Goodhue County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River bluffs southeast of the Twin Cities. It had a population of 47,582 at the 2020 census and covers 780 square miles (2,000 km2) — 757 square miles (1,960 km2) of land and 24 square miles (62 km2) of water — centred near 44°25′N 92°43′W.
Red Wing is the county seat, and its postal code is 55066. The county contains nine incorporated cities, one census-designated place, 21 organized townships and a scatter of unincorporated hamlets and mobile-home communities. Goodhue County sits in the Central time zone; its FIPS code is 27049.
Towns & Villages in Goodhue County
Goodhue County’s settled places range from Red Wing, the Mississippi River seat, to farm-crossroads hamlets that never grew past a church, a co-op elevator and a scatter of houses. The table below lists incorporated cities, the Frontenac census-designated place, and the unincorporated communities and trailer-court settlements recorded across the county’s 21 townships. “CDP” marks a census-designated place with no city government; “Unincorp.” marks a place with no incorporated status at all.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Wing | City · seat | — | 16,459 | 55066 |
| Cannon Falls | City | Cannon Falls Twp. | 4,296 | 55009 |
| Zumbrota | City | Zumbrota Twp. | 3,617 | 55992 |
| Kenyon | City | Kenyon Twp. | 1,842 | 55946 |
| Pine Island | City | Pine Island Twp. | 3,436 | 55963 |
| Wanamingo | City | Wanamingo Twp. | 1,144 | 55983 |
| Goodhue | City | Goodhue Twp. | 1,197 | 55027 |
| Dennison | City | — | 238 | 55018 |
| Bellechester | City | — | 174 | 55031 |
| Frontenac | CDP | Florence Twp. | — | 55026 |
| Welch | Unincorp. | Welch Twp. | — | 55089 |
| Old Frontenac | Unincorp. | Florence Twp. | — | 55026 |
| Belle Creek | Unincorp. | Belle Creek Twp. | — | — |
| Belvidere Mills | Unincorp. | Belvidere Twp. | — | — |
| Bombay | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Claybank | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Eggleston | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Forest Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hader | Unincorp. | Warsaw Twp. | — | — |
| Hay Creek | Unincorp. | Hay Creek Twp. | — | — |
| Nansen | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Roscoe | Unincorp. | Roscoe Twp. | — | — |
| Roscoe Center | Unincorp. | Roscoe Twp. | — | — |
| Ryan | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Skyberg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sogn | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Stanton | Unincorp. | Stanton Twp. | — | — |
| Stroms | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Vasa | Unincorp. | Vasa Twp. | — | — |
| Wacouta | Unincorp. | Wacouta Twp. | — | — |
| Wacouta Beach | Unincorp. | Wacouta Twp. | — | — |
| Wangs | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wastedo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| White Rock | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| White Willow | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Harliss | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Grand View Mobile Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hansens Harbor and Trailer Court | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pepin Woods MH Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Riverside Terrace Mobile Court | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Several places share names with their surrounding civil township — Goodhue, Kenyon, Vasa, Wanamingo, Roscoe, Stanton, Welch and Hay Creek are all both a small settlement and the township around it, a common pattern in Minnesota’s township-and-range settlement history.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Cannon Falls | — | Cannon Falls (city, separately governed) |
| Zumbrota | — | Zumbrota (city, separately governed) |
| Featherstone | — | Rural, borders Red Wing |
| Florence | — | Frontenac, Old Frontenac |
| Belle Creek | — | Belle Creek |
| Belvidere | — | Belvidere Mills |
| Cherry Grove | — | Rural farmland |
| Goodhue | — | Goodhue (city, separately governed) |
| Hay Creek | — | Hay Creek |
| Holden | — | Rural farmland |
| Kenyon | — | Kenyon (city, separately governed) |
| Leon | — | Rural farmland |
| Minneola | — | Rural farmland |
| Pine Island | — | Pine Island (city, separately governed) |
| Roscoe | — | Roscoe, Roscoe Center |
| Stanton | — | Stanton |
| Vasa | — | Vasa |
| Wacouta | — | Wacouta, Wacouta Beach |
| Wanamingo | — | Wanamingo (city, separately governed) |
| Warsaw | — | Hader |
| Welch | — | Welch |
ZIP Codes
- 55066 — Red Wing (also serves Featherstone and Hay Creek townships)
- 55009 — Cannon Falls
- 55992 — Zumbrota
- 55946 — Kenyon
- 55963 — Pine Island (also covers parts of neighboring Olmsted County)
- 55983 — Wanamingo
- 55027 — Goodhue
- 55018 — Dennison
- 55031 — Bellechester
- 55026 — Frontenac and Old Frontenac
- 55089 — Welch
Smaller unincorporated communities such as Vasa, Stanton, Belle Creek and Hader use the ZIP code of the nearest post office town rather than a code of their own.
