The first inhabitants of this area were the Ojibwe people. The first non-indigenous people to see the area were French fur traders, a few of whom settled in the area. In the 1830s, settlers began arriving from New England and from upstate New York. Completion of the Erie Canal and settling of the Black Hawk War made this migration wave safer and easier. Most of Cook County's 1830s settlers came from Orange County, Vermont and Down East Maine. Most were fishermen and farmers. By 1845 the future Cook County contained some 350 people of European descent; by 1874 there were about two thousand. They were primarily members of the Congregational Church, Methodist, and Baptist churches. By 1900 there were about 3,000 people in Cook County. The first decade of the twentieth century saw a large influx of Europeans, from Germany, Scandinavia, and Ireland. These waves introduced Lutheranism and Catholicism to Cook County. The county was created on March 9, 1874. It was named for Michael Cook, Territorial and State Senator
Geography
Cook County is a rugged, heavily wooded triangle of land on the NE tip of Minnesota. It abuts the southern border of Canada and is largely surrounded by the northern end of the Great Lakes. It is heavily dotted with lakes, ponds and streams. The state's highest point is in the county, at 2,301' ASL. The county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the second-largest county in Minnesota by total area. The highest natural point in Minnesota, Eagle Mountain at, and the highest lake in Minnesota, Lake Abita at, are located in Cook County. Lake Superior is at the county's southern border.
Cook County is in the extreme northeast of the state at the tip of the Arrowhead region; it is adjacent to only one other county by land. Its geographic neighbors are:
Northern Minnesota offers extreme winter weather. While the averages are low, the extremes provide more details. A third of the year is below freezing. Of those days, 21 are below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Demographics
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 5,168 people, 2,350 households, and 1,438 families in the county. The population density was 3.56/sqmi. There were 4,708 housing units at an average density of 3.24/sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 89.45% White, 7.59% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.29% Black or African American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 2.05% from two or more races. 0.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.6% were of German, 17.7% Norwegian, 11.5% Swedish, 7.2% Irish and 5.4% English ancestry. There were 2,350 households out of which 24.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.80% were non-families. 32.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.73. The county population contained 20.40% under the age of 18, 5.40% from 18 to 24, 25.80% from 25 to 44, 31.20% from 45 to 64, and 17.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 99.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,640, and the median income for a family was $47,132. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $23,650 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,775. About 8.10% of families and 10.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.20% of those under age 18 and 6.80% of those age 65 or over.
