Clay

Formed March 8, 1862 (68^th county)

Clay County (65,309), Moorhead (44,507)                

The Modern concrete courthouse was erected in 1954 on 8^th Avenue, 10^th Street, 9^th Avenue, and 11^th Street.  United States Highway 10 is eight blocks to the south.  M. O. Foss and Associates are the architects.  It sits among a number of government county and city buildings.  An 1879 and a classier 1883 courthouse preceded this one.  Clay County was established on March 8, 1862 from Kittson County as the 68^th county with Moorhead as the only county seat.  It is named for United States Statesman Henry Clay.  Railroad President William G. Moorhead is the namesake of the county seat. 

Clay 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.)  Twenty-five District Court Judges serve Clay, Becker, Benton, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena counties (judicial.) The county is situated in northeast Minnesota.  Clay County is in northwest Minnesota immediate east of Fargo, North Dakota.  North Dakota is on its western border.  The county center is 16.2 miles East of Moorhead nearer Hawley.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Norman, Becker, Otter Tail, and Wilkin counties and North Dakota. 

The area of the county is 1045.2 square miles.  It is 19 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 16 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 62.5 persons per square mile making it 24 out of 87 in the state.  Clay County has 87.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 94 goes east to west in the county from Wilkin County to North Dakota.  United States Highway 10 enters from the east, Becker County, and exits west, North Dakota.  United States Highway 75 travels north to south from Norman County to Wilkin County.  The county is overall rectangular.  Moorhead is located on its western border.  Moorhead is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 68.2% of the county population.  This county is in the Fargo Metropolitan Statistical Area.