Isanti County, Minnesota: History
The county was formed on February 13, 1857. Its name came from the Izaty Indians, the ancient name for the Santee Indians, members of the Dakota alliance. Isanti derives from the Dakota word for "knife" and refers to the Santee tribe.
In March 1915, a law was signed to give Minnesota counties the right to choose whether to allow alcohol production. At this point, all cities in Isanti had voted to ban alcohol already. Until May 1965, when county option was eliminated, Isanti County was a dry county; no beverages with over 3.2% alcohol could be sold.
Isanti County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.