# Wadena County, Minnesota *County in the U.S. state of Minnesota* Wadena County is a county in [[Minnesota]] with its seat at the city of Wadena. The 2020 census counted 14,065 residents.[^1] The [[Minnesota Legislature]] created the county in 1858 and organized it in 1873. By then the railroad built in 1872 had bypassed an earlier town site of the same name.[^2] The county's electorate has historically favored Republican candidates. As of 2024 it had backed the [[Democratic Party (United States)]] nominee in a single national election since 1964.[^3] ## History On June 11, 1858, the newly organized [[Minnesota Legislature]] established the county.[^2] Settlement at the site of the present city of Wadena started in 1871, and a post office was operating there by 1873.[^2] When the legislature organized the county on February 21, 1873, it made that settlement the county seat.[^2] The town's name came from a trading post some 15 miles (24 km) to the east. The post had prospered for several years but was mostly deserted by 1873, and it was named for Chief Wadena, a late-19th-century Ojibwe chief in northwestern Minnesota.[^2] The county's 15 townships were first surveyed in 1863.[^2] Each is six miles square with 36 sections of land. Bullard and Thomastown are the exceptions, because their boundaries follow the Leaf and Crow Wing rivers respectively.[^2] In 1857 Augustus Aspinwall platted a town site called Wadena in what is now Section 15 of Thomastown Township, where the Partridge River meets the Crow Wing. The railroad built through the area in 1872 passed about three miles to the south, and that town soon declined.[^2] From the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th, two railroads crossed the county. The Northern Pacific main line, running east to west through Wadena, dated from 1872.[^2] The Great Northern "K" line, a branch from [[Sauk Centre]] to Bemidji by way of Sebeka and Menahga, was finished in 1891.[^2] The line was abandoned in stages. Most of it was abandoned in the early 1970s and the Park Rapids–Long Prairie segment in 1984. The northern section between Park Rapids and Cass Lake has since become the Heartland Trail.[^2] ## Geography The [[Crow Wing River]] runs south through the east-central part of the county. It then turns southeast and forms the lower portion of the county's eastern boundary.[^4] The [[Partridge River (Crow Wing River tributary)]] crosses the southern part of the county eastward and joins the Crow Wing in the southeast corner. The [[Leaf River (Minnesota)]] crosses the center of the county eastward and also empties into the Crow Wing.[^4] The terrain is low rolling hills cut by drainages, farmed where possible.[^4] The land falls toward the east and south from a high point of 1,460 ft (450 m) above sea level near the northwest corner.[^4] Of the county's 543 square miles (1,410 km²), 536 square miles (1,390 km²) are land and 7.0 square miles (18 km²), or 1.3%, are water.[^4] It is among 17 Minnesota counties where savanna soils exceed both prairie and forest soils.[^4] The county is served by U.S. Route 10, [[U.S. Route 71]], [[Minnesota State Highway 29]] and [[Minnesota State Highway 87]].[^4] [[Staples Municipal Airport]] (SAZ) lies north of Staples.[^4] Bordering counties are Hubbard to the north, Cass to the east, Todd to the south, Otter Tail to the southwest and Becker to the northwest.[^4] Protected areas in the county include the following:[^4] - Burgen Lake Prairie Wildlife Management Area - Dry Sand State Wildlife Management Area - [[Huntersville State Forest]] - [[Lyons State Forest]] - Old Wadena County Park - [[Old Wadena Historic District]] ## Demographics The 2020 census recorded 14,065 residents, with a median age of 42.5 years.[^5] Residents under 18 made up 24.7% of the population, and those 65 or older made up 23.1%.[^5] There were 98.3 males for every 100 females overall, and 96.9 males per 100 females among adults.[^5] By race, the census recorded the county's population as follows:[^5] - 93.3% White - 0.9% Black or African American - 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native - 0.5% Asian - 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander - 0.6% some other race - 4.1% two or more races Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.9% of the total.[^5] Rural residents made up 71.8% of the population and urban residents 28.2%.[^5] The census counted 5,815 households, of which 26.6% included children under 18.[^5] Married couples headed 47.6% of households. Male householders with no spouse or partner present headed 20.6%, and female householders with no spouse or partner present headed 24.8%.[^5] About 33.3% of households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone aged 65 or older living alone.[^5] Of the county's 6,939 housing units, 16.2% stood vacant.[^5] Owners occupied 72.6% of occupied units and renters 27.4%. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate 11.8%.[^5] The 2000 census had found 13,713 people in 5,426 households and 3,608 families, at a density of 25.6 per square mile (9.9/km²).[^5] It also counted 6,334 housing units.[^5] ## Communities The county contains the following cities:[^6] - Aldrich - Menahga - Nimrod - Sebeka - Staples (in part) - Verndale - Wadena, the county seat, which extends partly into Otter Tail County Bluegrass, Huntersville and Oylen are unincorporated communities, and Leaf River and Shell City are ghost towns.[^6] The 15 townships are the following:[^6] - Aldrich - Blueberry - Bullard - Huntersville - Leaf River - Lyons - Meadow - North Germany - Orton - Red Eye - Rockwood - Shell River - Thomastown - Wadena - Wing River ## Government and politics The county's voters have historically supported Republican candidates.[^3] As of 2024, the county had chosen the [[Democratic Party (United States)]] nominee in only one national election since 1964.[^3] Republican support in the county reached its highest level since 1920 in 2016, and the 2020 and 2024 elections each exceeded the one before.[^3] In 2024, Donald Trump received nearly three-quarters of the county's vote.[^3] ## In the Minnesota record ### Where - The county lies in Minnesota, and its seat is the city of Wadena.[^1] - The Crow Wing, Partridge and Leaf rivers drain the county, and its land is farmed wherever possible.[^4] ### When - The legislature created the county on June 11, 1858, and organized it on February 21, 1873.[^2] - The Northern Pacific main line through Wadena was built in 1872, and the Great Northern "K" line was completed in 1891.[^2] ### What - The county is divided into 15 townships, first surveyed in 1863.[^2] ### How much - The county covers 543 square miles in total, 7.0 square miles of it water.[^4] ### How many - The census counted 14,065 residents in 2020 and 13,713 in 2000.[^1][^5] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Wadena County, Minnesota*, lead section (revision 1375310732, retrieved 2026-10-25) — 2020 population and county seat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadena_County,_Minnesota [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Wadena County, Minnesota*, "History" section (revision 1375310732, retrieved 2026-10-25) — county creation and organization dates, settlement, name origin, townships, the 1857 town site and railroads. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadena_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Wadena County, Minnesota*, "Government and politics" section (revision 1375310732, retrieved 2026-10-25) — voting history since 1964 and 2016–2024 results. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadena_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Wadena County, Minnesota*, "Geography" section (revision 1375310732, retrieved 2026-10-25) — rivers, terrain, area, soils, highways, airport, adjacent counties and protected areas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadena_County,_Minnesota [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Wadena County, Minnesota*, "Demographics" section (revision 1375310732, retrieved 2026-10-25) — 2020 and 2000 census figures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadena_County,_Minnesota [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Wadena County, Minnesota*, "Communities" section (revision 1375310732, retrieved 2026-10-25) — cities, unincorporated communities, ghost towns and townships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadena_County,_Minnesota