Le Sueur County, Minnesota

Le Sueur County (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,674.<ref name="QF">Template:Cite web</ref> Its county seat is Le Center.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Le Sueur County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Minnesota Territory legislature established several counties in 1853. This county was created on March 5 of that year. It was named for French explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, who visited the area in 1700.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The settlement of Le Sueur (actually two competing settlements, Le Sueur and Le Sueur City) had sprung up on the east bank of the Minnesota River, both being platted in 1852. The legislature named the combined area as the first county seat. However, its remoteness from most of the county meant hardship for most of the area's residents since the county was covered with dense hardwood forest and existing roads were impassable when wet.

Several efforts were made to acquire a more central location. In the early 1870s, Cleveland (established in 1857, inland from the river in the SW part of the county) held a referendum to become the county seat. The referendum passed, but was challenged due to voting irregularities. In 1875 another referendum made Cleveland the county seat (1875-1876). In 1876, another referendum approved moving the seat to the newly created town of Le Sueur Center; the seat was promptly moved there.<ref>Upham, Warren. Minnesota Geographic Names, pp. 300-302 (1920). Accessed 16 March 2019</ref> In the 1870s, businessmen from Waterville gained ownership of a quarter-section of land near the county's center, cleared the timber, and platted the city of Le Sueur Center (1876). The seat was moved there after a county referendum approved it. The county seat has remained in Le Sueur Center (renamed Le Center in 1930) since 1876.

The first railroad entered the county in 1867. This began the era of greater access and mobility. The first purpose-built courthouse in Le Sueur Center was constructed in 1896–7. It has been extensively remodeled and enlarged two times since.<ref name="LSCH">County History (accessed March 16, 2019)</ref>

File:Le Sueur Co Pie Chart No Text Version.pdf

Soils of Le Sueur County<ref>Nelson, Steven (2011)."Savanna Soils of Minnesota."Minnesota:Self.pp43 - 48.Template:ISBN</ref>

Geography

The Minnesota River flows northeastward along the west border of Le Sueur County, on its way to discharge into the Mississippi. The terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The soil is rich and black.<ref name=LSCH/><ref name="LSCM">Le Sueur County MN Google Maps (accessed March 16, 2019)</ref> The terrain slopes to the north and east, with its highest point near the midpoint of its east border, 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 (5.3%) is water.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Le Sueur is one of seven Minnesota savanna region counties where no forest soils exist and one of 17 counties where savanna soils dominate.

File:Sakatah Lake State Park Native Vegetation Wiki Version.pdf

Soils of Sakatah Lake State Park area

Lakes

Template:Hatnote The following lakes are partially or completely within Le Sueur County:<ref name="LSCM" />

• Borer Lake
• Bossuot Lake
• Clear Lake
• Decker Lake
• Diamond Lake
• Dietz Lake
• Dog Lake
• Dora Lake
• Eggert Lake
• Ely Lake
• Emily Lake
• Fish Lake
• German Lake
• Goldsmith Lake
• Goose Lake (Cordova Township)
• Goose Lake (Waterville Township)
• Gorman Lake
• Greenleaf Lake
• Harkridge Lake
• Horseshoe Lake (part)
• Huoy Lake
• Lake Emily
• Lake Francis
• Lake Henry
• Lake Jefferson
• Lake Mabel
• Lake Pepin
• Lake Sanborn
• Lake Tustin
• Lake Volney
• Lake Washington
• Mareks Lake
• Mary Lake
• Mud Lake (Cordova Township)
• Mud Lake (Lanesburgh Township)
• Mud Lake (Lexington Township)
• North Goldsmith Lake
• Perch Lake
• Rays Lake
• Rice Lake
• Roemhildts Lake
• Round Lake
• Sabre Lake
• Sakatah Lake (part)
• Sanborn Lake
• Sasse Lake
• Savidge Lake
• School Lake
• Scotch Lake
• Shanghai Lake
• Sheas Lake
• Silver Lake (Cleveland Township)
• Silver Lake (Elysian Township)
• Sleepy Eye Lake
• Steele Lake
• Sunfish Lake
• Tetonka Lake (headwaters of Cannon River)
• Thomas Lake
• Tyler Lake

