Chisago

Formed September 1, 1851 (8^th county)

Chisago County (56,621), Center City (623), North Branch (10,785)

The white brick Modern building was built in 1974 and renovated and enlarged in 1990.  It is on Main Street at 2^nd Street.  United States Highway 8 is eight blocks south of the location.  It replaced a basic courthouse dating from 1876.  Freeks, Sperl, and Flynn are the architects.  It sits beside a lake.  Chisago County was created on September 1, 1851 from parts of Washington and Ramsey counties as the 8^th county.  The county is named for the lake which is Native American for “lake with an outlet.”  The county seat is a geographical name for its location between Taylor Falls and Chisago City.  Taylor Falls (1851), Chisago City (1865), and Center City (1876) have all served as the county seat. 

Chisago 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 Chisago, Anoka, Isanti, Kanabec, Pine, Sherburne, Washington, and Wright counties (judicial.) The county is situated in northeast Minnesota.  The county is in eastern Minnesota on the border with Wisconsin.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is southwest of the county.  The county center is 14.9 miles Northwest of Center City in North Branch.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pine County and Wisconsin and Washington, Anoka, Isanti, and Kanabec counties. 

The area of the county is 417.6 square miles.  It is 82 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 18 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 135.6 persons per square mile making it 11 out of 87 in the state.  Chisago County has 67.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 35 goes north to south through the county from Pine County to Washington County.  United States Highway 8 comes in from the east, Wisconsin, and terminates.  United States Highway 61 originates and heads south into Washington County.  The county looks like the number 7 with a growth on its southeast corner.  Center City is in the southeast quarter of the county.  North Branch is on the western border.  Center City is the county seat and North Branch is the largest city.  Center City is 1.1% of the county population while North Branch is 19.1% of the county population.  The county is pronounced SHI-SA-GOE.  This county is in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Wyoming