Mille Lacs County ( ) is a county in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,459. Its county seat is Milaca. The county was founded in 1857, and its boundary was expanded in 1860.
Mille Lacs County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area.
A portion of the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation is in the county.
Etymology
The name Mille Lacs, meaning "thousand lakes" in French, was associated with Mille Lacs Lake in the region. (Its full name in French was Grand lac du pays des mille lacs.) This is the largest lake in the Brainerd Lakes Area, which French colonists and traders called the "Region of the Thousand Lakes" (Pays des mille lacs).
History
The US legislature established the Wisconsin Territory effective July 3, 1836. It existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood (as Wisconsin) in 1848. The federal government set up the Minnesota Territory from the remaining territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. On May 23, 1857, one of those original counties, Benton, had its eastern portion partitioned off to create Mille Lacs County. The original county consisted of the portion of the contemporary Mille Lacs County east of the west branch of the Rum River and two townships now part of Isanti County, adjacent to Mille Lacs County. In 1858 the 12 townships forming the contemporary southern 10 townships of Mille Lacs County and the two northwestern townships in Isanti County were organized apart from Benton and Mille Lacs Counties to form Monroe County, leaving the northern "Square Top-knot" as Mille Lacs County. In 1860, Monroe and Mille Lacs Counties merged. Shortly thereafter, the two southeastern townships were transferred to Isanti County, forming the county's present boundaries.
Geography
The Rum River flows south through the county, originating from Mille Lacs Lake. It is joined by the West Branch of the Rum River, which rises in northwest Mille Lacs County and flows south-southeast to its confluence with the Rum at Princeton. The county terrain consists of wooded rolling hills, carved by drainages, with open areas devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and east, with its highest point at from the southwest shoreline of Mille Lacs Lake, in Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. A hill there measures ASL.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (16%) is water.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 169
Minnesota State Highway 18
Minnesota State Highway 23
Minnesota State Highway 27
Minnesota State Highway 47
Minnesota State Highway 95
Airports
Milaca Municipal Airport (18Y) - northeast of Milaca
Princeton Municipal Airport (PNM) - southwest of Princeton
Adjacent counties
Aitkin County - north
Kanabec County - northeast
Isanti County - southeast
Sherburne County - south
Benton County - southwest
Morrison County - west
Crow Wing County - northwest
Protected areas
Father Hennepin State Park
Four Brooks State Wildlife Management Area (part) Kunkel State Wildlife Management Area Mille Lacs Kathio State Park Mille Lacs National Wildlife Refuge Mille Lacs State Wildlife Management Area Rum River State Forest Solana State Forest (part)
Demographics
2020 Census
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,330 people, 8,638 households, and 6,003 families in the county. The population density was . There were 10,467 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.55% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 4.68% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. 0.96% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 31.9% were of German, 14.4% Swedish and 14.2% Norwegian ancestry.
There were 8,638 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 25.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.00% 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 3.03.