Jackson

Formed May 23, 1857 (46^th county)

Jackson County (9,992), Jackson (3,318)                

The masonry Beaux Arts courthouse was built in 1909 on 4^th, Sherman, 5^th, and Ashley streets.  United States Highway 71 passes one block east.  Buechner and Orth provided the designs.  Lady Justice sits on top of the dome on this courthouse.  There was an 1873 courthouse earlier also in Jackson, the only county seat.  A Government Center was added in 2012.  Jackson County was formed on May 23, 1857 from Brown County as the 46^th county.  The county and county seat are named for United States President Andrew Jackson. 

Jackson 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 Jackson, Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, and Watonwan counties (judicial.) The county is in the southwest part of the state on the border with Iowa.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is northeast of the county.  The county center is 13 miles Northwest of Jackson nearer Lakefield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Cottonwood, Watonwan, and Martin counties and Iowa and Nobles County. 

The area of the county is 701.7 square miles.  It is 43 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 67 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 14.2 persons per square mile making it 66 out of 87 in the state.  Jackson County has 60.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 90 crosses east to west through the county from Martin County to Nobles County.  United States Highway 71 goes north to south from Cottonwood County to Iowa.  The county is a rectangle.  The City of Jackson is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Jackson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 33.2% of the county population.