Waseca County, Minnesota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Waseca County
U.S. county
Waseca County Courthouse in 2007
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 27, 1857
Named for	Waseca (settlement)
Seat	Waseca
Largest city	Waseca
Area
• Total	433 sq mi (1,120 km2)
• Land	423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	9.6 sq mi (25 km2)  2.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	18,968
• Estimate  (2023)	18,981
• Density	43.81/sq mi (16.914/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st

Waseca County (/wəˈsiːkə/) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,968. Its county seat is Waseca.

History

In 1849, the newly organized Minnesota Territory legislature authorized nine counties across the territory. One of those, Dakota, was partially subdivided in 1853 to create Blue Earth, Le Sueur, and Rice counties. In 1855, parts of those counties were partitioned to create Steele. On February 27, 1857, the territorial legislature authorized partitioning western Steele County to create Waseca County, with its seat at Wilton, a settlement which began in 1854. The county name was taken from the area's first farming settlement, started in 1855, near the present location of the city of Waseca. That settlement name came from the Dakota word meaning "rich," a reference to the fertile soil in the area.

The Winona and Saint Peter Railroad line past the town of Waseca was completed in the latter half of the 1860s, causing the town to bloom. By 1870 the vote was taken to relocate the county seat to that settlement.

Waseca County's boundaries have not changed since its creation.

Geography

The Le Sueur River flows westward through the county toward its confluence with the Blue Earth River in Blue Earth County. It is augmented by the Little Le Sueur, which drains the southeast part of the county. Bull Run Creek flows westward from Silver Lake through the lower central part of the county into Blue Earth County; the Little Cobb River rises in southern Waseca County and flows westward into Blue Earth County to its confluence with the Cobb River.

The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and dotted with lakes. The area is devoted to agriculture wherever possible. The terrain slopes to the north and west, with its highest point near its southeast corner, at 1,240 ft (380 m) ASL. The county has an area of 433 square miles (1,120 km²), of which 423 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 9.6 square miles (25 km²) (2.2%) is water.

Waseca is one of seven southern Minnesota counties that have no forest ecosystems, only prairie and savanna soils.

Transit

• Southern Minnesota Area Rural Transit

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2020 Census

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Waseca para niños