Hennepin County, Minnesota

Copyright 2017 – Gary C. Dahle

Hennepin County, Minnesota

Hennepin County, Minnesota, established in 1852, is located in the central part of the Twin Cities Metro area, and has the highest population of any county in Minnesota.

Hennepin County is bordered:

• on the north by Anoka County,
• on the west by Carver County and Wright County,
• on the south by Scott County and Dakota County,and
• on the east by Ramsey County and Dakota County.

Hennepin County is named after Father Louis Hennepin – a Roman Catholic Priest and missionary to the indigenous peoples of the area in the late 17th century.

Father Hennepin first went to Canada from France, and then came to the United States in 1685 on a ship departing from the city of Québec, Canada,

Father Hennepin’s voyage must have brought him past Niagara Falls on the way to the French possessions in what would become the Midwest United States.

In 1683, Father Hennepin wrote a book about Niagara Falls, and he may have been the only person of his time to see both Niagara Falls, and St. Anthony Falls – in what would become the city of Minneapolis.

Hennepin County Courthouse

The second Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis – an architectural masterpiece listed on the National Register of Historic Places – was constructed from 1895 to 1909 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

Thereafter, Hennepin County shared space with the city of Minneapolis within the courthouse building, which purportedly had the world’s largest clock tower at the time – and a 15-bell chime.

The current Hennepin County Courthouse and government center is located in a modern structure just across the street to the south of the historic courthouse at 300 South 6th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487.

Hennepin County Population

Hennepin County, Minnesota had a population of 1,152,425, as of the 2010 Census, an increase of 3.2% over the 2000 Census population of 1,116,200.

Hennepin County Primary Cities

The city of Minneapolis – incorporated in 1867 – is the county seat for Hennepin County Minnesota, and had a population of 392,880 as of the 2010 Census.