BROWN County, MN

Brown County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 25,912. Its county seat is New Ulm. The county was formed in 1855 and organized in 1856.

Brown County comprises the New Ulm, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Mankato-New Ulm-North Mankato, MN Combined Statistical Area.

History

Brown County was founded in 1855. It was named for Joseph Renshaw Brown, a member of the Governor's Council of Minnesota in 1855.

Geography

The Minnesota River flows east-southeast along the county's northern border. The Cottonwood River flows east-northeast through the county's central and upper area, discharging into the Minnesota at the northern border. The Little Cottonwood River flows east through the lower portion of the county, on its way to discharge into the Minnesota in neighboring Blue Earth County. The terrain consists of rolling hills, mostly devoted to agriculture, and generally slopes to the east, tending to drop into the river valleys. Its highest point is at its southwestern corner, at 1,263' (385m) ASL.

The county has an area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Lakes

Most of the county is an area of rich farm land; most of its wetlands were drained for use in agriculture, leaving a number of lakes. The county has at least 32 lakes, some of which are deemed to be "protected waters" of the State of Minnesota; these are designated with "(p)" below.

The lakes occupy "hollows in the driftsheet"; many have neither an inflow nor an outflow.

Lakes in the county include:

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of New Ulm have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1984 and a record high of was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in January to in June.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 26,911 people, 10,598 households, and 7,164 families in the county. The population density was 44.0/sqmi (17.0/km²). There were 11,163 housing units at an average density of 18.3/sqmi (7.05/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.82% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 67.1% were of German and 9.6% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 10,598 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.40% were non-families. 29.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00.

The county population contained 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 25.60% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,800, and the median income for a family was $49,811. Males had a median income of $32,347 versus $23,918 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,535. About 4.40% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.00% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Government and politics

Brown County has traditionally voted Republican. As of 2020, the county has not supported the Democratic nominee for president since 1964.