Stearns County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stearns County
U.S. county
Stearns County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855
Named for	Charles Thomas Stearns
Seat	St. Cloud
Largest city	St. Cloud
Area
• Total	1,390 sq mi (3,600 km2)
• Land	1,343 sq mi (3,480 km2)
• Water	47 sq mi (120 km2)  3.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	158,292
• Estimate  (2023)	160,977
• Density	113.9/sq mi (43.97/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 7th

Stearns County is a county located in the state of Minnesota, USA. In 2020, about 158,292 people lived here. The biggest city and the main government center is St. Cloud.

Stearns County became part of the Minnesota Territory in 1849. It was officially created by European Americans in 1855. The county was supposed to be named after Isaac Ingalls Stevens, but a mistake led to it being named after Charles Thomas Stearns instead. Stearns County is part of the larger St. Cloud Metropolitan Area. This area is also connected to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

History of Stearns County

Long ago, different Native American tribes lived in the Stearns County area. These included the Sioux (Dakota), Chippewa (Ojibwe), and Winnebago (Ho-chunk) peoples.

The first large group of new settlers arrived in the 1850s. Many of these were German Catholics. Other early settlers came from states in the eastern U.S. The federal government created the Minnesota Territory in 1849.

How Stearns County Was Formed

In 1855, parts of other counties were used to create Stearns County. It was meant to be named Stevens County. This was to honor Isaac Ingalls Stevens, who was the governor of the territory. He had explored the area in 1853.

However, because of a small mistake, the county was named Stearns instead. It was named after Charles Thomas Stearns, who was a member of the Territorial Council. Later, another county to the west was named Stevens County to fix this mistake.

On February 20, 1855, the law that created Stearns County also named three county commissioners. These officials were in charge of running the county. The law also said that St. Cloud would be the county seat. This means St. Cloud is where the county's main government offices are located.

German Catholic Settlers

Many German Catholic immigrants came to central Minnesota in the 1850s. A missionary named Father Francis X. Pierz encouraged them to settle there. He wrote articles in German newspapers.

These immigrants, along with some from Slovenia and Poland, built many churches. Over 20 church-centered communities were formed in Stearns County. As farmers became successful, they replaced their small wooden churches with bigger ones made of brick or stone. An example is St. Mary, Help of Christians, built in 1873.

Stearns County still has a strong German heritage. It is home to one of the largest groups of rural Catholic people in North America.

County Buildings and Farming

The first courthouse in Stearns County started being used on July 12, 1864. It was used until the current courthouse was built in 1922. In 1913, some people tried to move the county seat to Albany. They thought Albany was a better location because it was more central. However, this effort was not successful.

Stearns County also became important for its farms. Farmers grew many crops and traded them at markets. This made Stearns County one of the top counties in Minnesota for crop production.

Geography of Stearns County

The land near Padua

The land near St. John's University

Stearns County shares its borders with nine other counties. The Mississippi River flows along its northeast edge. The Sauk River flows through the middle of the county and joins the Mississippi River at St. Cloud.

The county's land has gentle, rolling hills. It has some trees, many lakes, and ponds. Almost all the land is used for farming or has been built on. The land gently slopes towards the east and south. The highest point is about 1,461 feet (445 meters) above sea level. This spot is west and south of St. Joseph.

Stearns County covers about 1,390 square miles (3,600 square kilometers) in total. About 1,343 square miles (3,478 square kilometers) is land, and 47 square miles (122 square kilometers) is water. This means about 3.4% of the county is water.

The county has a mix of landscapes, including prairies (grassy lands), savannas (grassy lands with scattered trees), and woodlands. Stearns is one of 17 counties in Minnesota that has more savanna soils than prairie or forest soils. There are 166 lakes in the county.

Major Roads

Airports in Stearns County

• Brooten Municipal Airport (6D1) - near Brooten
• Paynesville Municipal Airport (PEX) - near Paynesville
• Sauk Centre Municipal Airport (D39) - near Sauk Centre
• St. Cloud Regional Airport (STC) - near St. Cloud

Counties Next to Stearns County

Protected Natural Areas

Stearns County has many protected areas where nature is preserved. These include:

Lakes and Streams

Who Lives in Stearns County? (Demographics)

Demographics is the study of who lives in a place. It looks at things like population size and different groups of people.

2020 Census Information

The table below shows the different groups of people living in Stearns County, based on the 2020 U.S. Census. "NH" means "Non-Hispanic." This helps to show how many people from different backgrounds live in the county.

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

Communities in Stearns County

Stearns County has many different towns and cities. Here are some of them:

Cities

Census-Designated Places

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities.

• Fairhaven
• St. John's University

Unincorporated Communities

These are small communities that do not have their own local government.

Townships

Townships are smaller areas of land, often rural, that have some local government.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Stearns para niños