North West Minnesota Region

The Northwest area of Minnesota is considered some of the most fertile farming land on the planet. Counties such as Clay, Polk and Norman contain the richest soil in the United States, due to the Red River of the North. It contains 21 Counties.

While the western two rows of counties in Minnesota are flat and used for fields, further in, forests and large hills take over.

Outside of the Red River Valley, the area features many lakes, which serve as tourist attractions. The lakes region boasts some of the best lakes in the nation.

Moorhead, which is the largest city at 39,857 (2013), is a twin city to Fargo, North Dakota.

The area also contains several smaller rivers, although the area has numerous cities, as railroads criss-crossed the area.

Major cities include Moorhead, East Grand Forks, Alexandria, Fergus Falls, Detroit Lakes and Bemidji.

Counties

Becker County
Beltrami County
Cass County
Clay County
Clearwater County
Douglas County
Grant County
Hubbard County
Kittson County
Lake of the Woods County
Mahnomen County
Marshall County
Norman County
Otter Tail County
Pennington County
Polk County
Red Lake County
Roseau County
Todd County
Wadena County
Wilkin County