrease
 • Density 11.6/sq mi (4.5/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 7th

Murray County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,179 at the 2020 census. Its county seat is Slayton.

History

In 1853 the Minnesota Territory legislature created Blue Earth County from unorganized Dakota Territory lands. In 1855 the legislature partitioned a portion of western Blue Earth to create Brown County. Then on May 23, 1857, a portion of Brown was partitioned off to create Murray County, although it was not organized at that time. On June 17, 1872, the county government was effected, with Currie, which had been founded that same year, as county seat. The county was named for William Pitt Murray (1825-1910), a prominent civic and political figure in Minnesota during its nascent era.

Also in 1872 the township of Center was platted (so named for its central position in the county). This settlement grew rapidly, and its residents soon began agitating to have the county seat moved there. In 1882 the town was renamed as Slayton, and a county vote changed the county seat to Slayton effective June 1, 1889.

In the history of record keeping, Minnesota has been struck by two F-5 tornadoes, and both occurred in Murray County: the Chandler-Lake Wilson Tornado (June 16, 1992) and the Tracy Tornado (June 13, 1968) that began in Murray County before crossing north into Lyon County.

Geography

The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds, with all available area devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east. However, its highest elevation occurs on Buffalo Ridge, a promontory extending about two miles along the crest of the Coteau des Prairies in central Chanarambie Township. The bluff rises a few hundred feet above the adjacent valleys. The county has a total area of 720 square miles (1,900 km2), of which 705 square miles (1,830 km2) is land and 15 square miles (39 km2) (2.1%) is water.

The Mississippi-Missouri watershed divide runs through the western part of the county, near Chandler, along Buffalo Ridge. The county's highest point is on that ridge, at 1,920' ASL.

Lake Shetek State Park Wiki Version
Soils of Lake Shetek State Park area

Major highways

  • US 59.svg U.S. Highway 59
  • MN-30.svg Minnesota State Highway 30
  • MN-62.svg Minnesota State Highway 62
  • MN-91.svg Minnesota State Highway 91
  • MN-267.svg Minnesota State Highway 267

Airports

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

  • Badger Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Bergman State Wildlife Management Area
  • Big Slough State Wildlife Management Area
  • Buffalo Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Chandler State Wildlife Management Area
  • County Line State Wildlife Management Area
  • Current Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Great Oasis State Wildlife Management Area
  • Haberman State Wildlife Management Area
  • Hjermstad Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Irruption State Wildlife Management Area
  • Klinker State Wildlife Management Area
  • Lake Shetek State Park
  • Lange State Wildlife Management Area
  • Leeds State Wildlife Management Area
  • Lowville State Wildlife Management Area
  • Mason State Wildlife Management Area
  • McCord-Laible State Wildlife Management Area
  • Nelson State Wildlife Management Area
  • Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge
  • Peters State Wildlife Management Area
  • Phelan State Wildlife Management Area
  • Reinhold State Wildlife Management Area
  • Rupp State Wildlife Management Area
  • Ruthton State Wildlife Management Area
  • Schoeberl State Wildlife Management Area
  • Shetek State Wildlife Management Area
  • Sweetman State Wildlife Management Area
  • Tutt State Wildlife Management Area
  • Van Eck State Wildlife Management Area

Lakes

  • Bear Lake (drained)
  • Bloody Lake
  • Buffalo Lake
  • Corabelle Lake
  • Current Lake
  • Fox Lake
  • Fulda First Lake
  • Iron Lake
  • Julia Lake (part)
  • Lake Louisa
  • Lake Maria
  • Lake Sarah
  • Lake Shetek
  • Lake Wilson
  • Lime Lake (formerly known as Lizzard Lake and Lake St. Rose)
  • Long Lake (part)
  • North Badger Lake
  • Round Lake
  • Smith Lake
  • South Badger Lake
  • Summit Lake
  • Talcot Lake (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1860 29 —
1870 209 620.7%
1880 3,604 1,624.4%
1890 6,692 85.7%
1900 11,911 78.0%
1910 11,755 −1.3%
1920 13,631 16.0%
1930 13,902 2.0%
1940 15,060 8.3%
1950 14,801 −1.7%
1960 14,743 −0.4%
1970 12,508 −15.2%
1980 11,507 −8.0%
1990 9,660 −16.1%
2000 9,165 −5.1%
2010 8,725 −4.8%
2020 8,179 −6.3%
2023 (est.) 8,049 −7.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 Census

Murray County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 7,483 91.5%
Black or African American (NH) 26 0.32%
Native American (NH) 9 0.11%
Asian (NH) 105 1.3%
Pacific Islander (NH) 3 0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH) 171 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino 382 4.7%

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

  • Belfast Township
  • Bondin Township
  • Cameron Township
  • Chanarambie Township
  • Des Moines River Township
  • Dovray Township
  • Ellsborough Township
  • Fenton Township
  • Holly Township
  • Iona Township
  • Lake Sarah Township
  • Leeds Township
  • Lime Lake Township
  • Lowville Township
  • Mason Township
  • Moulton Township
  • Murray Township
  • Shetek Township
  • Skandia Township
  • Slayton Township

See also

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

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