Rock County
County
Rock County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°40′N 96°15′W / 43.67°N 96.25°W / 43.67; -96.25
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	May 23, 1857 (created) March 5, 1870 (organized)
Named for	Rock outcrop on Rock River
Seat	Luverne
Largest city	Luverne
Area
• Total	483 sq mi (1,250 km2)
• Land	482 sq mi (1,250 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2)  0.06%
Population  (2020)
• Total	9,704
• Estimate  (2023)	9,551
• Density	20.1/sq mi (7.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	1st
Website	www.co.rock.mn.us

Rock County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Minnesota. According to the 2020 census, its population was 9,704.^[1] The county seat is Luverne.^[2] It is located within the Sioux Falls MSA.

History

The county was established on May 23, 1857, by an act of the territorial legislature, although it was not organized at that time. Originally, the area was designated as Pipestone County, and the name Rock County was given to what is now Pipestone County. However, in 1862, the Minnesota state legislature changed the designations, assigning the present names to the respective counties. On March 5, 1870, the state legislature passed an act that finalized the organization of Rock County and designated Luverne as its county seat. The county derived its name from the Rock River, which was named after a prominent rocky outcrop referred to as "The Rock" on an 1843 map of the area. This outcrop is composed of reddish-gray quartzite and is located approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Luverne. The mound stands out dramatically amidst the surrounding low prairie.^[3] Another source suggests that the county's name is attributed to its rocky soil.^[4]

Geography

Rock County is located at the southwestern corner of Minnesota. Its western border shares a boundary with the eastern border of South Dakota, while its southern border is adjacent to the northern border of Iowa. The county is characterized by the flow of the Rock River, which runs southward through its east central part, and Beaver Creek, which flows southward through its west central region. The landscape primarily consists of low rolling hills with various drainages. The county's predominant land use is agriculture.^[5] The terrain gradually slopes southward, with the highest point situated near the midpoint of the county's northern boundary, reaching an elevation of 1,759 ft (536 m) above sea level.^[6] Rock County spans an area of 483 square miles (1,250 km²), of which 482 square miles (1,250 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (0.06%) is water.^[7] The entire county falls within the hot summer humid continental climate zone (Dfa).

Lakes

One of Minnesota's nicknames is "Land of 10,000 Lakes", and it is speckled with bodies of water large and small. But four of the state's counties do not contain a natural lake; Rock County is one of them.^[9] Rock County did host a manmade lake from 1938 until 2014: a WPA work project constructed a small dam (the "Lower Dam") on Blue Mounds Creek in 1938, creating a small lake in Blue Mounds State Park. This continued until June 2014, when the dam was damaged by rain and floodwaters, allowing the pond to drain.^[10] In June 2016 the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced its decision not to rebuild the dam.^[11]

Major highways

Adjacent counties^[6]6">edit

Protected areas^[5]edit

• Blue Mounds State Park
• Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographicsedit

2020 censusedit

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2000 censusedit

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,721 people, 3,843 households, and 2,705 families in the county. The population density was 20.2 per square mile (7.8/km²). There were 4,137 housing units at an average density of 8.58 per square mile (3.31/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.27% White, 0.53% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 41.4% were of German, 23.8% Dutch and 16.5% Norwegian ancestry.

There were 3,843 households, out of which 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples living together, 5.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.60% were non-families. 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.01.

The county population contained 26.30% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 24.10% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 20.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,102, and the median income for a family was $44,296. Males had a median income of $28,776 versus $22,166 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,411. About 5.50% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.10% of those under age 18 and 8.90% of those age 65 or over.

Communitiesedit

Citiesedit

Unincorporated communitiesedit

• Ash Creek
• Kanaranzi
• Manley

Ghost townsedit

• Bruce
• Carnegie

Townshipsedit

In popular cultureedit

Much of the second season of Fargo is set in Luverne and Rock County.

Government and politicsedit

National politicsedit

Rock County traditionally votes Republican. In no presidential election since 1964 has it selected the Democratic candidate. Along with its northern neighbor Pipestone County, it was one of only two Minnesota counties Amy Klobuchar did not win in her 2012 Senate race.^[25]