# Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota *County in northern Minnesota, United States* Lake of the Woods County lies farther north than any other county in [[Minnesota]]. The 2020 census counted 3,763 residents, the second-smallest county population in the state, and Baudette is the county seat.[^1] Within its boundaries are the Northwest Angle, the northernmost point of the Lower 48 States; the U.S. share of Lake of the Woods, which the United States shares with Canada; and the exclave of Elm Point.[^1] Alaska has no counties, so Lake of the Woods is also the northernmost county in the United States.[^1] The county takes its name from the lake, which covers much of its area.[^2] No other U.S. county has a four-word name. Louisiana does have a four-word parish, St. John the Baptist Parish, and the [[United States Census Bureau]] counts parishes as county equivalents for census purposes.[^1] The county government began operating on January 1, 1923, making Lake of the Woods the newest county in Minnesota.[^2] ## History Jacques de Noyon, a Frenchman from Trois Rivières, Quebec, explored the area in 1688. He was the first European to see the lake, and he called it Lac aux Îles, "Lake of the Islands".[^2] Wilhelm Zippel, a German immigrant and fisherman, became the region's first settler in 1885. He made his home on the south shore of the lake, at the place now known as Zippel Bay. Alonzo Wheeler followed soon after and settled on the southwest side, at the place now called Wheeler's Point.[^2] In October 1910 the wildfire known as the Baudette fire of 1910 burned 300,000 acres (1,200 km²). It destroyed the towns of Spooner, Baudette, Graceton, Pitt, Williams, and Cedar Spur.[^2] On November 28, 1922, county voters approved separating the northern townships of Beltrami County into their own unit. The new county's government was organized on January 1, 1923, with Baudette as its seat.[^2] ## Geography The Rainy River forms the county's border with Canada. It runs northwest along that boundary and empties into Lake of the Woods, and the county's northwest edge meets Manitoba.[^3] The lake cuts the Northwest Angle off from the rest of the county, so it has no land connection to the rest of the United States. That makes it an exclave. Overland travel to it passes through Manitoba, and it can also be reached by water or over the ice.[^3] In the southeast, the Rapid River runs northeast across the county and joins the Rainy River close to the county's northeast corner.[^3] The land is low and gently rolling, partly wooded, and used for farming, and it slopes toward the east and north. The highest elevation is 1,316 feet (401 m) above sea level, on a small rise one mile (1.6 km) west of Norris Camp.[^3] The county covers 1,775 square miles (4,600 km²). Of that, 1,298 square miles (3,360 km²) is land and 477 square miles (1,240 km²), about 27 percent, is water.[^3] The major highways are Minnesota State Highways 11, 72 and 172.[^3] The county borders the Kenora and Rainy River districts of Ontario to the northeast and Koochiching County to the southeast. Beltrami County lies to the south. To the west are Roseau County and, in Manitoba, the Rural Municipality of Piney and Buffalo Point.[^3] Protected areas in the county include Zippel Bay State Park, Garden Island State Recreation Area, and parts of Beltrami Island State Forest and Pine Island State Forest. It also contains several peatland Scientific and Natural Areas: Mulligan Lake, Norris Camp, Winter Road Lakes, and part of Red Lake.[^3] ## Demographics The 2020 census recorded 3,763 residents, with a median age of 50.6. Children under 18 made up 18.5 percent of the population, and people 65 or older made up 26.5 percent. There were 112.6 males for every 100 females, and 114.0 males for every 100 females among adults.[^4] The census reported the racial makeup as 93.3 percent White, 0.3 percent Black or African American, 0.5 percent American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5 percent Asian, under 0.1 percent Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.4 percent some other race, and 5.0 percent two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.5 percent of the population. The census classed 100.0 percent of residents as rural and under 0.1 percent as urban.[^4] The 2020 census counted 1,745 households. Children under 18 lived in 21.7 percent of them, and 48.9 percent were married-couple households. People living alone made up 33.7 percent of households, and 15.2 percent had someone 65 or older living alone.[^4] Of the 3,391 housing units, 48.5 percent stood vacant. Among occupied units, 82.8 percent were owner-occupied and 17.2 percent were rented. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.0 percent, and the rental vacancy rate was 17.7 percent.[^4] In 2000 the census counted 4,522 people, 1,903 households and 1,267 families. Population density was 3.48 people per square mile, and there were 3,238 housing units.[^4] ## Communities There are three cities: Baudette, the county seat; Roosevelt, which extends into Roseau County; and Williams. Angle Inlet is a census-designated place.[^5] The unincorporated communities are Arnesén, Birch Beach, Carp, Clementson, Faunce, Graceton, Hackett, Long Point, Lude, Oak Island, Penasse, Pitt, Sandy Shores, and Wheeler's Point.[^5] The source lists 32 named townships. Two of them, Township 157-30 and Township 158-30, are identified only by number. As of 2001 none of the townships had a township government, and all of them are officially unorganized territory.[^5] ## Government and politics Democrats carried the county in every presidential election from 1932 through 1976, usually by wide margins. The one exception was 1972, when Richard Nixon won in a landslide.[^6] Republicans have carried the county in every election since 1980 except 1992 and 1996. Bill Clinton won both of those years, each time by under 4 percent and without a majority of the vote, partly because Ross Perot ran strongly as a third-party candidate.[^6] From the county's founding through 2012, only two candidates won more than 65 percent of its vote: Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, both in landslide years. Donald Trump took more than 68 percent in 2016, more than 70 percent in 2020, and nearly 73 percent in 2024. These are the three strongest Republican results in the county's history.[^6] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375319978, retrieved 2026-10-25), lead section — location, 2020 population and rank, county seat, Northwest Angle, Elm Point, Alaska, four-word name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_the_Woods_County,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375319978, retrieved 2026-10-25), History section — name, Noyon 1688, Zippel and Wheeler settlement, Baudette fire of 1910, 1922 vote and 1923 organization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_the_Woods_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375319978, retrieved 2026-10-25), Geography section — borders, Northwest Angle access, terrain, area, highways, adjacent areas, protected areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_the_Woods_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375319978, retrieved 2026-10-25), Demographics section — 2020 and 2000 census figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_the_Woods_County,_Minnesota [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375319978, retrieved 2026-10-25), Communities section — cities, census-designated place, unincorporated communities, townships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_the_Woods_County,_Minnesota [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota* (rev. 1375319978, retrieved 2026-10-25), Government and politics section — presidential voting history 1932–2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_of_the_Woods_County,_Minnesota