Welcome to Thrive Together, a Cook County Community Resource Guide. This site serves as a one-stop shop for all the essential services and support available in our expansive and vibrant community. Our mission is to connect every Cook County resident with the local resources they need to lead healthier, more informed, and connected lives.
Origin Story
This community resource guide is a shared initiative among multiple agencies that promote health and well-being in Cook County.
- Care Partners of Cook County
- Cook County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS)
- Grand Portage Health Services
- North Shore Health
- Sawtooth Mountain Clinic
Following the COVID-19 pandemic and an external Health Care Assessment, these agencies noticed that many people simply did not know the full range of resources available to them. While each agency has its own website and outreach initiatives, there is no comprehensive “one-stop shop” where community members can easily connect with resources. This site is the evolution of multiple agencies working together to create such a resource.
Additionally, this site is part of a broader effort to recognize Cook County as an Age-Friendly Community. Care Partners and Cook County Public Health and Human Services assessed the needs and experiences of older adults throughout Cook County in 2023-2024. One of the primary findings of this work was that respondents value and want to know more about locally based health services and community supports available to them as they age. The Cook County Board of Commissioners voted to join the AARP Age-Friendly Communities Network on April 26, 2024. This site is one way to generate a broader awareness of resources for community members across the lifespan.
For more background information on the health and well-being of Cook County, see the 2023-2027 Community Health Assessment.
Geography
Cook County is at the northeastern tip of Minnesota and part of the Arrowhead region. The County is bordered by Lake County to the west; Ontario, Canada, to the north; and by Lake Superior to the southeast. Cook County shares a geography with the Grand Portage Band. The Grand Portage Reservation (population 630) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021) is in the northeastern portion of the county, alongside the shore of Lake Superior and the Canadian border.
Most land in Cook County (93%) is publicly owned, much of which lies within the Superior National Forest (including parts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area). The northern portion of the County is densely forested with many wetlands, whereas the southern portion of the county runs along the shores of Lake Superior. 56% of the County is covered in water, with 812 lakes and three major river systems (Poplar, Brule, and Pigeon) found within the County (Geospatial Analysis Center at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, 2019).
Cook County is the 12th largest county in the state of Minnesota by total area, with a geographic size of 1,453 square miles. By population, the County ranks 81st of 87 counties in the State, with an estimated population of 5,600 (or 3.9 people per square mile). The county seat is Grand Marais (population 1,340), which is also the largest population center in the county. Cook County also includes three townships: Lutsen (population 486), Tofte (population 248), and Schroeder (population 229) and additional unorganized territories.
The combination of a large, geographically remote county with a small population and limited remote access creates unique challenges in finding locally available resources. For this reason, this site is designed to highlight those local resources so residents can easily see what is available within their community.
Get Involved
If you’d like to become involved in the next Community Health Assessment, or simply to provide input to Cook County PHHS on its role in serving community needs, please consider joining the Local Mental Health Advisory Council and/or the Public Health and Human Services Advisory Council. Both groups meet bi-monthly. The chair of each Council serves as a voting member of the PHHS Board. For more information, email phhs@cookcountymn.gov or call 218-387-3620.