Otter Tail County, Minnesota


Otter Tail County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,081, and was estimated to be 60,884 in 2024. The county seat and the largest city is Fergus Falls.
Otter Tail County comprises the Fergus Falls micropolitan statistical area. With 1,048 lakes in its borders, Otter Tail County has more lakes than any other county in the United States.

History

Native Americans used the area for hunting and fishing and had permanent dwelling sites. Two Native American tribes were in constant conflict. The Dakota were being pushed from their home area by the Ojibwa during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Burial mounds and artifacts can still be found. Some of the oldest Native American remains were found near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. The remains, nicknamed Minnesota Girl, were dated at about 11,000 BC.
The first European men to enter the county were French and British fur traders. Efforts were made to set up trading posts on the Leaf Lakes and Otter Tail Lake. In the late 19th century, most of the towns were built along the railroad lines. Lumber and agriculture were the major industries in the county at that time. The pine and hardwood forests, transportation system, and markets were instrumental in the development of Fergus Falls into a lumber center. The Wisconsin Territory was established by the federal government effective July 3, 1836, and existed until its eastern portion was granted statehood in 1848. The federal government set up the Minnesota Territory effective March 3, 1849. The newly organized territorial legislature created nine counties across the territory in October of that year. One of those original counties, Dakota, had a section partitioned off in 1851 to create Cass County. On March 18, 1858, the outgoing territorial legislature created Otter Tail County from areas partitioned from Cass and Pembina, another of the original counties created in 1849. The county was named for Otter Tail Lake and the Otter Tail River. The county was not organized in 1858, nor was a county seat specified. On September 12, 1868, the legislature completed the county organization, and specified Otter Tail City as county seat.
Otter Tail City began as a waystation on a fur-trade route between Saint Paul and the Red River valley. The settlement was of sufficient size that when the Minnesota Territory established a US land office for this part of the territory, the office was sited at Otter Tail City. Thus, the city was named as the seat when the county was organized, but people had begun settling the future Fergus Falls area in 1857, and it grew sufficiently that in fall 1872, the vote was taken to move the county seat there. The Northern Pacific Railroad had initially planned to run a line through Otter Tail City, but complications caused the line to be placed in Fergus Falls, which precipitated the county seat move. The Soo Line later made plans to run a line through Otter Tail City, but when townspeople could not agree on the routing, another route east of the city was constructed. Thus, a new city plat was generated, with the settlement name changing to Ottertail.
In 1870, the population of the county was about 2,000. At that time, the principal languages spoken in the county were Norwegian, Swedish, German, and English.
The people of Fergus Falls organized a new county named Holcomb. In 1872, a legislative act abolished Holcomb County, added additional townships to the west, and established Fergus Falls as Otter Tail County's seat.

Early telephone

The Fergus Falls Telephone Exchange Company organized on March 20, 1882, and was in a room at the First National Bank at the corner of Cascade and Lincoln. The system install was very crude. Efforts were made to have telephones installed in the courthouse but commissioners did not feel it was necessary. Eventually a telephone was installed in the auditor's office through a combination of private and public funds. A clerk in the office was tasked with tracking down the officer who was called. The business was sold to the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company in 1883.

Geography

The Otter Tail River flows south and west through the central and western parts of the county on its way to form the Red River in Wilkin County. It is joined by the south-flowing Pelican River west of Fergus Falls. The Leaf River rises in the county and flows east to its confluence with the Crow Wing River in neighboring Wadena County. The Redeye River flows southeast through the county's northeast section toward its confluence with the Leaf in Wadena. The county terrain consists of rolling hills, heavily wooded through its center section, dotted with lakes and ponds, and carved with drainages and gullies. The available area is devoted to agriculture. The county terrain slopes to the west and south. The highest points on the county terrain are at two different locations: Inspiration Peak, at, and Pekan Peak a summit northeast of the village of Urbank in Folden Township, Section 32, at above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the 7th largest county in Minnesota by total area.
Otter Tail is one of 17 Minnesota savanna region counties with more savanna soils than either forest or prairie soils. According to its website, the county contains over 1,000 lakes.

