Faribault

Formed February 20, 1855 (23^rd county)

Faribault County (13,922), Blue Earth (3,176)                

A classic Romanesque courthouse in Blue Earth was erected in 1892 and enlarged in 1974.  It is on Main, 3^rd, Nicollet, and 4^th streets.  United States Highway 169 passes seven blocks to the east of the location.  C. S. Dunham provided the designs for this dark red brick and stone facility.  The building was renovated in 2018.  It features a tower and veterans memorials on the grounds.  There was an 1872 courthouse also in Blue Earth, the only county seat.  The county originated on February 20, 1855 from Blue Earth County as the 23^rd county.  The county is named for fur trader Jean Baptiste Faribault.  The county seat of Rice County is named for his son.  The county seat is named for the Blue Earth River.  It is also the source name for Blue Earth County. 

Faribault 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.)  Nineteen District Court Judges serve Faribault, Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, and Watonwan counties (judicial.) The county is in the south part of the state on the border with Iowa.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is northeast of the county.  The county center is 5.9 miles East of Blue Earth.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Blue Earth, Waseca, and Freeborn counties and Iowa and Martin County. 

The area of the county is 713.6 square miles.  It is 38 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 60 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.5 persons per square mile making it 56 out of 87 in the state.  Faribault County has 69.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 90 crosses east to west in the county from Freeborn County to Martin County.  United States Highway 169 goes north to south from Blue Earth County to Iowa.  The county is a rectangle.  Blue Earth is located in the western quarter of the county.  Blue Earth is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 22.8% of the county population.  The county is pronounced FAER-I-BALT.