Pine County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,876. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Pine City. The county was formed in 1856 and organized in 1872. Today, Pine County is the fastest growing county in the state. Part of the

Mille Lacs Indian Reservation Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is the popular name for the land-base for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Central Minnesota, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The contemporary Mille Lacs Band reservation has significan ...

is in Pine County.

History

Pine County was organized on March 1, 1856, with territory partitioned from Chisago and

Ramsey Ramsey may refer to: Companies *Ramsey (retailer), Turkish clothing retailer People * Ramsey (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Ramsey (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Baron de Ramsey, a title i ...

counties. The original county seat was Chengwatana. It was named for its abundant pine tree growth. In 1857, Buchanan County in full and the southern parts of Aitkin and Carlton Counties were formed from the original Pine County, with Kanabec County organized a year later. In 1861, Buchanan County was dissolved and folded into Pine County. Pine County was reorganized in 1872, with Pine City named as the county seat for the remaining smaller area.

Popular culture

Pine County has been featured in a series of mysteries by Dean Hovey.

Geography

Pine County lies on the east side of Minnesota. Its southeast border abuts

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

(across the St. Croix River). The St. Croix flows southerly along its border. The Kettle River flows southeastward through central Pine County, discharging into the St. Croix on the county's east border, and the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...

flows eastward through the lower part of the county toward its discharge point into the St. Croix. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved with drainages, partly wooded and otherwise devoted to agriculture.''Pine County MN'' Google Maps (accessed April 16, 2019)
/ref> The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point near its northeast corner, at ASL. The county has an area of , of which is land and (1.6%) is water. Perhaps the most famous body of water in Pine County is Devil's Lake, which is found on the southeast edge of Pine City, the county seat.

Major highways

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican bo ...

Minnesota State Highway 18 Minnesota State Highway 18 (MN 18) is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 25 in Brainerd and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 23 in Finlayson ...

Minnesota State Highway 23 Minnesota State Highway 23 (MN 23) is a state highway that stretches from southwestern to northeastern Minnesota. At in length, it is the second longest state route in Minnesota, after MN 1. This route, signed east–west, runs roug ...

Minnesota State Highway 48 Minnesota State Highway 48 (MN 48) is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with Interstate Highway 35 in Hinckley and continues east to its eastern terminus at the Wisconsin state line (near Danbury), where it ...

Minnesota State Highway 70 Minnesota State Highway 70 (MN 70) is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its Intersection (road), intersection with Minnesota State Highway 65, State Highway 65 in Brunswick, Minnesota, Brunswick and continues east to ...

Minnesota State Highway 107 Minnesota State Highway 107 (MN 107) is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 65 in Stanchfield Township near Braham and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with Stat ...

Minnesota State Highway 123 Minnesota State Highway 123 (MN 123) is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its first intersection with State Highway 23 at Sandstone and continues east and then north to its northern terminus at its second intersection wi ...

* '' List of county roads''

Adjacent counties

* Carlton County - north *

Douglas County, Wisconsin Douglas County is a county in the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,295 Its county seat is Superior. Douglas County is included in the Duluth, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

- northeast *

Burnett County, Wisconsin Burnett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,526. Its county seat is Siren, with the majority of county governmental services located at the Burnett County Government Center ...

- east * Chisago County - south *

Isanti County Isanti County ( ) is a county in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 41,135. Its county seat is Cambridge. History The county was formed on February 13, 1857. Its name came from the ...

- southwest * Kanabec County - west * Aitkin County - northwest

Protected areas

Banning State Park Banning State Park is a state park in Pine County, Minnesota, Pine County, Minnesota, United States, stretched along of the Kettle River (St. Croix River), Kettle River near the town of Sandstone, Minnesota, Sandstone. The centerpiece of the p ...

* Chengwatana State Forest * DAR Memorial State Forest * General C. C. Andrews State Forest * Kettle River Scientific and Natural Area *

Nemadji State Forest The Nemadji State Forest is a state forest located primarily in Pine County, Minnesota. A small portion of the forest extends into neighboring Carlton County. The eastern perimeter of the forest borders the state of Wisconsin. It is managed ...

(part) * Pine County State Game Refuge *

Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway is a federally protected system of riverways located in eastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. It protects of river, including the St. Croix River (on the Wisconsin/Minnesota border), and the ...

