Hennepin County, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hennepin County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota |
|
 Minnesota's location in the USA |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | March 6, 1852 [1] |
|---|---|
| Seat | Minneapolis |
| Largest City | Minneapolis |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
606 sq mi (1,571 km²) 557 sq mi (1,442 km²) 50 sq mi (129 km²), 8.21% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
1,116,200 2,005/sq mi (774/km²) |
| Time zone | Central : UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.hennepin.us | |
| Named for: Louis Hennepin, a Franciscan missionary, explorer, and author. | |
Hennepin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, named in honor of the 17th-century French explorer Father Louis Hennepin. As of 2000 the population was 1,116,200. Its county seat is Minneapolis6. It is by far the most populous county in Minnesota; more than one in five Minnesotans live in Hennepin County. The center of population of Minnesota is located in Hennepin County, in the city of Rogers [2].
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[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,571 km² (606 mi²). 1,442 km² (557 mi²) of it is land and 129 km² (50 mi²) of it (8.21%) is water. The highest waterfall on the Mississippi River, the Saint Anthony Falls, discovered by Louis Hennepin, is in Hennepin County next to downtown Minneapolis, but in the 19th century, the falls were converted to a series of dams. Barges and boats now pass through locks to move between the parts of the river above and below the dams.
[edit] Major Highways
[edit] Adjacent counties
- Anoka County (northeast)
- Ramsey County (east)
- Dakota County (southeast)
- Scott County (south)
- Carver County (southwest)
- Wright County (northwest)
[edit] Governance
Like all counties in Minnesota, Hennepin is governed by an elected and nonpartisan board of commissioners. In Minnesota, county commissions usually have five members, but Hennepin, Ramsey, and St Louis counties have seven members. Each commissioner represents a district of equal population. In Hennepin the county commission appoints the medical examiner, county auditor-treasurer and recorder. The sheriff and county attorney are also elected on a nonpartisan ticket. The county government's headquarters are in downtown Minneapolis in the Hennepin County Government Center.
The county commission elects a chair who presides at meetings. Commissioners as of November 2006
| District | Commissioner | In office since | Current term expires in January |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mike Opat | 1993 | 2011 |
| 2nd | Mark Stenglein | 1997 | 2011 |
| 3rd | Gail Dorfman | 1999 | 2011 |
| 4th | Peter McLaughlin | 1991 | 2011 |
| 5th | Randy Johnson (chair) | 1979 | 2009 |
| 6th | Linda Koblick | 2003 | 2009 |
| 7th | Penny Steele | 1995 | 2009 |
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 1,116,200 people, 456,129 households, and 267,291 families residing in the county. The population density was 774/km² (2,005/mi²). There were 468,824 housing units at an average density of 325/km² (842/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.53% White, 8.95% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 4.80% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.06% from other races, and 2.60% from two or more races. 4.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 456,129 households out of which 28.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.30% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.40% were non-families. 31.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 9.70% from 18 to 24, 33.70% from 25 to 44, 21.70% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $51,711, and the median income for a family was $65,985. Males had a median income of $42,466 versus $32,400 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,789. About 5.00% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.50% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.
In May 2005, Hennepin County enacted a county-wide indoor smoking ban. Bar business depressed over the short run, as smokers went into neighboring counties to light up, but has since returned closer to normal, especially in the downtown Minneapolis clubs that are among the most popular live music venues in the state. In December, to great controversy, county officials responded to lobbying efforts from bar owners and returned smoking to bars (outside of Minneapolis, Bloomington and Golden Valley, which have smoking bans independent of the county's).
[edit] Stadium tax without referendum
In August of 2006, the Board voted 4-3 to levy a 0.15% sales tax within the County to fund the majority of the cost for a baseball stadium for the Minnesota Twins. Legislation passed by the Minnesota Legislature in the waning hours of the 2005-2006 session, and signed by Governor Tim Pawlenty, authorized the County to levy the tax without a voter referendum. This was the first such waiver granted since the establishment of a state law in 1997 mandating a voter referendum on a county sales tax increases unless the state legislature grants a waiver. The tax will be in effect for 30 years, with clauses allowing it to be increased by the County Board. Randy Johnson, Chairman of the Hennepin County Board, said that he was elected by the voters to make such a decision for them and if the voters didn't like it they, the voters, should "elect someone else."
[edit] Cities and towns
| Cities | Townships | Unorganized | |
|---|---|---|---|
† While mostly in Hennepin County, the city extends beyond the county border.
‡ Located in another county, but a part of the city extends into Hennepin County.
