Carver County, Minnesota

Carver County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 91,042.[2] Its county seat is Chaska.[3] Carver County is named for explorer Jonathan Carver, who in 1766–67, traveled from Boston to the Minnesota River, and wintered among the Sioux near the site of New Ulm.[4] Carver County is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Carver County
U.S. county
Carver County Sheriff's Office and Justice Center in Chaska, Minnesota
Location within the U.S. state of Minnesota
Minnesota's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 44°49′N 93°48′W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Founded	February 20, 1855[1]
Named for	Jonathan Carver
Seat	Chaska
Largest city	Chaska
Area
• Total	376 sq mi (970 km^2)
• Land	354 sq mi (920 km^2)
• Water	22 sq mi (60 km^2)  5.8%%
Population  (2010)
• Total	91,042
• Estimate  (2019)	105,089
• Density	288/sq mi (111/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	3rd, 6th
Website	www.co.carver.mn.us

Geography

The Minnesota River flows east-northeasterly along the county's southern border. The South Fork of the Crow River flows northeasterly through the upper western and central portions of the county. Carver Creek flows southeasterly from the county's central area, discharging into the Minnesota at the county's southern border. The terrain consists of low rolling hills, dotted with lakes in the eastern portion. The area is devoted to agriculture.[5]

Soils of Carver County[6]

The terrain slopes to the east and south, with its northwest corner at 1,024' (312m) ASL.[7] A small hill 1.6 miles (2.6 km) northeast of Miller Lake[5] rises to 1,080' (329m) ASL, for the county's highest point.[8]

The county has a total area of 376 square miles (970 km²), of which 354 square miles (920 km²) is land and 22 square miles (57 km²) (5.8%) is water.[9] It is Minnesota's second-smallest county by land area and third-smallest by total area.

Carver is one of seven southern Minnesota counties with no forest soils; only prairie ecosystems of savannas and prairies can be found in Carver County. It is also one of 17 Minnesota counties where savanna soils dominate.

Lakes

Carver County is home to seven lakes of 235 acres or larger. The largest is Lake Waconia, Minnesota's 73rd largest lake and the Twin Cities' second largest lake, with an area of 2,996 acres.[10]

Lake Waconia

Township	Lakes
Benton Township	Barlous Lake, Benton Lake, Maria Lake, Meuwissen Lake, Myers Lake, Rice Lake, Winkler Lake
Camden Township	Berliner Lake, Eagle Lake, Smith Lake
Dahlgren Township	Aue Lake
Hancock Township	Assumption Lake, Gaystock Lake, Maria Lake, Miller Lake,
Hollywood Township	Lippert Lake
Laketown Township	Carl Krey Lake, Lake Auburn, Lake Virginia, Lake Waconia, Lake Zumbra, Lunsten Lake, Marsh Lake, Parley Lake, Piersons Lake, Reitz Lake, Schutz Lake, Stieger Lake, Sunny Lake, Turbid Lake, Wasserman Lake, Lake Bavaria
San Francisco Township	Hallquist Lake, Kelly Lake, Long Lake, Scott Lake,
Waconia Township	Burandt Lake, Donders Lake, Goose Lake, Hydes Lake, Lake Minnewashta, Lake Patterson, Lake Waconia, Rutz Lake, Swan Lake
Watertown Township	Buck Lake, Goose Lake, Lippert Lake, Mud Lake, Oak Lake, Swede Lake
Young America Township	Barnes Lake, Brand Lake, Braunworth Lake, Tiger Lake, Young America Lake

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 212
• Minnesota State Highway 5
• Minnesota State Highway 7
• Minnesota State Highway 25
• Minnesota State Highway 41
• Minnesota State Highway 284
• Carver County Road 10
• Carver County Road 11
• Carver County Road 33
• Other county roads

Soils of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum area

Adjacent counties

• Wright County – north
• Hennepin County – northeast
• Scott County – southeast
• Sibley County – southwest
• McLeod County – west

Protected areas[5]

• Assumption State Wildlife Management Area
• Carver Park Preserve
• Gravel Pit State Wildlife Management Area
• Lake Minnewashta Regional Park
• Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
• Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area (part)
• Waconia State Wildlife Management Area

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Chaska have ranged from a low of 4 °F (−16 °C) in January to a high of 81 °F (27 °C) in July, although a record low of −41 °F (−41 °C) was recorded in January 1970 and a record high of 105 °F (41 °C) was recorded in July 1988. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 0.66 inches (17 mm) in February to 5.05 inches (128 mm) in August.[11]

