Kossuth

Formed January 15, 1853 (81^st county)

Kossuth County (14,822), Algona (5,484)                

The Modern appearance to the tan brick and glass courthouse was built in 1954 in Algona to replace the 1872 courthouse.  Algona has been the only county seat.  The building sits on a square at Thorington, Hall, Call, and State streets.  United States Highway 169 is four blocks east.  Dougher, Rich & Woodburn are the designers.  The grounds feature memorial benches and wall.  Kossuth County was created on January 15, 1853 from Webster County as the 81^st county.  It is named for Hungarian patriot Lajos Kossuth.  The county seat is a derivative of the Native American tribe. 

Kossuth County government consists of a sheriff and 5 Supervisors.  Twenty District Court Judges and Fourteen Magistrates serve Kossuth, Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Emmet, Ida, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury counties.  Kossuth County is on the northern border with Minnesota.  Mason City, Iowa east and Sioux City, Iowa is southwest.  The county center is 8.4 miles North of Algona nearer Burt.  The county is surrounded by Minnesota and Winnebago, Hancock, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Palo Alto, and Emmet counties. 

The county has an area of 973 square miles.  It is 1 of 99 in the state.  It ranks 52 out of 99 in population in the state.  It has a density of 15.2 persons per square mile making it 88 out of 99 in the state.  Kossuth County has 64.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 18 crosses the county east to west from Hancock County to Palo Alto County.  United States Highway 169 goes north to south from Minnesota to Humboldt County.  The county is a tall rectangle with Algona located in the southern third of the county.  Algona is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 37.0% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KOE-SUTH.  The county seat is pronounced AL-GOE-NA.

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