Steele County, Minnesota | |
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Steele County Courthouse in Owatonna
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Location in the U.S. state of Minnesota |
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Minnesota's location in the U.S. |
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Founded | February 20, 1855 |
Named for | Franklin Steele |
Seat | Owatonna |
Largest city | Owatonna |
Area | |
• Total | 432 sq mi (1,119 km2) |
• Land | 430 sq mi (1,114 km2) |
• Water | 2.7 sq mi (7 km2), 0.6% |
Population (est.) | |
• (2015) | 36,755 |
• Density | 85/sq mi (33/km²) |
Congressional district | 1st |
Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Website | www |
Steele County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,576. Its county seat is Owatonna. The county was named for Franklin Steele, a prominent early resident of the state.
Steele County comprises the Owatonna, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 432 square miles (1,120 km2), of which 430 square miles (1,100 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.6%) is water.
The Straight River flows northward through the county, and the Le Sueur River flows through its southwestern corner. The Middle Fork of the Zumbro River has its headwaters in the county's northeast.
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,680 people, 12,846 households, and 9,082 families residing in the county. The population density was 78 people per square mile (30/km²). There were 13,306 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.19% White, 1.07% Black or African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.65% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 3.76% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.6% were of German, 18.5% Norwegian, 5.2% Czech and 5.1% Irish ancestry.