Rock County, Minnesota
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox U.S. county
Rock County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Minnesota. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,704.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Luverne.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is located within the Sioux Falls MSA.
History
[edit]The county was established on May 23, 1857, by an act of the territorial legislature, although it was not organized at that time. Originally, the area was designated as Pipestone County, and the name Rock County was given to what is now Pipestone County. However, in 1862, the Minnesota state legislature changed the designations, assigning the present names to the respective counties. On March 5, 1870, the state legislature passed an act that finalized the organization of Rock County and designated Luverne as its county seat. The county derived its name from the Rock River, which was named after a prominent rocky outcrop referred to as "The Rock" on an 1843 map of the area. This outcrop is composed of reddish-gray quartzite and is located approximately Template:Convert north of Luverne. The mound stands out dramatically amidst the surrounding low prairie.<ref>Upham, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names, p. 466 (1920). Accessed March 13, 2019</ref> Another source suggests that the county's name is attributed to its rocky soil.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Geography
[edit]Rock County is located at the southwestern corner of Minnesota. Its western border shares a boundary with the eastern border of South Dakota, while its southern border is adjacent to the northern border of Iowa. The county is characterized by the flow of the Rock River, which runs southward through its east central part, and Beaver Creek, which flows southward through its west central region. The landscape primarily consists of low rolling hills with various drainages. The county's predominant land use is agriculture.<ref name="RCM">[ ]</ref> The terrain gradually slopes southward, with the highest point situated near the midpoint of the county's northern boundary, reaching an elevation of Template:Convert above sea level.<ref name="alt">"Find an Altitude/Rock County MN" Google Maps (accessed March 13, 2019)</ref> Rock County spans an area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.06%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The entire county falls within the hot summer humid continental climate zone (Dfa).
Lakes
[edit]One of Minnesota's nicknames is "Land of 10,000 Lakes", and it is speckled with bodies of water large and small. But four of the state's counties do not contain a natural lake; Rock County is one of them.<ref>The four counties lacking a natural lake are Mower, Olmsted, Pipestone, and Rock.</ref> Rock County did host a manmade lake from 1938 until 2014: a WPA work project constructed a small dam (the "Lower Dam") on Blue Mounds Creek in 1938, creating a small lake in Blue Mounds State Park. This continued until June 2014, when the dam was damaged by rain and floodwaters, allowing the pond to drain.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In June 2016 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced its decision not to rebuild the dam.<ref>"DNR Decides Not To Rebuld Blue Mounds State Park Dam" (Minnesota Natural Resources news release dated June 22, 2016). Accessed March 13, 2019</ref>
Major highways
[edit]- File:I-90.svg Interstate 90
- File:US 75.svg U.S. Highway 75
- File:MN-23.svg Minnesota State Highway 23
- File:MN-269.svg Minnesota State Highway 269
- File:MN-270.svg Minnesota State Highway 270
Adjacent counties<ref name=alt/>
[edit]- Pipestone County – north
- Murray County – northeast
- Nobles County – east
- Lyon County, Iowa – south
- Minnehaha County, South Dakota – west
- Moody County, South Dakota – northwest
Protected areas<ref name=RCM/>
[edit]Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010<ref name="2010CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref> | Pop 2020<ref name="2020CensusP2">Template:Cite web</ref> | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 9,239 | 8,886 | 95.38% | 91.57% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 58 | 50 | 0.60% | 0.51% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 31 | 48 | 0.32% | 0.50% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 53 | 62 | 0.55% | 0.64% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 10 | 0.01% | 0.10% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 4 | 0 | 0.04% | 0.00% |
| Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 284 | 3,889 | 0.11% | 0.29% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 197 | 364 | 2.03% | 3.75% |
| Total | 9,687 | 9,704 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
2000 census
[edit]
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,721 people, 3,843 households, and 2,705 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,137 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 97.27% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 41.4% were of German, 23.8% Dutch and 16.5% Norwegian ancestry.
There were 3,843 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples living together, 5.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01.
The county population contained 26.30% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 20.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $38,102, and the median income for a family was $44,296. Males had a median income of $28,776 versus $22,166 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,411. About 5.50% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.10% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
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Cities
[edit]Unincorporated communities
[edit]Ghost towns
[edit]Townships
[edit]- Battle Plain Township
- Beaver Creek Township
- Clinton Township
- Denver Township
- Kanaranzi Township
- Luverne Township
- Magnolia Township
- Martin Township
- Mound Township
- Rose Dell Township
- Springwater Township
- Vienna Township
In popular culture
[edit]Much of the second season of Fargo is set in Luverne and Rock County.
Government and politics
[edit]| Position | Name | District |
|---|---|---|
| Commissioner | Gary Overgaard | District 1 |
| Commissioner | Stan Williamson | District 2 |
| Commissioner | Greg Burger | District 3 |
| Commissioner | Sherri Thompson | District 4 |
| Commissioner | Jody Reisch | District 5 |
| Position | Name | Affiliation | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Senate | Bill Weber<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Republican | 21 |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | House of Representatives | Joe Schomacker<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Republican | 21A |
| Position | Name | Affiliation | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | House of Representatives | Brad Finstad<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Republican | 1st |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Senate | Amy Klobuchar<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Democrat | N/A |
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | Senate | Tina Smith<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Democrat | N/A |
National politics
[edit]Rock County traditionally votes Republican. In no presidential election since 1964 has it selected the Democratic candidate. Along with its northern neighbor Pipestone County, it was one of only two Minnesota counties Amy Klobuchar did not win in her 2012 Senate race.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:PresHead Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresRow Template:PresFoot
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Rock County government website
- The Rock County Star Herald newspaper website
- Vanished Towns of Rock County
Template:Rock County, Minnesota Template:Minnesota Template:Authority control Template:Coord