Martin County is a county in Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,025. Its county seat is Fairmont.
History
The county was created by the Minnesota Territory legislature on May 23, 1857, with Fair Mount (which was also platted in 1857) designated as county seat. The town's name was later shortened to Fairmont. Two explanations have been advanced for the county's name. A delegate to the US Congress from the Wisconsin Territory, Morgan Lewis Martin, introduced the legislative act to organize the Minnesota Territory. But in 1904 the county's oldest residents attested that the name referred to Henry Martin, an early settler from Connecticut who ran several businesses during the pre-territory era.
Geography
Martin County lies on Minnesota's border with Iowa. The East Fork of the Des Moines River flows southeastward through the lower western part of the county. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds, completely devoted to agriculture where possible. The terrain slopes to the east and north, with its highest point near its southwest corner, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (2.4%) is water.
thumb|right|Soils of Martin County
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 90
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 4
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 15
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 263
Airports
- Fairmont Municipal Airport (FRM)
Adjacent counties
- Watonwan County - north
- Blue Earth County - northeast
- Faribault County - east
- Kossuth County, Iowa - southeast
- Emmet County, Iowa - southwest
- Jackson County - 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)
|24,470
|22,651
|21,100
|19,766
|style='background: #ffffe6; |17,947
|99.12%
|98.85%
|96.78%
|94.85%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |89.62%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|9
|9
|53
|62
|style='background: #ffffe6; |112
|0.04%
|0.04%
|0.24%
|0.30%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.56%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|15
|29
|21
|54
|style='background: #ffffe6; |32
|0.06%
|0.13%
|0.10%
|0.26%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|103
|83
|90
|103
|style='background: #ffffe6; |92
|0.42%
|0.36%
|0.41%
|0.49%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.46%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|x
|x
|5
|5
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6
|x
|x
|0.02%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|11
|5
|10
|4
|style='background: #ffffe6; |46
|0.04%
|0.02%
|0.05%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.23%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|x
|x
|102
|102
|style='background: #ffffe6; |470
|x
|x
|0.47%
|0.49%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.35%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|79
|137
|421
|744
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,320
|0.32%
|0.60%
|1.93%
|3.57%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.59%
|-
|Total
|24,687
|22,914
|21,802
|20,840
|style='background: #ffffe6; |20,025
|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 20,025. The median age was 44.9 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.1 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.7% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.6% from some other race, and 4.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.6% of the population.
There were 8,748 households in the county, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.5% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% 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
|Elliot Belgard
|District 1
|2024
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Jaime Bleess
|District 2
|2026
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Joe Biden
|District 3
|2024
|-
|
|Commissioner and Chairperson
|Richard Coons
|District 4
|2026
|-
|
|Commissioner
|Steven Flohrs
|District 5
|2024
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+State Legislature (2018-2020)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Julie Rosen
|Republican
|District 23
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Bob Gunther
|Republican
|District 23A
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+U.S Congress (2018-2020)
! colspan="2" |Position
!Name
!Affiliation
!District
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|House of Representatives
|Brad Finstad
|Republican
|1st
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Amy Klobuchar
|Democrat
|N/A
|-
| style="background-color:" |
|Senate
|Tina Smith
|Democrat
|N/A
|}
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Martin County, Minnesota
References
Further reading
- William H. Budd, History of Martin County: A True and Complete History of the County from its Earliest Settlement Down to 1880. Fairmont, MN: The Independent, 1897.
- Roscoe C. Hunt, "Pioneer Physicians of Martin County Prior to 1900," Minnesota Medicine, vol. 25, no. 10 (Oct. 1942) and vol. 25, no. 11 (Nov. 1942).
- Ray F. Kesler, Service Record Book of Men and Women of World War II, Martin County. Fairmont, MN: n.p., n.d. [1950s].
- Martin County Historical Society, Martin County, 1857-1932: Diamond Jubilee Celebration and Homecoming, Fairmont, Minnesota, June 26 to July 4, 1932. Fairmont, MN: Martin County Historical Society, 1932.
- Martin County Home Council, Martin County's Heritage. Fairmont, MN.: Martin County Extension Home Council, 1972–1976.
- Allen L Moore, Historical Narrative of Martin County, Before 1850. Fairmont, MN: Martin County Historical Society, 1932.
- Arthur M. Nelson, Know Your Own County: A History of Martin County, Minnesota. Fairmont, MN: Martin County Historical Society, 1947.
- Arthur M. Nelson, Martin County Men in the Great War, 1917-1919. Fairmont, MN: Sentinel Publishing Co., 1920.
- Sentinel, A Pictorial History of Martin County, MN. Marceline, MO: Heritage House, 1992.
External links
- Martin County government’s website