Meeker

Formed February 23, 1856 (33^rd county)

Meeker County (23,400), Litchfield (6,625)

The Modern white concrete building was constructed in 1974.  The facility is on Sibley Avenue, 4^th Street, Ramsey Avenue, and 5^th Street.  Sibley Avenue is United States Highway 12 in the town.  Genesis Architects provided the designs.  The building was enlarged in 2002.  Forrest City had an 1860 courthouse then Litchfield had an 1869 and a classier 1885 courthouse.  Meeker County was created on February 23, 1856 from Davis County, which no longer exists, as the 33^rd county.  The county is named for Judge Bradley B. Meeker.  The county seat is named for a family of railroad builders. 

Meeker 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.)  Nine District Court Judges serve Meeker, Big Stone, Chippewa, Grant, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Pope, Renville, Stevens, Swift, Traverse, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine counties (judicial.) Meeker County is in south central Minnesota.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is east of the county.  The county center is in Litchfield 1.4 miles Northeast of the city center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Stearns, Wright, McLeod, Renville, and Kandiyohi counties. 

The area of the county is 608.5 square miles.  It is 52 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 43 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 38.5 persons per square mile making it 35 out of 87 in the state.  Meeker County has 48.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 12 crosses the county east to west from Wright County to Kandiyohi County.  Meeker County is shaped like a small letter r.  Litchfield is located near the center of the county.  Litchfield is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 28.3% of the county population.