Climate chart for Carver County, Minnesota

Chaska, Minnesota Climate chart (explanation) J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.7     22 4     0.7     28 9     1.7     40 21     2.5     57 34     3.7     69 46     4.6     78 56     3.5     81 60     5.1     78 58     3.4     71 49     2.5     58 36     1.6     41 23     1     26 8 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches Source: The Weather Channel[11] Metric conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     19     −6 −16     17     −2 −13     44     4 −6     64     14 1     94     21 8     118     26 13     89     27 16     128     26 14     87     22 9     63     14 2     42     5 −5     24     −3 −13 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	5,106		—
1870	11,586		126.9%
1880	14,140		22.0%
1890	16,532		16.9%
1900	17,544		6.1%
1910	17,455		−0.5%
1920	16,946		−2.9%
1930	16,936		−0.1%
1940	17,606		4.0%
1950	18,155		3.1%
1960	21,358		17.6%
1970	28,331		32.6%
1980	37,046		30.8%
1990	47,915		29.3%
2000	70,205		46.5%
2010	91,042		29.7%
Est. 2019	105,089	[12]	15.4%
US Decennial Census[13] 1790–1960[14] 1900–1990[15] 1990–2000[16] 2010–2019[2]

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

2010

The ethnic makeup of the county, according to the 2010 census, was the following:

• 93.7% White
• 1.5% Black
• 0.3% American Indian
• 2.9% Asian
• 0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 1.6% Two or more races
• 0.3% Other races
• 4.1% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

There were 33,486 households out of which 42.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.22.

The median income for a household in the county was $83,773, and the median income for a family was $96,913. Males had a median income of $66,150 versus $46,696 for females. The per capita income for the county was $37,457. About 3.3% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.[17]

2000

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 70,205 people, 24,356 households, and 18,778 families in the county. The population density was 198/sqmi (76.6/km²). There were 24,883 housing units at an average density of 70.3/sqmi (27.1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.95% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 2.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 44.3% were of German, 12.1% Norwegian, 7.1% Irish and 6.2% Swedish ancestry.

There were 24,356 households out of which 45.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.40% were married couples living together, 7.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.90% were non-families. 18.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.26.

The county population contained 31.50% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 34.70% from 25 to 44, 19.50% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $65,540, and the median income for a family was $73,577 (these figures had risen to $78,035 and $89,100 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $47,271 versus $32,107 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,486. About 2.30% of families and 3.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.60% of those under age 18 and 6.90% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Government

Like all counties in Minnesota, Carver is governed by an elected and nonpartisan board of commissioners. Each commissioner represents a district of approximately equal population.

County commissioners

The county commission elects a chair who presides at meetings. Commissioners as of November 2018:[18]

District	Commissioner	In office since	Next election	Area served
1st	Gayle O. Degler (Vice Chair)	2002	2020	Chaska, Chanhassen
2nd	Tom Workman	2002	2022	Chanhassen, Victoria
3rd	Randy Maluchnik	2006	2020	Chaska, Victoria
4th	Tim Lynch	2004	2022	Hollywood Twp, Watertown Twp, Waconia Twp, Mayer, Waconia, Watertown
5th	James Ische (Chairperson)	1996	2020	Benton Twp, Camden Twp, Dalgren Twp, Hancock Twp, Laketown Twp, San Francisco Twp, Young America Twp, Carver, Cologne, Hamburg, New Germany, Norwood Young America

Politics

As Carver County becomes more suburban and less rural in character, with 90% of its residents now living in its cities, it is becoming more of a battleground territory, especially in the eastern half of the county and in its two largest cities, Chaska and Chanhassen. Traditionally, the county has tended to vote for Republicans. Since World War II, the county has never voted for a Democratic candidate for president. The last time Carver County voted for a Democrat was in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt's landslide win against incumbent Herbert Hoover,[19] and the only other occurrence since 1896 was Woodrow Wilson in 1912, when the Republicans were bitterly divided. Since 1944, the only time Carver County voted for a non-Republican candidate in a gubernatorial race was in 1998, Jesse Ventura’s historic third party upset.[20]

Carver County is divided into two congressional districts. The eastern area, adjacent to Hennepin County and Scott County, is represented by Minnesota's 3rd congressional district (CPVI D+1); the remainder of the county is represented by Minnesota's 6th congressional district (CPVI R+12).

Presidential election results

Presidential elections results[21]

Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2016	52.2% 29,056	38.6% 21,508	9.2% 5,132
2012	58.9% 31,155	39.2% 20,745	1.9% 999
2008	56.7% 28,156	41.6% 20,654	1.8% 873
2004	62.8% 28,510	36.2% 16,456	1.0% 445
2000	59.4% 20,790	35.6% 12,462	5.1% 1,769
1996	44.0% 12,380	41.0% 11,554	15.0% 4,234
1992	38.3% 10,201	31.4% 8,349	30.3% 8,054
1988	59.2% 12,560	39.8% 8,439	1.1% 229
1984	63.6% 11,963	35.8% 6,725	0.6% 121
1980	53.6% 9,909	35.8% 6,621	10.6% 1,951
1976	50.2% 8,199	46.3% 7,574	3.5% 574
1972	61.5% 8,546	34.9% 4,852	3.7% 507
1968	56.4% 6,649	39.0% 4,590	4.6% 541
1964	51.4% 5,424	48.5% 5,123	0.1% 11
1960	60.9% 6,231	38.9% 3,982	0.1% 14
1956	72.5% 6,226	27.2% 2,334	0.3% 29
1952	75.4% 6,674	24.4% 2,159	0.2% 15
1948	61.2% 4,582	37.6% 2,816	1.1% 84
1944	78.4% 5,823	21.1% 1,565	0.5% 39
1940	78.6% 6,528	21.1% 1,753	0.3% 22
1936	42.4% 3,095	38.6% 2,814	19.0% 1,383
1932	36.3% 2,508	62.7% 4,328	1.0% 66
1928	57.7% 3,983	41.8% 2,885	0.5% 33
1924	40.2% 2,214	6.5% 358	53.3% 2,936
1920	87.3% 5,073	9.7% 562	3.0% 175
1916	65.6% 1,950	32.3% 960	2.2% 64
1912	26.9% 742	36.5% 1,008	36.6% 1,012[22]
1908	60.0% 1,739	38.0% 1,101	2.0% 57
1904	70.4% 1,735	27.3% 672	2.3% 56
1900	59.5% 1,775	38.4% 1,146	2.0% 60
1896	58.3% 1,856	39.8% 1,268	2.0% 62
1892	40.4% 1,191	49.5% 1,462	10.1% 299

State Legislature (2018–2020)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	Senate	David Osmek[23]	Republican	District 33
	Senate	Scott Jensen[24]	Republican	District 47
	House of Representatives	Kelly Morrison[25]	Democrat	District 33B
	House of Representatives	Jim Nash[26]	Republican	District 47A
	House of Representatives	Greg Boe[27]	Republican	District 47B

U.S Congress (2018–2020)

Position		Name	Affiliation	District
	House of Representatives	Dean Phillips[28]	Democrat	3rd
	House of Representatives	Tom Emmer[29]	Republican	6th
	Senate	Amy Klobuchar[30]	Democrat	N/A
	Senate	Tina Smith[31]	Democrat	N/A

Communities

Cities

• Carver
• Chanhassen
• Chaska
• Cologne
• Hamburg
• Mayer
• New Germany
• Norwood Young America
• Victoria
• Waconia
• Watertown

Unincorporated communities[5]

• Assumption
• Augusta
• Bongards
• Coney Island
• Crown College
• Dahlgren
• East Union
• Gotha
• Hazelton
• Hollywood
• Maple
• Oster
• San Francisco (ghost town)

Townships

• Benton Township
• Camden Township
• Dahlgren Township
• Hancock Township
• Hollywood Township
• Laketown Township
• San Francisco Township
• Waconia Township
• Watertown Township
• Young America Township

Notable residents

• Abigail and Brittany Hensel
• Prince (musician)
• Wendelin Grimm
• Steve Strachan (sheriff)

See also

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

References

1. "Minnesota Place Names". Minnesota Historical Society. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
2. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 70.
5. Carver County MN Google Maps (accessed 6 March 2019)
6. Nelson, Steven (2011). Savanna Soils of Minnesota. Minnesota: Self. pp. 49–52. ISBN 978-0-615-50320-2.
7. ""Find an Altitude/Carver County MN" Google Maps (accessed 6 March 2019)". Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
8. Carver County High Point, Minnesota. PeakBagger.com (accessed May 5, 2019)
9. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". US Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
10. "Fisheries Lake Surveys – MN Dept of Natural Resources". www.dnr.state.mn.us. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
11. "Monthly Averages for Chaska MN". The Weather Channel. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
12. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved March 26, 2020.
13. "US Decennial Census". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
14. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
15. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
16. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). US Census Bureau. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
18. Carver County Board of Commissioners (accessed 6 March 2019)
19. Sullivan, Robert David; ‘How the Red and Blue Map Evolved Over the Past Century’; America Magazine in The National Catholic Review; June 29, 2016
20. "Election Results – Minnesota Legislative Reference Library". www.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
21. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
22. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 933 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 41 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 30 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 8 votes.
23. "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
24. "MN State Senate". www.senate.mn. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
25. "Rep. Kelly Morrison (33B) – Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
26. "Rep. Jim Nash (47A) – Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
27. "Rep. Greg Boe (47B) – Minnesota House of Representatives". www.house.leg.state.mn.us. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
28. "Representative Dean Phillips". Representative Dean Phillips. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
29. "Congressman Tom Emmer". Congressman Tom Emmer. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
30. "U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar". www.klobuchar.senate.gov. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
31. "Home". Senator Tina Smith. Retrieved June 24, 2020.

External links

• Carver County government’s website
• Macaroni Kid Carver – family friendly events newsletter