Protected areas

The following protected areas are within Le Sueur County:<ref name="LSCM" />

• Bardel State Wildlife Management Area
• Chadderdon State Wildlife Management Area
• Chamberlain Woods Scientific and Natural Area
• Diamond Lake State Wildlife Management Area
• Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Ottawa State Wildlife Management Area
• Paddy Marsh State Wildlife Management Area
• Saint Thomas State Wildlife Management Area
• Sakatah Lake State Park (part)
• Seven Mile Creek State Park (part)
• Shanghai State Wildlife Area
• Sheas Lake State Wildlife Area

Major highways

• File:US 169 (MN).svg US Highway 169
• File:MN-13.svg Minnesota State Highway 13
• File:MN-19.svg Minnesota State Highway 19
• File:MN-21.svg Minnesota State Highway 21
• File:MN-22.svg Minnesota State Highway 22
• File:MN-60.svg Minnesota State Highway 60
• File:MN-93.svg Minnesota State Highway 93
• File:MN-99.svg Minnesota State Highway 99
• List of county roads

Adjacent counties

• Scott County - north
• Rice County - east
• Waseca County - south
• Blue Earth County - southwest
• Nicollet County - west
• Sibley County - northwest

Demographics

2020 Census

Le Sueur County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	25,463	88.8%
Black or African American (NH)	262	0.9%
Native American (NH)	67	0.2%
Asian (NH)	134	0.4%
Pacific Islander (NH)	20	0.06%
Other/Mixed (NH)	856	3%
Hispanic or Latino	1,872	6.5%

2000 census

File:LeSueurCountyMn2022PopPyr.png

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

As of the census of 2000, the county had 25,426 people, 9,630 households, and 6,923 families. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 10,858 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The county's racial makeup was 96.56% White, 0.15% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.02% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 3.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.9% were of German, 9.0% Czech, 9.0% Norwegian and 8.2% Irish ancestry. 94.0% spoke English, 3.5% Spanish and 1.7% Czech as their first language.

There were 9,630 households, of which 34.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.40% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.10.

27.40% of the county's population was under age 18, 7.50% was from age 18 to 24, 27.80% was from age 25 to 44, 23.20% was from age 45 to 64, and 14.10% were age 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.

The country's median household income was $45,933, and the median family income was $53,000. Males had a median income of $34,196 versus $24,214 for females. The county's per capita income was $20,151. About 4.80% of families and 6.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.50% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

• Cleveland
• Elysian (partial)
• Heidelberg
• Kasota
• Le Center (county seat)
• Le Sueur (partial)
• Kilkenny
• Mankato (partial)
• Montgomery
• New Prague (partial)
• Waterville

Unincorporated communities

• Cordova
• Greenland
• Henderson Station
• Lexington
• Marysburg (partial)
• Ottawa
• St. Henry
• St. Thomas
• Union Hill (partial)

Former communities

• Okaman<ref>Okaman Cemetery MN Google Maps (accessed March 16, 2019)</ref><ref>Minnesota Geographic Names, p. 303 (accessed March 16, 2019)</ref>

Townships

• Cleveland Township
• Cordova Township
• Derrynane Township
• Elysian Township
• Kasota Township
• Kilkenny Township
• Lanesburgh Township
• Lexington Township
• Montgomery Township
• Ottawa Township
• Sharon Township
• Tyrone Township
• Washington Township
• Waterville Township

Politics

Le Sueur County residents usually vote Republican. The last Democrat to win an absolute majority in the county was Jimmy Carter in 1976, although Bill Clinton did carry the county by narrow pluralities in 1992 and 1996 due to high third-party performance. Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis also came close to flipping the county in 1988, only losing it by 5 votes. In 2020, Donald Trump performed better than any Republican in the county since Warren G. Harding in 1920, and he broke this record again in 2024.<ref>https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/</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

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Le Sueur County, Minnesota

External links

• Le Sueur County government’s website