Nicollet

Formed March 5, 1853 (14^th county)

Nicollet County (34,464), Saint Peter (11,196), North Mankato (14,271)

The outstanding red brick and stone Romanesque Revival/Italianate structure, built in 1881, is on Minnesota Avenue at Mulberry Street.  United States Highway 169 is Minnesota Avenue in the town.  Edward P. Bassford and E. W. Stebbins are the architects.  The structure features a tower and the grounds have veterans memorials.  The building was enlarged in 1917 and 1978 and renovated in 2003.  The 2003 renovation included the addition of a Government Center.  The county was established on March 5, 1853 from Dakota County as the 14^th county.  The county is named for explorer Joseph Nicholas Nicollet.  The county seat is named for the Saint Pierre River, an earlier name for the Minnesota River.  Traverse des Sioux was the first county seat until 1859 when Saint Peter became the seat.  Nicollet County was the birthplace of 1 Minnesota Governor, John A. Johnson. 

Nicollet 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 Nicollet, Blue Earth, Brown, Cottonwood, Faribault, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Martin, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood, Rock, and Watonwan counties (judicial.) Nicollet County is in southern Minnesota.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is northeast of the county.  The Minnesota River forms its western, southern, and eastern borders.  The county center is 16.9 miles West of Saint Peter nearer Nicollet.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Sibley, Le Sueur, Blue Earth, Brown, and Renville counties. 

The area of the county is 452.3 square miles.  It is 72 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 32 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 76.2 persons per square mile making it 19 out of 87 in the state.  Nicollet County has 83.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 14 crosses the county east to west from Blue Earth County to Brown County.  United States Highway 169 goes north to south from Sibley County to Blue Earth County.  The county is a triangle.  Saint Peter is on the eastern border of the county.  North Mankato is on the southern border of the county and extends into Blue Earth County.  Saint Peter is the county seat and North Mankato is the largest city.  Saint Peter is 32.5% of the county population while North Mankato is 41.4% of the county population.  The county is pronounced NIK-OE-LAE.  The largest city is pronounced NORTH MAN-KA-TOE.  This county is in the Mankato-North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.