Beltrami County, Minnesota

Beltrami County's southwest corner is considered part of the headwaters of the Mississippi River, which flows easterly and northeasterly from Lake Itasca through the southern part of the county. Much of the middle and upper county is taken up with the two sections of Red Lake. The county terrain consists of rolling low tree-covered hills, dotted with lakes and ponds. The terrain slopes to the east and north. Its highest point is a small hill northwest of Wolf Lake, at ASL; otherwise the terrain high point is near its southwest corner, at ASL. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (18%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Minnesota by area. Major highways • U.S. Highway 2 • U.S. Highway 71 • Minnesota State Highway 1 • Minnesota State Highway 72 • Minnesota State Highway 89 • Minnesota State Highway 197 Adjacent counties • Lake of the Woods County - north • Koochiching County - northeast • Itasca County - east • Cass County - southeast • Hubbard County - south • Clearwater County - southwest • Pennington County - west • Marshall County - west • Roseau County - northwest Protected areas • Bagley Lake State Wildlife Management Area (part) • Buena Vista State Forest • Chippewa National Forest (part) • Lake Bemidji State Park • Long Lake State Wildlife Management Area • Mississippi Headwaters State Forest (part) • Pine Island State Forest (part) • Red Lake Peatland Scientific and Natural Area (part) • Three Island Lake County Park ==Climate and weather==

{{climate chart In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Bemidji have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1950 and a record high of was recorded in July 1975. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in July. ==Demographics==

Racial and ethnic composition 2020 census As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 46,228. The median age was 35.6 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.0 males age 18 and over. The racial makeup of the county was 70.9% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 20.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 6.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.4% of the population. There were 17,678 households in the county, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.8% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. ==Crime==

Between 1990 and 2005, the county had a suicide rate four times higher than the state. The county exceeds the state and national rates in both violent and property crimes. ==Communities==

Cities • Bemidji (county seat) • Blackduck • Funkley • Kelliher • Solway • Tenstrike • Turtle River • Wilton Townships • Alaska Township • Battle Township • Bemidji Township • Benville Township • Birch Township • Buzzle Township • Cormant Township • Durand Township • Eckles Township • Frohn Township • Grant Valley Township • Hagali Township • Hamre Township • Hines Township • Hornet Township • Jones Township • Kelliher Township • Lammers Township • Langor Township • Lee Township • Liberty Township • Maple Ridge Township • Minnie Township • Moose Lake Township • Nebish Township • Northern Township • O'Brien Township • Port Hope Township • Quiring Township • Roosevelt Township • Shooks Township • Shotley Township • Spruce Grove Township • Steenerson Township • Sugar Bush Township • Summit Township • Taylor Township • Ten Lake Township • Turtle Lake Township • Turtle River Township • Waskish Township • Woodrow Township Unorganized territories • Brook Lake • Lower Red Lake • North Beltrami • Shotley Brook • Upper Red Lake Census-designated places • Elbow Lake • Little Rock • Ponemah • Red Lake • Redby Unincorporated communities • Andrusia • Aure • Carmel • Debs • Four Town • Hines • Jelle • Pennington • Pinewood • Puposky • Quiring • Saum • Secluded Acres • Shooks • Waskish • Werner ==Government and politics==

From the New Deal realignment in 1932 through 1996, Beltrami County leaned Democratic, selecting the Democratic nominee in every presidential election save Eisenhower's landslides in 1952 and 1956 and Nixon's in 1972. In 2000, George W. Bush became the first Republican to carry the county since 1972. Bush fell short of a majority, with third parties (particularly Green nominee Ralph Nader) doing well statewide, but his 48.5% vote share was higher than any Republican's from 1964 to 1996 save Nixon in 1972 and Reagan in 1984. Beltrami returned to the Democratic column in the next three elections, but in 2016, Donald Trump became the second Republican since 1972 to carry the county, winning a bare majority; in 2020, he won it again with a slightly higher percentage, but the margin of victory shrank due to the decrease in vote share for third party candidates. Trump continued this trend in 2024 when he increased his share of the vote to nearly 52%. On January 7, 2020, in response to Trump's executive order, the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners voted to prohibit refugees from resettling in the area. ==Education==

School districts include: • Bemidji Public School District • Blackduck Public School District • Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools • Kelliher Public School District • Red Lake Public School District • Grygla Public School District ==See also==