Douglas County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,006. Its county seat is Alexandria.

Douglas County comprises the Alexandria, Minnesota, Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Douglas County is the home of Minnesota's only wine-grape appellation, the Alexandria Lakes AVA.

History

The territorial legislature created Douglas County on March 8, 1858, shortly before Minnesota attained statehood. It was named for political figure Stephen A. Douglas, who was serving as a US Senator from Illinois at the time of the county's creation. The county organization was completed in 1866.

Geography

Spruce Creek flows southeast through northeastern Douglas county. The county consists of rolling hills, heavily dotted with lakes and ponds, especially in its north-to-south central portion. The hilly terrain generally slopes to the south and west; its highest point is near the northeast corner, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (11%) is water. It contains more than 250 lakes.

The county includes two of Minnesota's biomes: prairie grassland in the west and southeast, savannas (also prairie ecosystems) in the middle, and temperate deciduous forest in the south-central, north, and east. Douglas is one of 17 Minnesota counties where savanna soils predominate.

thumb|right|Soils of Douglas County

Major highways

  • 20px Interstate 94
  • 20px U.S. Highway 52
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 27
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 29
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 55
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 79
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 114

Airports

  • Alexandria Municipal Airport ("Chandler Field"), city-owned public-use airport

Adjacent counties

  • Otter Tail County - north
  • Todd County - east
  • Stearns County - southeast
  • Pope County - south
  • Stevens County - southwest
  • Grant County - west

Protected areas

  • Anderson State Wildlife Management Area
  • Balgaard State Wildlife Management Area
  • Chermak State Wildlife Management Area
  • Herberger Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Kensington State Wildlife Management Area
  • La Grand State Wildlife Management Area
  • Lake Carlos State Park
  • Osakis State Wildlife Management Area North Unit (part)
  • Red Rock Wildlife Management Area
  • Roger M. Holmes State Wildlife Management Area
  • Schnepf State Wildlife Management Area
  • Thornberg State Wildlife Management Area
  • Urness State Wildlife Management Area

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br/>1790-1960 1900-1990<br/>1990-2000 2010-2020

!Pop 1990

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" | Pop 2020

!% 1980

!% 1990

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|-

|White alone (NH)

|27,595

|28,409

|32,216

|34,974

|style='background: #ffffe6; |36,629

|99.12%

|99.08%

|98.16%

|97.13%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |93.91%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|4

|14

|58

|146

|style='background: #ffffe6; |223

|0.01%

|0.05%

|0.18%

|0.41%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.57%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|45

|73

|74

|94

|style='background: #ffffe6; |104

|0.16%

|0.25%

|0.23%

|0.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|91

|100

|130

|163

|style='background: #ffffe6; |227

|0.33%

|0.35%

|0.40%

|0.45%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.58%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|9

|3

|style='background: #ffffe6; |11

|x

|x

|0.03%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|33

|0

|3

|7

|style='background: #ffffe6; |60

|0.12%

|0.00%

|0.01%

|0.02%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.15%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|138

|281

|style='background: #ffffe6; |937

|x

|x

|0.42%

|0.78%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.40%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|71

|78

|193

|341

|style='background: #ffffe6; |815

|0.26%

|0.27%

|0.59%

|0.95%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.09%

|-

|Total

|27,839

|28,674

|32,821

|36,009

|style='background: #ffffe6; |39,006

|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 39,006. The median age was 43.8 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.2 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 94.6% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.1% of the population.

There were 16,557 households in the county, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.4% were married-couple households, 18.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 22.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

<!-- PresRow should be -->

{| class="wikitable"

|+County Board of Commissioners

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!District

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Keith Englund

|District 1

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Tim Kalina

|District 2

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Jerry Rapp

|District 3

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Charlie Meyer

|District 4

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Shane Schmidt

|District 5

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+State Legislature (2018-2020)

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!Affiliation

!District

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Bill Ingebrigtsen

|Republican

|District 8

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Torrey Westrom

|Republican

|District 12

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Mary Franson

|Republican

|District 8B

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Jeff Backer

|Republican

|District 12A

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Paul Anderson

|Republican

|District 12B

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+U.S Congress (2021-2023)

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!Affiliation

!District

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Michelle Fischbach

|Republican

|7th

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Amy Klobuchar

|DFL

|N/A

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Tina Smith

|DFL

|N/A

|}

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Minnesota

References

  • Douglas County website
  • Alexandria Area Economic Development Commission website
  • Douglas County MN Area Manufacturing & Healthcare Opportunities