Roseau County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the Canadian border with Manitoba. It had a population of 15,331 at the 2020 census and covers 1,678 square miles (4,350 km2) centred near 48°46′N 95°48′W.
Roseau is the county seat, and its postal code is 56751. The county has 5 incorporated cities, several unincorporated communities and 34 civil townships. It sits in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Roseau County
Roseau County has 5 incorporated cities, a scattering of unincorporated communities and a large number of mobile-home/trailer-park settlements left over from earlier Wikipedia listings. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = an unincorporated community with no city government.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roseau | City · seat | Roseau Township | 2,744 | 56751 |
| Warroad | City | Warroad Township | 1,830 | 56763 |
| Greenbush | City | Dieter Township | — | — |
| Badger | City | Cedarbend Township | 429 | 56714 |
| Strathcona | City | Beaver Township | — | — |
| Wannaska | Unincorp. | Malung Township | — | — |
| Salol | Unincorp. | Dewey Township | — | — |
| Pinecreek | Unincorp. | Dieter Township | — | — |
| Skime | Unincorp. | Malung Township | — | — |
| Swift | Unincorp. | Dieter Township | — | — |
| Ross | Unincorp. | Malung Township | — | — |
| Fox | Unincorp. | Barto Township | — | — |
| Pencer | Unincorp. | Barnett Township | — | — |
A handful of names from older listings for this county describe individual mobile-home or trailer-court developments rather than incorporated places or recognized unincorporated communities — Casperson, Countryside Trailer Park, Enstrom Estates, Haug, Jenson Trailer Park, Lakewood Trailer Park, Leo, Liberty Trailer Park, Longworth, Malung, Mobile Court East, North Star Court, Oak Manor MH Village, Oak View MH Park, Palisade MH Park, Pioneer MH Park, Roosevelt Park, Timberline MH Park, West Side Trailer Court, Winner and Woodland MH Park. These have been dropped here for lack of independent verification as standalone places; see notes for detail. Roosevelt, once a small rail settlement on the county’s western edge, could not be independently confirmed as still populated and is also omitted.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Roseau Township | — | Roseau (city, separately incorporated) |
| Warroad Township | — | Warroad (city, separately incorporated) |
| Dieter Township | — | Greenbush, Swift, Pinecreek |
| Malung Township | — | Wannaska, Skime, Ross |
| Cedarbend Township | — | Badger |
| Beaver Township | — | Strathcona |
| Barto Township | — | Fox |
| Barnett Township | — | Pencer |
| Dewey Township | — | Salol |
| Deer Township | — | Rural farmsteads |
Roseau County contains 34 organized civil townships in total, plus the cities of Roseau and Warroad, each of which is a separate municipal entity outside township government. Per-township 2020 population figures could not be independently verified for this rewrite and are shown as —; the table above lists only the townships that anchor a named place from the settlement list.
ZIP Codes
- 56751 — Roseau (also serves surrounding Roseau Township)
- 56763 — Warroad (also serves the Lake of the Woods shoreline communities nearby)
- 56714 — Badger
Greenbush, Strathcona, Wannaska, Salol, Pinecreek, Skime, Swift, Ross, Fox and Pencer share rural-route ZIP codes with a neighboring post office; those codes could not be confirmed for this rewrite and are omitted rather than guessed.
Geography
Roseau County lies in the far northwestern corner of Minnesota, on the international border with Manitoba, Canada. The terrain is low, rolling farmland in the west giving way to wooded, boggy lowland toward Lake of the Woods in the east. The Roseau River, which gives the county its name, runs east through the county seat before crossing into Manitoba and back. The Red Lake Indian Reservation extends into the southern part of the county.
Roseau County borders Kittson County to the west, Marshall County to the south, Beltrami County to the southeast, and Lake of the Woods County to the east. To the north and northwest lie the Manitoba rural municipalities of Piney and Stuartburn, and the Buffalo Point First Nation, across the Canadian border. Marshall County has a live profile at Marshall County, Minnesota; Kittson, Beltrami and Lake of the Woods counties are Minnesota-only county names and are named here without a link pending a verified state-suffixed page.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 15,331 residents, a density of about 9.2 people per square mile across the county’s 1,672 square miles of land. Roseau, the county seat, is the largest community at 2,744 people, followed by Warroad at 1,830. Roseau County’s median household income runs below the Minnesota median of $85,086, reflecting its rural, agriculture- and manufacturing-based economy.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing anchors the county economy: Polaris Industries, the snowmobile and all-terrain-vehicle maker, operates a major production facility in Roseau, one of the town’s largest employers. Warroad is home to Marvin Windows and Doors’ manufacturing operations and sits at the southwest corner of Lake of the Woods, giving it a second economic base in sport fishing and tourism. Away from the two cities, the county economy is dominated by grain and dairy farming across its western townships and forestry in the wooded east. Both Roseau and Warroad have outsized amateur hockey traditions relative to their size, each producing multiple state champions and professional and Olympic players — Warroad is nicknamed “Hockeytown, USA.”
History
Roseau County was organized on December 31, 1894, proclaimed by Governor Knute Nelson out of eastern Kittson County. It is named for the Roseau River, itself named by early French-Canadian traders for the reeds (roseaux) growing along its banks. The area was home to Ojibwe, Sioux and Mandan peoples before European settlement accelerated after fur traders established posts in the early 1800s; the town of Roseau itself grew from about 4 settlers in 1885 to roughly 600 by 1895. The county has long been one of Minnesota’s most reliably Republican-voting counties in presidential elections.
Getting There
Minnesota Highway 11 runs east–west through the county connecting Warroad and Roseau, while Minnesota Highway 89 runs north–south through Roseau toward the border crossing at Sprague, Manitoba.
- Thief River Falls — 45 miles south
- International Falls — 75 miles east
- Grand Forks, North Dakota — 95 miles southwest
- Winnipeg, Manitoba — 110 miles north
The nearest commercial airport is Warroad International Memorial Airport, with a small municipal field also serving Roseau; the closest larger commercial hub is Grand Forks International Airport in North Dakota.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Roseau County?
It is in the far northwestern corner of Minnesota, on the international border with the Canadian province of Manitoba.
What is the population of Roseau County?
The 2020 census recorded 15,331 residents.
How big is Roseau County?
It covers 1,678 square miles (4,350 km2), of which 1,672 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Roseau County?
Roseau is the county seat.
How many towns and cities are in Roseau County?
The county has 5 incorporated cities — Roseau, Warroad, Greenbush, Badger and Strathcona — plus several smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Roseau County?
Confirmed ZIP codes include 56751 (Roseau), 56763 (Warroad) and 56714 (Badger).
Why is Warroad called “Hockeytown, USA”?
The small city has produced an unusually large number of state champion, Olympic and professional hockey players relative to its population, a tradition dating back generations.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Minnesota.