Pope County was identified by the state legislature in 1862 and named for John Pope, a Union Army general who had worked as a surveyor in the area. Its organization was effected in 1866. Pope County was the location of several protests against the CU Powerline in the 1970s.
Geography
The Chippewa River flows south through the county's western part. The Little Chippewa River flows south-southwest through its central part, discharging into the Chippewa southeast of Cyrus. The East Branch Chippewa River flows south-southwest through the eastern part of the county toward its union with the Chippewa in neighboring Swift County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, carved with drainages and dotted with lakes and ponds. The area is devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the south and west, with its highest point near the northeast corner at 1,388' ASL. The county has an area of, of which is land and is water.
As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 11,236 people, 4,513 households, and 3,064 families in the county. The population density was 16.8/sqmi. There were 5,827 housing units at an average density of 8.70/sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 98.85% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. 0.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 38.8% were of Norwegian and 31.6% German ancestry. There were 4,513 households out of which 29.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.00% were married couples living together, 5.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.10% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99. The county population contained 24.80% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 23.10% from 25 to 44, 23.80% from 45 to 64, and 21.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,633, and the median income for a family was $42,818. Males had a median income of $30,452 versus $20,511 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,032. About 5.80% of families and 8.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.40% of those under age 18 and 12.10% of those age 65 or over.
