Beltrami County ( ) is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,228. Its county seat is Bemidji. The county's name comes from Italian adventurer Giacomo Beltrami from Bergamo, who explored the area in 1825. The county was created in 1866 and organized in 1896.
Beltrami County comprises the Bemidji, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Portions of the Leech Lake and Red Lake Indian reservations are in the county. The northernmost portion of the Mississippi River flows through the southern part of the county, through Bemidji. Beltrami, Renville, and Stearns are Minnesota's only counties that abut nine other counties.
Geography
Beltrami County's southwest corner is considered part of the headwaters of the Mississippi River, which flows easterly and northeasterly from Lake Itasca through the southern part of the county. Much of the middle and upper county is taken up with the two sections of Red Lake. The county terrain consists of rolling low tree-covered hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The terrain slopes to the east and north. Its highest point is a small hill northwest of Wolf Lake, at ASL; otherwise the terrain high point is near its southwest corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (18%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Minnesota by area.
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 2
- 20px U.S. Highway 71
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 1
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 72
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 89
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 197
Adjacent counties
- Lake of the Woods County - north
- Koochiching County - northeast
- Itasca County - east
- Cass County - southeast
- Hubbard County - south
- Clearwater County - southwest
- Pennington County - west
- Marshall County - west
- Roseau County - northwest
Protected areas
- Bagley Lake State Wildlife Management Area (part)
- Buena Vista State Forest
- Chippewa National Forest (part)
- Lake Bemidji State Park
- Long Lake State Wildlife Management Area
- Mississippi Headwaters State Forest (part)
- Pine Island State Forest (part)
- Red Lake Peatland Scientific and Natural Area (part)
- Three Island Lake County Park
In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Bemidji have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1950 and a record high of was recorded in July 1975. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July.
| align-fn = center
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br/>1790-1960 1900-1990<br/>1990-2000
!Pop 1990
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020
!% 1980
!% 1990
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|26,759
|28,337
|30,243
|33,066
|style='background: #ffffe6; |32,445
|86.37%
|82.41%
|76.27%
|74.40%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |70.18%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|37
|98
|139
|251
|style='background: #ffffe6; |519
|0.12%
|0.29%
|0.35%
|0.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.12%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|3,917
|5,604
|7,940
|8,821
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9,198
|12.64%
|16.30%
|20.03%
|19.85%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |19.90%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|51
|194
|223
|304
|style='background: #ffffe6; |268
|0.16%
|0.56%
|0.56%
|0.68%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.58%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|5
|18
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15
|x
|x
|0.01%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|88
|5
|21
|17
|style='background: #ffffe6; |134
|0.28%
|0.01%
|0.05%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|685
|1,289
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,541
|x
|x
|1.73%
|2.90%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.50%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|130
|146
|394
|676
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,108
|0.42%
|0.42%
|0.99%
|1.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.40%
|-
|Total
|30,982
|34,384
|39,650
|44,442
|style='background: #ffffe6; |46,228
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 46,228. The median age was 35.6 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.0 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 70.9% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 20.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 6.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population.
There were 17,678 households in the county, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.8% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
Crime
Between 1990 and 2005, the county had a suicide rate four times higher than the state. The county exceeds the state and national rates in both violent and property crimes.
Communities
Cities
- Bemidji (county seat)
- Blackduck
- Funkley
- Kelliher
- Solway
- Tenstrike
- Turtle River
- Wilton
Townships
- Alaska Township
- Battle Township
- Bemidji Township
- Benville Township
- Birch Township
- Buzzle Township
- Cormant Township
- Durand Township
- Eckles Township
- Frohn Township
- Grant Valley Township
- Hagali Township
- Hamre Township
- Hines Township
- Hornet Township
- Jones Township
- Kelliher Township
- Lammers Township
- Langor Township
- Lee Township
- Liberty Township
- Maple Ridge Township
- Minnie Township
- Moose Lake Township
- Nebish Township
- Northern Township
- O'Brien Township
- Port Hope Township
- Quiring Township
- Roosevelt Township
- Shooks Township
- Shotley Township
- Spruce Grove Township
- Steenerson Township
- Sugar Bush Township
- Summit Township
- Taylor Township
- Ten Lake Township
- Turtle Lake Township
- Turtle River Township
- Waskish Township
- Woodrow Township
Unorganized territories
- Brook Lake
- Lower Red Lake
- North Beltrami
- Shotley Brook
- Upper Red Lake
Census-designated places
- Elbow Lake
- Little Rock
- Ponemah
- Red Lake
- Redby
Unincorporated communities
- Andrusia
- Aure
- Carmel
- Debs
- Four Town
- Hines
- Jelle
- Pennington
- Pinewood
- Puposky
- Quiring
- Saum
- Secluded Acres
- Shooks
- Waskish
- Werner
<!-- PresRow should be -->
On January 7, 2020, in response to Trump's executive order, the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners voted to prohibit refugees from resettling in the area.
<br />
{| class="wikitable"
|+County Board of Commissioners
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!District
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Craig Gaasvig
|District 1
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Joe Gould
|District 2
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Scott Winger
|District 3
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Tim Sumner
|District 4
|-
|
|Commissioner
|John Carlson
|District 5
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+State Legislature (2023-2025)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Steve Green [https://www.senate.mn/members/member_bio.html?mem_id=1251]
|Republican
|District 2
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Matt Grossell [https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/15461]
|Republican
|District 2A
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Matt Bliss [https://www.house.mn.gov/members/profile/15458]
|Republican
|District 2B
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+U.S Congress (2023-2025)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Pete Stauber
|Republican
|8th
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Amy Klobuchar
|Democratic
|N/A
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Tina Smith
|Democratic
|N/A
|}
Education
School districts include:
- Bemidji Area Schools
- Blackduck Public School District
- Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools
- Kelliher Public School District
- Red Lake School District
- Grygla Public School District
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Beltrami County, Minnesota
- Red Lake, the largest lake that is entirely in Minnesota.
References
External links
- Official website
- 360 Degree Virtual Tour of 2011 Beltrami County Fair