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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Houston County, Minnesota
Houston County (/ˈhjuːstən/ HEW-stən) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2020 census, the population was 18,843. Its county seat is Caledonia.

Houston County is included in the La Crosse–Onalaska metropolitan statistical area.

History

The area covered by today's Houston County was first organized as St. Croix County, of the Wisconsin Territory, in 1839. On October 27, 1849, part of that county was partitioned off to create Wabashaw County of the Minnesota Territory. On February 23, 1854, the territorial legislature authorized the partitioning of sections of Wabashaw to create Fillmore County and Houston County. An election on April 4, 1854, allowed the county government to be completed. The county was named for Sam Houston, who had been president of the Republic of Texas and a US senator from Texas. The village of Houston was the first county seat. Then a land speculator made an effort to move the seat to Caledonia, and in 1855 the county board moved the county records to Caledonia, which became the de facto seat, and eventually the legal seat after several county votes. In 1855 the records were stored in the cabin of Commissioner Samuel McPhail; the first court hearings were held in that cabin, and a one-story courthouse and jail was built in Caledonia in 1857. A two-story building was built in Caledonia in 1867, and several referendums made Caledonia the county seat by 1874. From that point on, Caledonia prospered and Houston slowly declined. The only other area of prominence was La Crescent, which benefited from its connection to La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Geography

Houston County is at Minnesota's southeast corner. Its eastern border abuts Wisconsin (across the Mississippi River) and its southern border abuts Iowa. The Mississippi flows south-southeast along its eastern border. The Root River flows east through the northern part of the county, discharging into the Mississippi. Pine Creek flows east-southeast through the northeastern part of the county to discharge into the Mississippi, while Crooked Creek flows east across the southern part of the county to discharge into the Mississippi. The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills on its western end, transitioning to hills carved with drainages toward the east. The central and western portion of the county is a plateau with its highest point at 1,273 ft (388 m) ASL, near its southwest corner. The county has a total area of 569 square miles (1,470 km), of which 552 square miles (1,430 km) is land and 17 square miles (44 km) (2.9%) is water.

Driftless scenery in Houston County

The county is in the Driftless Zone, marked by the absence of glacial drift and presence of bedrock cut by streams into steep hills. The plateau that surrounds Caledonia includes flat, fertile farm land and hilly, verdant pasture land.

Soils of Houston County
Soils of Beaver Creek Valley State Park neighborhood

Lakes

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge runs along the county's eastern border. Four lakes in the refuge fall within the county:

  • Blue Lake
  • Hayshore Lake
  • Lawrence Lake
  • Target Lake

Adjacent counties

Protected areas

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18606,645—
187014,936124.8%
188016,3329.3%
189014,653−10.3%
190015,4005.1%
191014,297−7.2%
192014,013−2.0%
193013,845−1.2%
194014,7356.4%
195014,435−2.0%
196016,58814.9%
197017,5565.8%
198018,3824.7%
199018,4970.6%
200019,7186.6%
201019,027−3.5%
202018,843−1.0%
2023 (est.)18,582−1.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 Census

Houston County Racial Composition
Race Num. Perc.
White (NH) 17,840 94.7%
Black or African American (NH) 90 0.5%
Native American (NH) 42 0.22%
Asian (NH) 101 0.54%
Pacific Islander (NH) 4 0.02%
Other/Mixed (NH) 523 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino 243 1.3%

2000 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Houston County, from ACS 5-year estimates

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,718 people, 7,633 households and 5,411 families in the county. The population density was 35.7 per square mile (13.8/km). There were 8,168 housing units at an average density of 14.8 per square mile (5.7/km). The racial makeup of the county was 98.47% White, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. 0.61% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.1% were of German, 29.6% Norwegian and 7.5% Irish ancestry.

There were 7,633 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.05.

The county population contained 27.2% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median household income was $40,680 and the median family income was $49,196. Males had a median income of $32,557 and females $22,158. The per capita income was $18,826. About 4.2% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Transit

Major highways

Airport

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Government and politics

Houston County voters have tended to vote Republican in the 21st century. As of 2020 the county had selected the Republican candidate in 67% of presidential elections since 1980.

United States presidential election results for Houston County, Minnesota
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 6,334 55.37% 4,853 42.42% 253 2.21%
2016 5,616 52.96% 4,145 39.09% 843 7.95%
2012 4,951 47.40% 5,281 50.56% 214 2.05%
2008 4,743 43.58% 5,906 54.27% 234 2.15%
2004 5,631 50.81% 5,276 47.61% 175 1.58%
2000 5,077 49.94% 4,502 44.28% 588 5.78%
1996 3,674 38.88% 4,153 43.95% 1,623 17.17%
1992 3,853 36.87% 3,744 35.82% 2,854 27.31%
1988 4,777 54.13% 3,936 44.60% 112 1.27%
1984 5,645 61.06% 3,512 37.99% 88 0.95%
1980 5,582 58.88% 3,218 33.94% 681 7.18%
1976 4,853 54.37% 3,861 43.26% 212 2.38%
1972 5,186 66.57% 2,467 31.67% 137 1.76%
1968 4,450 57.94% 2,703 35.19% 528 6.87%
1964 3,433 46.86% 3,885 53.03% 8 0.11%
1960 4,807 60.93% 3,080 39.04% 3 0.04%
1956 4,538 67.93% 2,133 31.93% 9 0.13%
1952 5,365 74.28% 1,830 25.34% 28 0.39%
1948 3,540 56.81% 2,623 42.10% 68 1.09%
1944 4,036 68.31% 1,847 31.26% 25 0.42%
1940 4,825 69.48% 2,082 29.98% 37 0.53%
1936 2,701 44.28% 3,156 51.74% 243 3.98%
1932 2,335 42.63% 3,052 55.71% 91 1.66%
1928 3,615 64.87% 1,937 34.76% 21 0.38%
1924 2,782 53.58% 402 7.74% 2,008 38.67%
1920 4,101 85.67% 598 12.49% 88 1.84%
1916 1,783 69.08% 744 28.83% 54 2.09%
1912 659 23.75% 762 27.46% 1,354 48.79%
1908 1,700 67.35% 745 29.52% 79 3.13%
1904 1,546 76.12% 434 21.37% 51 2.51%
1900 1,765 64.58% 884 32.35% 84 3.07%
1896 2,087 65.92% 991 31.30% 88 2.78%
1892 1,509 50.13% 1,243 41.30% 258 8.57%
County Board of Commissioners
Position Name District Next election
Commissioner Dewey Severson 1 2024
Commissioner Eric Johnson 2 2026
Commissioner Bob Burns 3 2024
Commissioner Bob Schuldt 4 2026
Commissioner Greg Myhre 5 2024
State Legislature (2021–2023)
Position Name Affiliation District
Senate Jeremy Miller Republican District 26
House of Representatives Greg Davids Republican District 26B
U.S Congress (2021–2023)
Position Name Affiliation District
House of Representatives Brad Finstad Republican 1st
Senate Amy Klobuchar Democrat N/A
Senate Tina Smith Democrat

Education

School districts include:

See also