Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 5,600, making it Minnesota's seventh-least populous county. Its county seat is Grand Marais. The Grand Portage Indian Reservation is in the county.
History
Ojibwe people were early inhabitants of this area. The first non-indigenous people to explore the area were French fur traders, a few of whom settled in the area. By the 1830s, the French population was a few dozen. In the 1830s, settlers began arriving from New England and from upstate New York. Completion of the Erie Canal (1825) and settling of the Black Hawk War (1831) made migration easier.
Most of Cook County's 1830s settlers came from Orange County, Vermont and Down East Maine (modern day Washington County and Hancock County). Most were fishermen and farmers. By 1845 the future Cook County contained 350 people of European descent; by 1874 there were about 2,000. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church, Methodist, and Baptist churches. By 1900 there were about 3,000 people in Cook County.
The first decade of the 20th century saw a large influx of Europeans from Germany, Scandinavia, and Ireland. These waves introduced Lutheranism and Catholicism to Cook County.
The county was created on March 9, 1874. It was named for Territorial and State Senator Michael Cook.
Geography
Cook County is a rugged, heavily wooded triangle of land on Minnesota's northeastern tip. It abuts Canada's southern border and is largely surrounded by the northern end of the Great Lakes. It is heavily dotted with lakes, ponds and streams. The state's highest point is in the county, at 2,301' (701m) ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (57%) is water. It is Minnesota's second-largest county by area. Minnesota's highest natural point, Eagle Mountain at , and highest lake, Lake Abita at , are in Cook County. Lake Superior is at the county's southern border.
Major highways
20px Minnesota State Highway 61
20px Cook County Road 12 – Gunflint Trail
Adjacent counties
Cook County is in the extreme northeast of the state at the tip of the Arrowhead region; it is adjacent to only one other county by land. Its geographic neighbors are:
Rainy River District, Ontario Canada - northwest
Thunder Bay District, Ontario Canada - northeast (EST Border east of the 90th meridian west)
Lake County - west
Ashland County, Wisconsin - south
Keweenaw County, Michigan - east/EST Border
Ontonagon County, Michigan - southeast/EST Border
Protected areas
Cascade River State Park
Grand Portage National Monument
Judge C. R. Magney State Park
Kodunce River State Wayside Area
North Shore State Trail (part)
Pat Bayle State Forest
Superior National Forest (part)
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (part)
Temperance River State Park
Climate
Northern Minnesota offers extreme winter weather. While the averages are low, the extremes provide more details. A third of the year is below freezing (31.9%, 116 days, or 4 months). Of those days, 21 are below zero degrees Fahrenheit (−17.8 °C).
Demographics
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 5,168 people, 2,350 households, and 1,438 families in the county. The population density was 3.56/sqmi (1.37/km2). There were 4,708 housing units at an average density of 3.24/sqmi (1.25/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 89.45% White, 7.59% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.6% were of German, 17.7% Norwegian, 11.5% Swedish, 7.2% Irish and 5.4% English ancestry.
There were 2,350 households, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.73.
The county population contained 20.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,640, and the median income for a family was $47,132. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $23,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,775. About 8.1% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.2% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
Grand Marais (county seat)
Census-designated place
Lutsen
Unincorporated communities
Croftville
Grand Portage
Hovland
Maple Hill
Martin Landing
Mineral Center
Pigeon River
Schroeder
Taconite Harbor
Tofte
Townships
Lutsen Township
Schroeder Township
Tofte Township
Unorganized territories
East Cook
Grand Portage
West Cook
Ghost towns
Chippewa City
Colvill
Government and politics
Cook County has generally voted Democratic. In 78% of presidential elections since 1980 (as of 2016), the county selected the Democratic nominee. The county was a bellwether in every election from 1916 to 1984, except 1960 and 1976.
The county was one of the rare white-majority rural counties to have its margin increase for Joe Biden in 2020 relative to Barack Obama's 2012 margin, with 65% of voters choosing the Democratic nominee.
