Murray County, Minnesota
Murray County Government Center in Slayton, Minnesota
Location in the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location in the U.S.
Founded	May 23, 1857 (created) 1872 (organized)[1]
Named for	William Pitt Murray, who served in various positions within government
Seat	Slayton
Largest city	Slayton
Area
• Total	720 sq mi (1,865 km2)
• Land	705 sq mi (1,826 km2)
• Water	15 sq mi (39 km2), 2.1%
Population (est.)
• (2016)	8,329
• Density	12/sq mi (5/km2)
Congressional district	7th
Time zone	Central: UTC−6/−5
Website	www.murray-countymn.com

Murray County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 8,725 at the 2010 census.^[2] Its county seat is Slayton.^[3] The county was formed in 1857 and organized in 1872.

History[edit]

During the 1880s, there was a "war" to decide whether Currie or Slayton would be the county seat.^[4]

In the history of record keeping, Minnesota has been struck by two F-5 tornadoes, and both occurred in Murray County: the Chandler-Lake Wilson Tornado (June 16, 1992) and the Tracy Tornado (June 13, 1968) that began in Murray County before crossing north into Lyon County.

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 720 square miles (1,900 km²), of which 705 square miles (1,830 km²) is land and 15 square miles (39 km²) (2.1%) is water.^[5] The Mississippi-Missouri watershed divide runs through the western part of the county, near Chandler, along what is locally known as Buffalo Ridge. The highest point is in Chanarambie Township, over 1920 feet above sea level.^[6]

Soils of Murray County ^[7]

Soils of Lake Shetek State Park area

Lakes[edit]

• 
  Bear Lake (drained): in Lowville Township, Minnesota
  


• Bloody Lake: in Shetek Township
  


• Buffalo Lake: the extreme western edge of the lake is in Murray Township; most of the lake is in Dovray Township
  


• Corabelle Lake: in Iona Township
  


• Current Lake: western half is in Ellsborough Township; eastern half is in Skandia Township
  


• Fox Lake: in Shetek Township
  


• Fulda First Lake: in Bondin Township
  


• Iron Lake: in Skandia Township
  


• Julia Lake: mostly in Dovray Township; a small part of the lake extends eastward into Cottonwood County
  


• Lake Louisa: in Des Moines River Township
  


• Lake Maria: in Lake Sarah Township
  


• Lake Sarah: in Lake Sarah Township
  


• 
  Lake Shetek: the northwest part is in Lake Sarah Township; the northeast part is in Shetek Township; the southeast part is in Murray Township; the southwest part is in Mason Township;


• Lake Wilson: in Leeds Township
  


• Lime Lake: in Lime Lake Township, formerly known as Lizzard Lake and Lake St. Rose^[8]


• Long Lake: southern tip extends into Lake Sarah Township; mostly in Lyon County
  


• North Badger Lake: in Iona Township
  


• Round Lake: in Shetek Township
  


• Smith Lake: in Murray Township
  


• South Badger Lake: in Iona Township
  


• Summit Lake: in Leeds Township
  


• Talcot Lake: small part of the western part of the lake is in Belfast Township; it is mostly in Cottonwood County
  

Major highways[edit]

• 
  U.S. Highway 59
  


• 
  Minnesota State Highway 30
  


• 
  Minnesota State Highway 62
  


• 
  Minnesota State Highway 91
  


• 
  Minnesota State Highway 267
  

Adjacent counties[edit]

• 
  Lyon County (north)


• 
  Redwood County (northeast)


• 
  Cottonwood County (east)


• 
  Nobles County (south)


• 
  Rock County (southwest)


• 
  Pipestone County (west)

Demographics[edit]

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 U.S. census data

As of the 2000 census,^[14] there were 9,165 people, 3,722 households, and 2,601 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile (5/km²). There were 4,357 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.34% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 47.3% were of German, 12.9% Norwegian, 12.5% Dutch and 5.1% Swedish ancestry.

There were 3,722 households out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.50% were married couples living together, 4.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.00% under the age of 18, 5.90% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 21.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,966, and the median income for a family was $40,893. Males had a median income of $27,101 versus $19,636 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,936. About 6.30% of families and 8.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 9.40% of those age 65 or over.

Communities[edit]

Cities[edit]

Townships[edit]

Census-designated place[edit]

• The Lakes

Unincorporated communities[edit]

• Current Lake


• Lime Creek


• Lowville


• Owanka


• Wirock

Politics[edit]

See also[edit]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Murray County, Minnesota

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Murray County government's website

Coordinates: 44°01′N 95°46′W / 44.02°N 95.76°W / 44.02; -95.76