Norman County, Minnesota

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Norman County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,441.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Ada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county is in Minnesota's Red River Valley region.

History

Norwegians started settling in Norman County in the early 1870s and up until Dec. 27th, 1906 that also included what is now Mahnomen County (Ojibwe for "wild rice"). The county was created by the Minnesota legislature on March 17, 1881, with Ada (which had been founded in 1874) as county seat. Even though Twin Valley was much closer to the geographic center of the county Ada was chosen as the county seat, sparking a 6 year legal battle.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

It was named in recognition of the many settlers who came from Scandinavian countries, especially Norway.<ref name="UP">Template:Cite book</ref> Another source posits that it was named for Norman Kittson, an early historical figure of the region.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Geography

Norman County lies on Minnesota's western border, abutting North Dakota across the Red River, which flows north along (and defines) the county's west line. The Wild Rice River flows west through the lower part of the county, discharging into the Red slightly north of the county's southwest corner. The Marsh River rises in central Norman County and flows northwest into the Red near the county's northwest corner. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved by drainages and lightly dotted with lakes and swampy areas. The terrain is devoted to agriculture.<ref name="NCM">Norman County MN Google Maps (accessed April 17, 2019)</ref> The terrain slopes to the north and west with its highest point near its southeast corner, at Template:Convert ASL.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county has an area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.4%) water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Flom Township contains a prominent, irregular hill of morainic drift known as Frenchman's Bluff. It rises Template:Convert above the shoreline of the former Lake Agassis, Template:Convert to the northwest.<ref name=UP/> Template:Stack

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Protected areas

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Agassiz Dunes Scientific and Natural Area (part)
Agassiz No. 1 State Wildlife Management Area
Agassiz No. 2 State Wildlife Management Area
Dalby State Wildlife Management Area
Faith State Wildlife Management Area
Home Lake State Wildlife Management Area
Moccasin State Wildlife Management Area
Neal State Wildlife Management Area
Prairie Smoke Dunes Scientific and Natural Area
Sandpiper Scientific and Natural Area
Santee Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
Syre State Wildlife Management Area
Twin Valley Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
Twin Valley State Wildlife Management Area
Vangsness State Wildlife Management Area

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Lakes

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Home Lake
Lockhart Swamp

Demographics

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2020 Census

Norman County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	5,702	88.52%
Black or African American (NH)	17	0.3%
Native American (NH)	115	1.8%
Asian (NH)	18	0.3%
Pacific Islander (NH)	0	0%
Other/Mixed (NH)	301	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino	288	4.5%

2000 census

File:NormanCountyMn2022PopPyr.png

2022 US Census population pyramid for Norman County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,442 people, 3,010 households, and 2,007 families in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,455 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 95.30% White, 0.11% Black or African American, 1.73% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 1.13% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. 3.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 57.5% were of Norwegian and 21.7% German ancestry.

There were 3,010 households, out of which 30.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 31.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04.

The county population contained 25.70% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 20.90% of over age 64. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,535, and the median income for a family was $41,280. Males had a median income of $28,674 versus $20,619 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,895. About 7.10% of families and 10.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.70% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

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Unincorporated communities

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Betcher
Faith
Flom<ref name=NCM/>
Hadler
Lockhart
Ranum<ref name=NCM/>
Syre
Waukon<ref name=NCM/>

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Townships

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Government and politics

From 1932 to 2012, Norman County voted Democratic, typically by large margins, in all but three elections, two were the nationwide Republican landslide victories of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and Richard Nixon in 1972, and the third was in 2000, when strong third party showings in the state helped swing the county to George W. Bush. The 2016 election, however, saw the county swing significantly to the right, as Donald Trump won the county by over 13%. He increased his margin of victory in 2020 to nearly 16%, and turned in the best performance for a Republican in Norman County since Herbert Hoover in 1928. Trump increased his margin to over 22% in the county in 2024, breaking this record yet again. 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

County Board of Commissioners<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Name	District
Commissioner	Marvin Gunderson	District 1
Commissioner	Jesse Lee	District 2
Commissioner	Steve Jacobson	District 3
Commissioner and Chairperson	Lee Ann Hall	District 4
Commissioner	Steve Bommersbach	District 5

State Legislature (2022-2024)
Position		Name	Affiliation	District
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	Senate	Mark Johnson	Republican	District 1
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	House of Representatives	Deb Kiel	Republican	District 1B

U.S Congress (2022-2024)
Position		Name	Affiliation	District
style="background-color:Template:Party color" \|	House of Representatives	Michelle Fischbach	Republican	7th
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