(part) * St. Croix State Park * Wild River State Park (part)

Demographics

2020 census

''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

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 26,530 people, 9,939 households, and 6,917 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 15,353 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.0%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.1% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. 2.4% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 32.3% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 11.6%

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, 11.1% Norwegian and 5.5%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

ancestry. There were 17,276 households, out of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were non-families. 25.10% 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 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02. The county population contained 25.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.90% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,379, and the median income for a family was $44,058. Males had a median income of $31,600 versus $22,675 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $17,445. About 7.80% of families and 11.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

Askov Askov is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Minnesota State Highway 23 serves as a main route in the community, and Interstate 35 is nearby. History The village was originally within ...

(originally Partridge) * Brook Park (originally Pokegama Creek) *

Bruno Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologn ...

* Denham * Finlayson * Henriette (originally Cornell) *

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughborough, and is about halfway between L ...

(originally Central Station) * Kerrick * Pine City (county seat) * Rock Creek * Rutledge (originally Kettle River) *

Sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

* Sturgeon Lake * Willow River

Unincorporated communities

Beroun Beroun (; ) is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 22,000 inhabitants. It lies at the confluence of the Berounka and Litavka rivers. Beroun creates a conurbation with Králův Dvůr, former part of Beroun. ...

(originally Cross Lake, then Brown's Hill) * Cloverdale * Cloverton * Duquette *

Duxbury Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore approximately to the southeast of Boston, the population was 16,090 ...

* Ellson *

Friesland Friesland ( ; ; official ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia (), named after the Frisians, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen (p ...

(originally Del Grove) * Greeley *

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

(originally Miller's Creek) * Kingsdale * Lake Lena * Markville *

Mission Creek Mission Creek (from Spanish: ''misión'') is a river in San Francisco, California. Once navigable from the Mission Bay inland to the vicinity of Mission Dolores, where several smaller creeks converged to form it, Mission Creek has long since b ...

Nickerson Nickerson may refer to: People * Nickerson (surname) Fictional characters *Coach Burt Nickerson, a character in the movie '' All the Right Moves'' played by Craig T. Nelson *Marty Nickerson, the main character, a fictional attorney, in the four ...

* Pokegama *

West Rock West Rock Ridge or West Rock of south-central Connecticut, is a long trap rock mountain ridge located on the west side of New Haven with a high point of at High Rock, also known as York Mountain. The ridge forms a continuous line of exposed c ...

Ghost towns

* Belden * Banning * Big Spring * Blomskog * Chengwatana * Cornell * Clint * Crooked River * Danewood * Eaglehead * Harlis * Midway * Milburn * Mission Creek * Outflow * Sand River * Tozer Camp * Turpville * Tuxedo * Villstad * Wareham

Townships

* Arlone Township * Arna Township * Barry Township * Birch Creek Township * Bremen Township * Brook Park Township * Bruno Township * Chengwatana Township * Clover Township * Crosby Township * Danforth Township * Dell Grove Township * Finlayson Township * Fleming Township * Hinckley Township * Kerrick Township * Kettle River Township * Mission Creek Township * Munch Township * New Dosey Township * Nickerson Township * Norman Township * Ogema Township * Park Township * Partridge Township * Pine City Township * Pine Lake Township * Pokegama Township * Royalton Township * Sandstone Township * Sturgeon Lake Township * Wilma Township * Windemere Township

Politics

Pine County was once a Democratic stronghold. Between 1932 and 2008, Democrats won the county all but twice, with the two exceptions being nationwide Republican landslide victories in 1952 by

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

and in 1972 by

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

(by only 87 votes). The tides began to turn in Pine County at the beginning of the 21st century, as the first three elections in that century, while still Democratic wins, only saw them win with a plurality of the vote and never by more than a 2.5% margin. The Democratic streak finally broke in 2012, when Republican challenger

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

barely won the county over incumbent Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

by less than 1% and a margin of just 95 votes, becoming the first Republican to win the county in 40 years. The 2016 election saw a dramatic rightward turn, as

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

won the county by a margin of over 26%, and he further increased his margin of victory to over 30% in 2020 and over 35% in 2024, as Trump in 2020 became the first Republican to win over 60% of the vote in Pine County since

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

a century earlier. In the 2018 midterms, Pine County voted for every Republican candidate running for statewide office, with the exception in the senate race, where it narrowly voted to re-elect Democratic Senator

Amy Klobuchar Amy Jean Klobuchar ( ; born May 25, 1960) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Minnesota, a seat she has held since 2007. A member o ...

(it would later go on to vote against her in her successful 2024 re-election bid). This trend also continued in 2022, with Pine County voting Republican for all statewide office and in the concurrent US House race, solidifying the county's realignment to Republicans.

References

External links

Pine County Government's Website

{{authority control Minnesota counties 1872 establishments in Minnesota Populated places established in 1872