Aitkin County

Aitkin County

Aitkin County is located in central Minnesota and is home to over 100 lakes including the second largest lake within the borders of Minnesota, Mille Lacs Lake. With plenty of lakes and lake cabins, Aitkin County also sports one of the lowest property taxes in the state of Minnesota making it a welcoming place to buy a home. To find your next house in this beautiful area, browse our homes for sale in Aitkin County.

 

Recreation

Home to a multitude of lakes including one of Minnesota’s largest and more than 220,000 of public land, there is no shortage of outdoor activities to take part in here. In the summer you can enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, and ATV riding. Although the weather gets chilly in the winter you can still find plenty to do outside here such as skiing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing!

 

Shopping

Aitkin County is home to towns such as Aitkin, McGregor, and Tamarack providing residents with many shopping opportunities. Stop by and visit some of their small town boutiques or head over to the bigger cities for the rest of your shopping needs. On the south side of the county, you are just a short drive from Brainerd and on the north side of the county, you are within minutes of Grand Rapids. Both cities have everything you could need.

 

Dining

Similar to the shopping opportunities you will not have a hard time finding some very unique restaurants around the area. Stop by the Block North Brew Pub in Aitken to get the brewery feel while enjoying your meal. Head up to Big Sandy Lake to find some lakeside restaurants to grab a bite to each such as the well-known pizza pub, Zorbaz.

 

Green/Environmental

With all of the beautiful natural resources in Aitkin County to maintain, the county works with each of the towns to implement environmentally friendly and sustainable policies. From comprehensive recycling and composting to utilizing sustainable building practices and more, the county is working toward increasing the quality of life for all residents.

 

Schools

The school districts serving the residents of Aitkin County include:

 

Transportation

Arrowhead Transit provides options for safe, efficient, and reliable transportation throughout Aitkin County. Some of these services are offered by reservation only.

 

Local Government

The Aitkin County Board consists of 5 members, each representing their own district.

  • District 1 – J. Mark Wedel, Chair
  • District 2 – Laurie Westerlund
  • District 3 – Donald Niemi
  • District 4 – Brian Napstad
  • District 5 –  Ann Marcotte, Vice Chair

 

County History

Established in 1857, Aitkin County was originally named Aiken County. The name was changed in 1872, named for the fur trader William Alexander Aitken. Originally consisting of only the closest 17 townships to Mille Lacs Lake, Aitkin County eventually became organized in 1871 growing to form its current boundaries from Cass to Itasca County.