Sherburne

Formed February 25, 1856 (35^th county)

Sherburne County (97,186), Elk River (25,840)                

The Modern red brick and marble courthouse was built in 1980 on United States Highway 10 at Business Center Drive.  Fred Wemlinger provided the building designs.  A Government Administrative Center was added in 1994.  Sherburne County was created on February 25, 1856 from Benton County as the 35^th county.  There was an 1877 earlier courthouse version.  Big Lake was the first county seat until 1872 when Elk River became the seat.  The county is named for Judge Moses Sherburne.  The county seat is named for the river. 

Sherburne County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, an attorney, a treasurer, an auditor, an assessor and a clerk (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Forty-three District Court Judges serve Sherburne, Anoka, Chisago, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Washington, and Wright counties (judicial.) Sherburne County is in central Minnesota.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is southeast of the county.  The Mississippi River forms its western border.  The county center is 16.2 miles Northwest of Elk River nearer Zimmerman.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Mille Lacs, Isanti, Anoka, Wright, Stearns, and Benton counties. 

The area of the county is 436.3 square miles.  It is 76 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 12 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 222.8 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 87 in the state.  Sherburne County has 57.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 10 passes northwest to southeast in the county from Benton County to Anoka County.  United States Highway 169 goes north to south from Mille Lacs County to join with United States Highway 10 into Anoka County.  Sherburne County looks like a knife blade.  Elk River is in the southeast corner of the county.  Elk River is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 26.6% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SHUR-BURN.  This county is in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Saint Cloud