Editing Stearns County, Minnesota (section)

==Geography==
{{Stack|[[File:Stearns Co Pie Chart 9-17-16 Wiki Version.pdf|thumb|right|Soils of Stearns County<ref>Nelson, Steven (2011). ''Savanna Soils of Minnesota.'' Minnesota: Self. pp. 49-52. {{ISBN|978-0-615-50320-2}}.</ref>]]}}
[[File:Padua Savannas 2016 Wiki Stearns County.jpg|thumb|Soils of Padua area]]
[[File:SJU Native Vegetation New Wiki Version.JPG|thumb|Soils of [[College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University|St. John's University]] area]]
Stearns County borders nine counties. The [[Mississippi River]] flows southeast along its northeast border, and the [[Sauk River (Minnesota)|Sauk River]] drains the central part of the county into the Mississippi at [[St. Cloud, Minnesota|St. Cloud]]. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, lightly wooded, dotted with lakes and ponds, and carved with drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture or has been developed.<ref name="SCM">[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Stearns+County,+MN/@45.5285205,-94.873768,103340m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x52b4417ec81c54e9:0xc81535466896579e!8m2!3d45.5844792!4d-94.5865603 Stearns County MN Google Maps (accessed 3 May 2019)]</ref> The terrain slopes to the east and south,<ref name="GMSC">[https://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-google-maps-find-altitude.htm "Find an Altitude/Stearns County MN"  Google Maps (accessed May 3, 2019)]</ref> with its highest point a local protuberance at {{convert|7.6|mi|km}} west and {{convert|1.6|mi|km}} south of [[St. Joseph, Minnesota|St. Joseph]], at {{convert|1,461|ft|m|abbr=on}} ASL.<ref>[https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22120 Stearns County High Point, Minnesota. PeakBaggers.com (accessed May 3, 2019)]</ref> The county's total area is {{convert|1390|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1343|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|47|sqmi}} (3.4%) is water.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 22, 2012 |title=2010 Census Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060200/http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |access-date=October 25, 2014 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

The northeastern border of Stearns County is formed by the Mississippi River. The land consists of rolling hills, scenic lakes, prairies, savannas and woodlands of a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. Stearns is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either prairie or forest soils. The county has 166 lakes.

===Major highways===
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* [[Image:I-94.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 94 in Minnesota|Interstate 94]]
* [[Image:US 52.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 52 in Minnesota|U.S. Highway 52]]
* [[Image:US 71.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 71#Minnesota|U.S. Highway 71]]
* [[Image:MN-4.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 4]]
* [[Image:MN-15.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 15]]
* [[Image:MN-22.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 22]]
* [[Image:MN-23.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 23]]
* [[Image:MN-24.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 24]]
* [[Image:MN-28.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 28]]
* [[Image:MN-55.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 55]]
* [[Image:MN-237.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 237]]
* [[Image:MN-238.svg|20px]] [[Minnesota State Highway 238]]
* ''[[County roads in Stearns County, Minnesota|List of county roads]]''
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===Airports===
Source:<ref name=SCM/>
* [[List of airports in Minnesota|Brooten Municipal Airport]] (6D1) - east of [[Brooten, Minnesota|Brooten]]
* [[List of airports in Minnesota|Paynesville Municipal Airport]] (PEX) - west of [[Paynesville, Minnesota|Paynesville]]
* [[List of airports in Minnesota|Sauk Centre Municipal Airport]] (D39) - south-southeast of [[Sauk Centre, Minnesota|Sauk Centre]]
* [[List of airports in Minnesota|St. Cloud Regional Airport]] (STC) - east-southeast of [[St. Cloud, Minnesota|St. Cloud]]

===Adjacent counties===
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* [[Todd County, Minnesota|Todd County]] - north
* [[Morrison County, Minnesota|Morrison County]] - northeast
* [[Benton County, Minnesota|Benton County]] - northeast
* [[Sherburne County, Minnesota|Sherburne County]] - east
* [[Wright County, Minnesota|Wright County]] - southeast
* [[Meeker County, Minnesota|Meeker County]] - south
* [[Kandiyohi County, Minnesota|Kandiyohi County]] - southwest
* [[Pope County, Minnesota|Pope County]] - west
* [[Douglas County, Minnesota|Douglas County]] - northwest
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===Protected areas===
Sources:<ref name=SCM/><ref name=GMSC/>
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* Avon Hills Forest Scientific and Natural Area
* Birch Lakes State Forest
* Christopher Kurilla Wildlife Management Area
* Cold Spring Heron Colony Scientific and Natural Area
* Crow River Wildlife Management Area
* Edward Raymond Mohs Wildlife Management Area
* Follies Wildlife Management Area (part)
* Lake Koronis Regional Park
* Legacy Marsh Wildlife Management Area
* Miller Wildlife Management Area
* Milton Kjedahl Wildlife Management Area
* Norman T. Dahlman Wildlife Management Area
* Oxcart Crossing Wildlife Management Area
* Padua State Wildlife Management Area
* Patch Woods Scientific and Natural Area
* Quarry Park and Nature Preserve
* Quarry Park Scientific and Natural Area
* Rockville County Park and Nature Preserve
* Roscoe Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
* Saint Wendel Tamarack Bog Scientific and Natural Area
* Sauk River Wildlife Management Area
* Sedan Brook Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
* Stearns Prairie Heritage Wildlife Management Area
* Tamarack State Wildlife Management Area
* Tower State Wildlife Management Area
* Tribute Wildlife Management Area
* Victor Winder Wildlife Management Area
* Warner Lake County Park
* Zion State Wildlife Management Area
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===Lakes and streams===
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*[[Adley Creek]]
* [[Crow Lake (Stearns County, Minnesota)|Crow Lake]]
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