Transportation

Major highways

Source:
  • Aastad State Wildlife Management Area
  • Amor State Wildlife Management Area
  • Bluff Creek State Wildlife Management Area
  • Davies State Wildlife Management Area
  • Dead Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Doran State Wildlife Management Area
  • Eagle Lake State Wildlife Management Area
  • Eastern Township State Wildlife Management Area
  • Elmo State Wildlife Management Area
  • Folden Woods State Wildlife Management Area
  • Glendalough State Park
  • Hi-View State Wildlife Management Area
  • Inman State Wildlife Management Area
  • Inspiration Peak State Wayside Park
  • Jensen Memorial State Wildlife Management Area
  • Maplewood State Park
  • Orwell State Wildlife Management Area
  • Otter Tail Prairie Scientific and Natural Area
  • Prairie Ridge State Wildlife Management Area
  • Valdine State Wildlife Management Area

    Demographics

As of the fourth quarter of 2024, the median home value in Otter Tail County was $270,005.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 25,181 estimated households in Otter Tail County with an average of 2.34 persons per household. The county has a median household income of $70,912. Approximately 10.6% of the county's population lives at or below the poverty line. Otter Tail County has an estimated 61.2% employment rate, with 27.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 94.0% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other.
Otter Tail County, Minnesota – racial and ethnic composition
Race / ethnicity Pop. 1980Pop. 1990Pop. 2000Pop. 2010
White alone 51,468
50,052
55,137
54,244
54,362
Black or African American alone 24
27
160
422
843
Native American or Alaska Native alone 121
226
269
261
284
Asian alone 134
182
250
264
334
Pacific Islander alone ——13
29
17
Other race alone 48
3
5
13
149
Mixed race or multiracial ——368
580
1,876
Hispanic or Latino 142
224
957
1,490
2,216
Total51,937
50,714
57,159
57,303
60,081

2024 estimate

As of the 2024 estimate, there were 60,884 people and 25,181 households residing in the county. There were 36,922 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 95.3% White , 1.6% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, _% from some other races and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.9% of the population.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 60,081. The median age was 46.2 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.9% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 100.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.4% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.8% from some other race, and 4.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 3.7% of the population.
22.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 77.9% lived in rural areas.
There were 25,123 households in the county, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 54.3% were married-couple households, 18.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 20.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 36,506 housing units, of which 31.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 78.2% were owner-occupied and 21.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.7%.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 57,303 people, 24,055 households, and _ families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 35,594 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 96.12% White, 0.75% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from some other races and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.60% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 57,159 people, 22,671 households, and 15,779 families in the county. The population density was. There were 33,862 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.11% White, 0.29% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from some other races and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.67% of the population.
In terms of ancestry, 35.5% were of German and 31.2% Norwegian.
There were 22,671 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.98.
The county population contained 24.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $35,395, and the median income for a family was $42,740. Males had a median income of $30,151 versus $20,930 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,014. About 6.7% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.1% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Otter Tail is a Republican stronghold in U.S. presidential elections, having voted for the party's candidates in every election since 1936. The only Democrats to win the county since Minnesota became a state in 1858 have been Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first election victory, and unsuccessful candidate William Jennings Bryan in 1896.
During the Great Depression, there was a communist faction within the county. The areas where the movement was centered are quite desolate today, but in mid-1932 over 900 people were involved in one of the state's communist organizations at what was a historic low point for farmers. The members of the communist party were very active in the New York Mills area of Newton, Leaf Lake, Blowers, Deer Creek and Paddock Townships. They held meetings, recruited members, placed candidates on local and state tickets, and distributed propaganda. They held dances in Heinola, Menahga, and Sebeka where the Soviet hammer and sickle was proudly displayed and ran a summer camp on East Leaf Lake.
By the time Franklin Roosevelt implemented his New Deal programs in the county, the communist movement began to lose steam. In addition, the Winter War in Europe between Finland and the U.S.S.R. soured many Finnish immigrants on communism. Carl Peltoniemi, a former local communist, said, "The communist movement within the Finnish community basically ended at the start of the Winter War in 1939–1940."
In the Minnesota House of Representatives, Otter Tail County is divided into two districts, 8A and 8B. They are represented by Republicans Bud Nornes and Mary Franson. Districts 8A and 8B make up Minnesota State Senate district 8, which is represented by Republican State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen.

Communities

Cities

School districts include: