Watonwan County, Minnesota | |
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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 25, 1860 |
Named for | Dakota word "watanwan," meaning "fish bait," or "plenty of fish." |
Seat | St. James |
Largest city | St. James |
Area | |
• Total | 440 sq mi (1,140 km2) |
• Land | 435 sq mi (1,127 km2) |
• Water | 4.8 sq mi (12 km2), 1.1% |
Population (est.) | |
• (2015) | 10,952 |
• Density | 26/sq mi (10/km²) |
Congressional district | 1st |
Time zone | Central: UTC-6/-5 |
Website | www |
Watonwan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 census, the population was 11,211. Its county seat is St. James. The county was organized in 1860, two years after Minnesota was granted statehood.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 440 square miles (1,100 km2), of which 435 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km2) (1.1%) is water. The county is drained by the Watonwan River and its tributaries; the river flows eastwardly through the northern part of the county.
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,876 people, 4,627 households, and 3,141 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.54% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 8.78% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races. 15.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 40.9% were of German, 17.3% Norwegian and 5.8% Swedish ancestry.