Renville County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census the population was 14,723. Its county seat is Olivia.

History

The Minnesota Territory legislature created the county on February 20, 1855. It was named for Joseph Renville, a fur trapper, trader, British officer in the War of 1812, and interlocutor with local Native American groups. Organization of the county's governing structure was completed on November 8, 1866, with Beaver Falls as county seat. Beginning in 1885, citizens in and around Olivia began pressing for the seat to be moved to Olivia, which happened in 1900.

1862 Dakota War

Renville County, located directly across the Minnesota River from the Lower Sioux Agency, was the site of extensive combat during the Dakota War of 1862. The U.S. army's defeats at the Battle of Redwood Ferry and the Battle of Birch Coulee at the hands of the Dakota both occurred in Birch Cooley Township, in addition to numerous Dakota raids on white homesteads in the county. The burned-out Joseph Brown House Ruins still stand, and various monuments throughout the County memorialize settlers killed in the conflict.

Geography

The Minnesota River flows southeast along the county's southwestern border. Hawk Creek flows south through the county's western end, discharging into the Minnesota. Beaver Creek drains the central part of the county, flowing southeast before turning southwest to discharge into the Minnesota. The county terrain consists of rolling hills etched by drainages and sprinkled with lakes and ponds. The area is devoted to agriculture. The county terrain slopes to the south, with its highest point near the midpoint of the northern border, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 71
  • 20px U.S. Highway 212
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 4
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 19
  • 20px Minnesota State Highway 23

Adjacent counties

  • Kandiyohi County - north
  • Meeker County - northeast
  • McLeod County - east
  • Sibley County - southeast
  • Nicollet County - southeast
  • Brown County - south
  • Redwood County - southwest
  • Yellow Medicine County - west
  • Chippewa County - northwest

Renville, Beltrami, and Stearns are Minnesota's only counties that abut nine other counties.

Lakes

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)

|20,201

|17,345

|16,085

|14,351

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,766

|99.02%

|98.14%

|93.77%

|91.23%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |86.71%

|-

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|4

|6

|10

|40

|style='background: #ffffe6; |60

|0.02%

|0.03%

|0.06%

|0.25%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%

|-

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|52

|55

|75

|76

|style='background: #ffffe6; |103

|0.25%

|0.31%

|0.44%

|0.48%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.70%

|-

|Asian alone (NH)

|27

|46

|30

|54

|style='background: #ffffe6; |61

|0.13%

|0.26%

|0.17%

|0.34%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.41%

|-

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|x

|x

|2

|4

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5

|x

|x

|0.01%

|0.03%

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

|-

|Other race alone (NH)

|0

|5

|2

|9

|style='background: #ffffe6; |27

|0.00%

|0.03%

|0.01%

|0.06%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.18%

|-

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|x

|x

|74

|150

|style='background: #ffffe6; |382

|x

|x

|0.43%

|0.95%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.59%

|-

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|117

|216

|876

|1,046

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,319

|0.57%

|1.22%

|5.11%

|6.65%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8.96%

|-

|Total

|20,401

|17,673

|17,154

|15,730

|style='background: #ffffe6; |14,723

|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 14,723. The median age was 43.7 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 103.1 males age 18 and over.

The racial makeup of the county was 89.4% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.4% from some other race, and 5.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 9.0% of the population.

There were 6,153 households in the county, of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.3% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

<!-- PresRow should be -->

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Renville County, Minnesota
  • Renville County Historical Museum

References

  • Renville County government’s website