Itasca County is a county in Minnesota, United States, on the Iron Range in the northeastern part of the state. It had a population of 45,014 at the 2020 census and covers 2,928 square miles (7,580 km2), of which 2,668 square miles is land, centred near 47\u00b031\u2032N 93\u00b038\u2032W.<\/p>\n
Grand Rapids is the county seat, and its postal code is 55744. The county contains 16 cities, 3 census-designated places, and a scatter of unincorporated communities across its Central time zone territory. Itasca is Minnesota’s third-largest county by land area and includes portions of the Bois Forte and Leech Lake Indian reservations.<\/p>\n
Itasca County has 16 incorporated cities, 3 census-designated places (CDPs), and a further group of unincorporated post-office communities. Grand Rapids, the county seat, is by far the largest; most of the other cities are former iron-mining or logging towns on the western Iron Range. Exact 2020 place-level population figures were not verifiable for this profile and are marked with a dash below.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55744<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bigfork<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56628<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bovey<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55709<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Calumet<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55716<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Cohasset<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55721<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Coleraine<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55722<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Deer River<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56636<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Keewatin<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55753<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| La Prairie<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Marble<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55764<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Nashwauk<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55769<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Squaw Lake<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56681<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Taconite<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55786<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Warba<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55793<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Zemple<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Ball Club<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Goodland<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55742<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Inger<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bowstring<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56631<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Effie<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56639<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Jacobson<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55752<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Marcell<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56657<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Max<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56659<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pengilly<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55775<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Spring Lake<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56680<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Swan River<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 55784<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Talmoon<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56637<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Wirt<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 56688<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Effie appears in county records both as an unincorporated community and as the name of a separate unorganized territory in the county’s far north — the two share a name but are distinct areas.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nSmaller places such as La Prairie and Zemple have no dedicated ZIP code and are served by a neighboring post office town.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nItasca County sits on Minnesota’s Iron Range, a heavily forested belt of low ridges, bogs, and more than 1,400 lakes. The Mississippi River’s headwaters lie just west of the county line, and the Swan River and Prairie River drain much of the county’s interior toward the Mississippi. Bowstring Lake, Deer Lake, and Little Sand Lake anchor three of the county’s unorganized territories in its sparsely settled north.<\/p>\n Itasca County borders Koochiching County<\/a> to the north, St. Louis County to the east, Aitkin County<\/a> to the south, Cass County<\/a> to the southwest, and Beltrami County<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n Itasca County had 45,014 residents at the 2020 census, a population density of roughly 17 people per square mile of land. Grand Rapids is the county’s largest city by a wide margin, followed by Cohasset, its neighbor just south along the Mississippi. County-level median household income was not independently verified for this profile; the Minnesota median of $85,086 provides a statewide benchmark for comparison.<\/p>\n Forestry, papermaking, and mining anchor the county economy. UPM Blandin’s paper mill in Grand Rapids has been a major employer for more than a century, and the western part of the county — around Coleraine, Bovey, Marble, and Taconite — grew up around open-pit taconite and iron mines on the Iron Range. Tourism built on the county’s lakes, resorts, and hunting land supports a large seasonal economy, and Grand Rapids serves as the regional hub for retail, health care, and Itasca Community College.<\/p>\n Itasca County was created in 1849, one of the original counties established with the Minnesota Territory, and organized for local government later in the 19th century as settlement moved north with the timber industry. It takes its name from Lake Itasca, whose own name was coined from the Latin words veritas caput<\/em> (“true head”), marking the lake as the true source of the Mississippi River. Mining and railroads drew settlers to the county’s western towns in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and Grand Rapids is the birthplace of actress and singer Judy Garland.<\/p>\n U.S. Routes 2, 71, and 169 cross Itasca County, along with Minnesota State Highways 1, 6, 38, 46, 65, and 286.<\/p>\n Grand Rapids\/Itasca County–Gordon Newstrom Field provides general aviation service; the nearest commercial airport is Duluth International Airport.<\/p>\n Where is Itasca County?<\/strong> What is the population of Itasca County?<\/strong> How big is Itasca County?<\/strong> What is the county seat of Itasca County?<\/strong> How many towns are in Itasca County?<\/strong> |