Wadena

Formed June 11, 1858 (59^th county)

Wadena County (14,065), Wadena (4,323)                

The concrete Modern courthouse was built in 1970.  It is situated on Jefferson Street at Dayton Avenue.  Jefferson Street is United States Highway 71 in the town.  Walter S. Butler provided the designs.  There were 1880 and a classier 1886 courthouses previously.  The Law Enforcement Center and County Attorney Building are on either side of the courthouse.  The county was organized on June 11, 1858 from parts of Cass and Todd counties as the 59^th county with Wadena as the only county seat.  The county and county seat names come from the Native American for “little round hill.” 

Wadena 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 Wadena, Becker, Benton, Clay, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, and Todd counties (judicial.) The county is located in western Minnesota.  Minneapolis, Minnesota is southeast and Fargo, North Dakota is northwest of the county.  The county center is 27.9 miles Northeast of Wadena nearer Nimrod.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hubbard, Cass, Todd, Otter Tail, and Becker counties. 

The area of the county is 535.0 square miles.  It is 64 out of 87 in the state.  It ranks 58 out of 87 in population in the state.  It has a density of 26.3 persons per square mile making it 46 out of 87 in the state.  Wadena County has 55.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 10 crosses the county east to west from Todd County to Otter Tail County.  United States Highway 71 goes north to south from Hubbard County to Todd County.  The county is an overall rectangle.  The City of Wadena is on the southwest border of the county and extends into Otter Tail County.  Wadena is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 30.7% of the county population.  The county and county seat are pronounced WA-DEE-NA.

Wadena