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Renville County, Minnesota
Renville County Courthouse MN
Renville County Courthouse
Map of Minnesota highlighting Renville County
Location in the state of Minnesota
Map of the U.S
Minnesota's location in the U.S.
Founded February 20, 1855 (created)
November 8, 1866 (organized),
Named for Joseph Renville
Seat Olivia
Largest city Olivia
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

987 sq mi (2,556 km²)
983 sq mi (2,546 km²)
4.2 sq mi (11 km²), 0.4%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

14,723
15.0/sq mi (6/km²)
Congressional district 7th
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5
Website www.renvillecountymn.com

Renville County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census the population was 14,723.[1] Its county seat is Olivia.[2]

History[]

The Minnesota Territory legislature created the county on February 20, 1855. It was named for Joseph Renville, a fur trapper, trader, British officer in the War of 1812, and interlocutor with local Native American groups. Organization of the county's governing structure was completed on November 8, 1866, with Beaver Falls as county seat. Beginning in 1885, citizens in and around Olivia began pressing for the seat to be moved to Olivia, which happened in 1900.[3]

Renville County was the site of several engagements in the Dakota War of 1862, most notably the Battle of Birch Coulee. The burned-out Joseph Brown House Ruins still stand, and various monuments throughout the County memorialize settlers killed in the conflict.

Birch coulee battlefield

Birch Coulee Battlefield near Morton

Geography[]

The Minnesota River flows southeast along the county's southwestern border. Hawk Creek flows south through the county's western end, discharging into the Minnesota. Beaver Creek drains the central part of the county, flowing southeast before turning southwest to discharge into the Minnesota. The county terrain consists of rolling hills etched by drainages and sprinkled with lakes and ponds. The area is devoted to agriculture.[4] The county terrain slopes to the south, with its highest point near the midpoint of the northern border, at 1,122' (342m) ASL.[5] The county has a total area of 987 square miles (2,560 km2), of which 983 square miles (2,550 km2) is land and 4.2 square miles (11 km2) (0.4%) is water.[6]

File:Renville Co Pie Chart No Text Version.pdf

Major highways[]

  • US 71 U.S. Highway 71
  • US 212 (MN) U.S. Highway 212
  • MN-4 Minnesota State Highway 4
  • MN-19 Minnesota State Highway 19
  • MN-23 Minnesota State Highway 23

Adjacent counties[]

Renville, Beltrami, and Stearns are Minnesota's only counties that abut nine other counties.

Lakes[4][]

  • Beckendorf Lake
  • Boon Lake
  • Hodgson Lake
  • Lake Allie
  • Mud Lake
  • Phare Lake
  • Preston Lake
  • Round Grove Lake (part)
  • Round Lake

Protected areas[4][]

  • Beaver Falls County Park
  • Camp Town Park
  • County Park No. 2
  • County Park No. 4
  • Fort Ridgely State Park (part)
  • Prieve State Wildlife Management Area (part)
  • Skalbekken County Park

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1860 245
1870 3,219 1,213.9%
1880 10,791 235.2%
1890 17,099 58.5%
1900 23,693 38.6%
1910 23,123 −2.4%
1920 23,634 2.2%
1930 23,645 0%
1940 24,625 4.1%
1950 23,954 −2.7%
1960 23,249 −2.9%
1970 21,139 −9.1%
1980 20,401 −3.5%
1990 17,673 −13.4%
2000 17,154 −2.9%
2010 15,730 −8.3%
Est. 2021 14,608 [8] −14.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[1]
USA Renville County, Minnesota age pyramid

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 census data

2000 census[]

As of the 2000 census, there were 17,154 people, 6,779 households, and 4,623 families in the county. The population density was 17.5/sqmi (6.74/km2). There were 7,413 housing units at an average density of 7.54/sqmi (2.91/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.72% White, 0.06% Black or African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.77% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 5.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 50.9% were of German, 16.3% Norwegian and 5.1% Swedish ancestry.

There were 6,779 households, out of which 31.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.10% were married couples living together, 5.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.80% were non-families. 28.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.05.

The county population contained 26.50% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 25.30% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 19.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,652, and the median income for a family was $45,065. Males had a median income of $30,473 versus $22,179 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,770. About 6.30% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.80% of those under age 18 and 8.10% of those age 65 or over.

