Sherburne County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sherburne County
U.S. county
Historic Sherburne County Courthouse, built 1877
Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 25, 1856
Named for	Moses Sherburne
Seat	Elk River
Largest city	Elk River
Area
• Total	451 sq mi (1,170 km2)
• Land	433 sq mi (1,120 km2)
• Water	18 sq mi (50 km2)  4.0%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	97,183
• Estimate  (2023)	102,206
• Density	225/sq mi (87/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th

Sherburne County is a county in Central Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 97,183. The county seat is Elk River. As of late 2024 the county obtained a city when Baldwin Township incorporated into the City of Baldwin. Although Baldwin partially incorporated to avoid a partial annexation by Princeton, the township had been discussing incorporation for over twenty years primarily as a means to qualify for additional state and federal funding.

Sherburne County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Wisconsin Territory was established by the federal government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848. Therefore, the federal government set up the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. One of those original counties, Benton, had its southern section partitioned off on February 25, 1856, to form a new county. It was named Sherburne, to recognize Moses Sherburne (1808-1868), a prominent area attorney, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Minnesota Territory (1853-1857), who retired to the county and spent his final year of life there (in Orono).

The area now delineated by Big Lake Township was first settled in 1848; the small village was named Humboldt. When the county creation was announced in 1856, Humboldt was named the county seat. The area now covered by Elk River was also first settled in 1848. Two villages grew up, fairly close together: Orono (platted 1855); and Elk River Village (platted 1865). Their growth was such that by 1867 a county vote moved the county seat from Humboldt to Elk River (designated as "The Lower Town" in the vote, to distinguish it from nearby Orono. The two villages merged under the name 'Elk River' in 1881). Also in 1867, the village of Humboldt changed its name to Big Lake.

The boundaries of Sherburne County have remained as created since 1856.

Geography

The Mississippi River flows southeast along the county's south border. The Rum River flows southeast through the county's upper east portion. The Elk River rises in nearby Benton County, and flows south-southeast through the western and southern part of Sherburne County, discharging into the Mississippi at Elk River. The Saint Francis River also rises in Benton and flows southward through the central part of Sherburne County, discharging into the Elk just north of Big Lake.

The wordmark of Sherburne County in Minnesota.

The terrain of Sherburne County consists of low rolling hills, partially wooded, heavily sprinkled with lakes, ponds and depressions. The soil of Sherburne County contains considerable sand and gravel due to glacial activity in past epochs, and thus is less suitable for agriculture than much of Minnesota. The county terrain slopes to the south and east. The county's highest point lies 3 miles (4.8 km) east-southeast of Saint Cloud, at 1,110 ft (340 m) ASL. The county has a total area of 451 square miles (1,170 km²), of which 433 square miles (1,120 km²) is land and 18 square miles (47 km²) (4.0%) is water.

Major highways

Airports

• Leaders Clear Lake Airport (8Y6) - one mile (1.6 km) east of Clear Lake
• Princeton Municipal Airport (PNM) - at SW edge of Princeton (on border between Mille Lacs and Sherburne counties)
• St. Cloud Regional Airport (STC) - two miles (3.2 km) east of Saint Cloud

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

2020 census

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Sherburne para niños