Lake of the Woods County is the northernmost county of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,763, making it the state's second-least populous county. Its county seat is Baudette.

The county contains the Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the Lower 48 States, and the U.S. portion of Lake of the Woods, shared with Canada. The county also includes the exclave of Elm Point. Since Alaska has no counties, Lake of the Woods is the northernmost county in the United States. It is also the only county in the United States with four words in its name, although there is a parish in Louisiana called St. John the Baptist Parish, and the United States Census Bureau treats parishes as county equivalents for census purposes.

History

Lake of the Woods County was named for the lake that covers a large portion of it. Jacques de Noyon, a Frenchman who came from Trois Rivières, Quebec, explored the area in 1688 and was the first European to see the lake. He named it Lac aux Îles, "Lake of the Islands".

In 1885 the region got its first settler, Wilhelm Zippel, a German immigrant and fisherman. He settled on the lake's south shore in a place now called Zippel Bay. Shortly after, Alonzo Wheeler settled on the lake's southwest side at a place now called Wheeler's Point.

A wildfire, known as the Baudette fire of 1910, broke out in October of that year, burning and destroying the towns of Spooner, Baudette, Graceton, Pitt, Williams, and Cedar Spur.

Lake of the Woods County's government was organized on January 1, 1923, with Baudette as the county seat. It is Minnesota's newest county; county voters approved separating the northern townships of Beltrami County into a separate unit on November 28, 1922.

Geography

Lake of the Woods County lies on Minnesota's border with Canada across the Rainy River, which flows northwest along the border to discharge into Lake of the Woods; its northwest border abuts Manitoba. The northern part of the county (the Northwest Angle) is separated from the rest of the county by the lake and thus has no land contact with the rest of the United States, making it an exclave. Land access to that part of the county is through Manitoba. Access by water or ice routes is possible. The Rapid River flows northeast through the southeastern part of the county to its discharge point into the Rainy River, near the county's northeast corner.

Lake of the Woods County's terrain consists of low rolling hills, partly wooded, devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east and north. Its highest point is a small protuberance west of Norris Camp, The county has an area of , of which is land and (27%) is water.

Major highways

  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 11
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 72
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 172

Adjacent counties and districts

  • Kenora District, Ontario - northeast
  • Rainy River District, Ontario - northeast
  • Koochiching County - southeast
  • Beltrami County - south
  • Roseau County - west
  • Rural Municipality of Piney, Manitoba - west
  • Buffalo Point, Manitoba - west

Protected areas

Source:

| 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)

|3,732

|4,027

|4,373

|3,863

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,497

|99.15%

|98.80%

|96.70%

|95.50%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |92.93%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|2

|1

|12

|13

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12

|0.05%

|0.02%

|0.27%

|0.32%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.32%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|9

|13

|51

|27

|style='background: #ffffe6; |19

|0.24%

|0.32%

|1.13%

|0.67%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.50%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|9

|10

|11

|32

|style='background: #ffffe6; |17

|0.24%

|0.25%

|0.24%

|0.79%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.45%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|0

|0

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|x

|x

|0.00%

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|5

|0

|1

|2

|style='background: #ffffe6; |13

|0.13%

|0.00%

|0.02%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.35%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|45

|73

|style='background: #ffffe6; |149

|x

|x

|1.00%

|1.80%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.96%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|7

|25

|29

|35

|style='background: #ffffe6; |56

|0.19%

|0.61%

|0.64%

|0.87%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.49%

|-

|Total

|3,764

|4,076

|4,522

|4,045

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3,763

|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 3,763. The median age was 50.6 years. 18.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 26.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 112.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 114.0 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 93.3% White, 0.3% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other race, and 5.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.

There were 1,745 households in the county, of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 48.9% were married-couple households, 26.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 18.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% 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

!Next Election

|-

|

|Commissioner

|James "Buck" Nordlof

|District 1

|2026

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Cody Hasbargen

|District 2

|2024

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Joe Grund

|District 3

|2026

|-

|

|Commissioner and Chairperson

|Jon Waibel

|District 4

|2024

|-

|

|Commissioner

|Edward Arnesen

|District 5

|2026

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+State Legislature (2023-2025)

! colspan="2" |Position

!Name

!Affiliation

!District

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Paul Utke

|Republican

|District 2

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Matt Grossell

|Republican

|District 2A

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|House of Representatives

|Matt Bliss

|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

|DFL

|N/A

|-

| style="background-color:" |

|Senate

|Tina Smith

|DFL

|N/A

|}

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota

References

  • Lake of the Woods County government website
  • Local tourist bureau website