2020 Census[]

Renville County Racial Composition[13]
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 12,766 86.7%
Black or African American (NH) 60 0.41%
Native American (NH) 103 0.7%
Asian (NH) 61 0.41%
Pacific Islander (NH) 5 0.03%
Other/Mixed (NH) 409 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1,319 9%

Communities[]

Cities[]

  • Bird Island
  • Buffalo Lake
  • Danube
  • Fairfax
  • Franklin
  • Hector
  • Morton
  • Olivia (county seat)
  • Renville
  • Sacred Heart

Unincorporated communities[]

  • Beaver Falls
  • Bechyn
  • Churchill
  • Lakeside

Ghost town[]

  • Vicksburg

Townships[]

  • Bandon Township
  • Beaver Falls Township
  • Birch Cooley Township
  • Bird Island Township
  • Boon Lake Township
  • Brookfield Township
  • Cairo Township
  • Camp Township
  • Crooks Township
  • Emmet Township
  • Ericson Township
  • Flora Township
  • Hawk Creek Township
  • Hector Township
  • Henryville Township
  • Kingman Township
  • Martinsburg Township
  • Melville Township
  • Norfolk Township
  • Osceola Township
  • Palmyra Township
  • Preston Lake Township
  • Sacred Heart Township
  • Troy Township
  • Wang Township
  • Wellington Township
  • Winfield Township

Politics[]

Before 1996, Renville County was a fairly balanced precinct. Since 1996, only Republican Party candidates have received the county vote in national elections (as of 2020).

United States presidential election results for Renville County, Minnesota[14]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 5,467 67.26% 2,496 30.71% 165 2.03%
2016 4,890 64.29% 2,117 27.83% 599 7.88%
2012 4,149 53.81% 3,394 44.02% 167 2.17%
2008 3,956 48.63% 3,904 47.99% 275 3.38%
2004 4,430 53.06% 3,787 45.36% 132 1.58%
2000 4,036 49.69% 3,533 43.50% 553 6.81%
1996 2,887 35.04% 3,956 48.02% 1,395 16.93%
1992 2,852 31.97% 3,414 38.27% 2,654 29.75%
1988 4,356 48.80% 4,454 49.89% 117 1.31%
1984 5,571 57.86% 3,972 41.25% 86 0.89%
1980 5,544 53.08% 4,058 38.85% 842 8.06%
1976 4,482 42.50% 5,762 54.64% 301 2.85%
1972 5,329 53.06% 4,499 44.79% 216 2.15%
1968 4,821 48.67% 4,535 45.78% 550 5.55%
1964 4,340 41.58% 6,072 58.18% 25 0.24%
1960 5,885 54.20% 4,958 45.67% 14 0.13%
1956 5,728 57.52% 4,213 42.31% 17 0.17%
1952 6,742 63.45% 3,828 36.02% 56 0.53%
1948 4,297 44.40% 5,227 54.00% 155 1.60%
1944 5,160 57.49% 3,747 41.74% 69 0.77%
1940 6,196 57.15% 4,588 42.32% 58 0.53%
1936 3,049 32.25% 5,344 56.53% 1,060 11.21%
1932 2,631 30.03% 5,967 68.11% 163 1.86%
1928 5,107 57.18% 3,731 41.77% 94 1.05%
1924 3,405 42.66% 641 8.03% 3,935 49.30%
1920 5,995 73.64% 1,283 15.76% 863 10.60%
1916 2,432 55.25% 1,660 37.71% 310 7.04%
1912 703 18.02% 1,310 33.57% 1,889 48.41%
1908 2,275 60.22% 1,364 36.10% 139 3.68%
1904 2,925 77.94% 639 17.03% 189 5.04%
1900 2,809 64.77% 1,326 30.57% 202 4.66%
1896 2,553 55.16% 1,978 42.74% 97 2.10%
1892 1,370 39.95% 984 28.70% 1,075 31.35%



See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Renville County, Minnesota

References[]

  1. ^ a b "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Renville County, Minnesota" (in en). United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/renvillecountyminnesota/PST045221. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Upham, Warren. Minnesota Place Names (1920) p. 455 (accessed April 5, 2019)
  4. ^ a b c Renville County MN Google Maps (accessed April 5, 2019)
  5. ^ "Find an Altitude/Renville County MN" Google Maps (accessed April 5, 2019)
  6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_27.txt. 
  7. ^ Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 65-67. ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2021". https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html. 
  9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html. 
  10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/mn190090.txt. 
  12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  13. ^ "P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Renville County, Minnesota". https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Renville%20County,%20Minnesota&t=Race%20and%20Ethnicity&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2. 
  14. ^ Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 

External links[]

Template:Renville County, Minnesota

Coordinates: 44°43′N 94°58′W / 44.72, -94.96

This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Renville County, Minnesota. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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