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Isanti County
	Isanti County, Minnesota
	; Location in the state of Minnesota
	; Minnesota's location in the U.S.
Seat	Cambridge
Largest city	Cambridge
Area; - Total; - Land; - Water	; 452 sq mi (1,170 km²); 439 sq mi (1,137 km²); 13 sq mi (33 km²), 2.83%
Population; - (2000); - Density	; 31,287; 71/sq mi (28/km²)
Founded	February 13, 1857 [1]
Named for	Izaty Indians, the ancient name for the Santee Indians, members of the Dakota alliance
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.co.isanti.mn.us

Isanti County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2000, the population was 31,287. Its county seat is Cambridge^[1].

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 452 square miles (1,170 km²), of which 439 square miles (1,137 km²) is land and 13 square miles (33 km²) (2.83%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

Minnesota State Highway 293

[edit] Adjacent counties

Kanabec County (north)
Pine County (northeast)
Chisago County (east)
Anoka County (south)
Sherburne County (southwest)
Mille Lacs County (northwest)

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 31,287 people, 11,236 households, and 8,415 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile (28/km²). There were 12,062 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile (11/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.65% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 30.3% were of German, 21.3% Swedish, 12.7% Norwegian and 5.1% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 11,236 households out of which 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% were married couples living together, 8.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.10% were non-families. 20.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.15.

Age pyramid of county residents based on 2000 U.S. census data.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,127, and the median income for a family was $55,996. Males had a median income of $39,381 versus $26,427 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,348. About 4.00% of families and 5.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Cities and towns

Cities	Townships		Unincorporated communities
Braham † Cambridge Isanti	Athens Township Bradford Township Cambridge Township Dalbo Township Isanti Township Maple Ridge Township North Branch Township	Oxford Township Spencer Brook Township Springvale Township Stanchfield Township Stanford Township Wyanett Township	Andree Athens Blomford Bodum Bradford Carmody Crown	Dalbo Day Edgewood Elm Park Grandy Oxlip Pine Brook Spencer Brook	Springvale Stanley Stanchfield Stanford Walbo Weber West Point Wyanett
† A small part of Braham extends into Kanabec County.

[edit] Politics

Election results from statewide races^[3]
Year	Office	GOP	DEM	Others
2008	President	56.6%	41.1%	2.3%
2008	Senator	48.0%	32.9%	19.1%
2006	Governor	53.4%	39.9%	6.7%
2006	Senator	45.2%	50.9%	3.9%
2004	President	57.9%	40.8%	1.3%
2002	Governor	53.0%	32.1%	14.9%
2002	Senator	56.4%	40.6%	3.0%
2000	President	51.4%	41.8%	6.8%
2000	Senator	51.4%	40.2%	8.3%
1998	Governor	27.3%	19.6%	53.1%
1996	President	34.3%	46.6%	19.1%
1996	Senator	40.9%	47.8%	11.3%
1994	Governor	61.0%	36.0%	3.0%
1994	Senator	53.2%	38.7%	8.1%
1992	President	29.8%	40.3%	29.9%

This rural county is much more conservative than the state as a whole. In 2008, John McCain won this county with almost 57% of the vote, when he lost the state with just 44% of the vote. Norm Coleman also did very well, obtaining 48% of the vote while losing the state with 42%. Also, both George W. Bush and Tim Pawlenty won this county twice, winning a majority of the county each time.

Democrats tend to do very poorly here. In 2008, Barack Obama obtained just 41% while he won the state with 54% of the vote. Al Franken did very poorly, getting just 33% of the vote. Since 1992, just one Democrat won this county with over 50% of the vote.

Independents also do very well in this county. In 1998, the county's results were Jesse Ventura's best performance in the state, winning the county with over 50% of the vote. Ross Perot came in a close third place with 29% of the vote while getting 24% statewide.