Geography
Goodhue County lies on the west side of the Mississippi River, where the river widens into Lake Pepin along the county’s northeastern edge. The terrain is rolling hills cut by drainages and gullies, rising to about 1,260 feet (380 m) near the southwest corner and dropping to river-bottom lowlands along the Mississippi and Cannon rivers. The Cannon River, Little Cannon River and North Fork Zumbro River all cross the county, and the county contains most of the Prairie Island Indian Community.
Goodhue County borders Pierce County, Wisconsin, to the north and Pepin County, Wisconsin, to the northeast, both across Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River; Wabasha County, Minnesota, to the east; Olmsted County, Minnesota, to the southeast; Dodge County, Minnesota, to the south; Rice County, Minnesota, to the west; and Dakota County, Minnesota, to the northwest.
Demographics
Goodhue County had 47,582 residents at the 2020 census, spread across roughly 62 people per square mile. Red Wing, the county seat, is by far the largest community, followed by Cannon Falls and Zumbrota. Median household income in the county runs close to the Minnesota median of $85,086, reflecting a mixed base of manufacturing, agriculture and river-valley tourism income.
Economy & Local Life
Red Wing anchors the county’s economy, historically built on boot and shoe manufacturing — Red Wing Shoe Company remains headquartered there — alongside pottery and stoneware production. Agriculture, particularly corn, soybeans and dairy, dominates the townships outside the river valley, and the Cannon River valley supports orchards and small-scale tourism. St. James Hotel and the Sheldon Theatre draw visitors to Red Wing, and Treasure Island Resort & Casino, operated by the Prairie Island Indian Community, is a major regional employer near Welch.
History
Goodhue County was organized on March 5, 1853, and named for James Madison Goodhue, founder and publisher of the Minnesota Pioneer, the territory’s first newspaper. Red Wing, settled around a Dakota village and an early mission, became the seat and grew into a 19th-century wheat-shipping port on the upper Mississippi before the county’s farmers shifted toward diversified grain and dairy production. Hamline University, Minnesota’s first chartered college, opened in Red Wing in 1854 before later relocating to St. Paul. President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Red Wing in October 1960 to dedicate a new Mississippi River bridge.
Getting There
- Rochester — 25 miles southeast via US 63
- Minneapolis — 55 miles northwest via US 61 and US 52
- Rochester International Airport is the nearest commercial airport, about 30 miles from Zumbrota
- Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport is the nearest major hub, roughly 50 miles from Red Wing
US Highway 61 follows the Mississippi River through Red Wing and Frontenac, US Highway 52 crosses the county’s western townships toward Cannon Falls, and US Highway 63 runs south from Zumbrota toward Rochester.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Goodhue County located?
Goodhue County sits in southeastern Minnesota, along the Mississippi River between the Twin Cities and Rochester.
What is the population of Goodhue County?
Goodhue County had a population of 47,582 at the 2020 census.
How big is Goodhue County?
The county covers 757 square miles (1,960 km2) of land and 24 square miles (62 km2) of water, for a total of 780 square miles.
What is the county seat of Goodhue County?
Red Wing is the county seat.
How many towns and villages are in Goodhue County?
The county has nine incorporated cities, one census-designated place (Frontenac), 21 organized townships, and roughly two dozen unincorporated communities and settlements.
What ZIP codes are in Goodhue County?
ZIP codes in Goodhue County include 55066 (Red Wing), 55009 (Cannon Falls), 55992 (Zumbrota), 55946 (Kenyon), 55963 (Pine Island), 55983 (Wanamingo), 55027 (Goodhue), 55018 (Dennison), 55031 (Bellechester), 55026 (Frontenac) and 55089 (Welch).
What is Goodhue County known for?
Goodhue County is known for Red Wing Shoe Company’s headquarters, the historic river town of Red Wing on the Mississippi, and the county’s role as an early Minnesota wheat and stoneware center.