Isanti is derived from the Dakota word for "knife" and refers to the Santee tribe.

[5] Isanti County is included in the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The Rum River flows south through the county's central part.

The county's terrain is hilly and etched with drainages and gullies, and dotted with lakes and ponds.

[6] The terrain generally slopes to the south and east; its highest point is near its northwest corner, at 1,020 ft (310 m) ASL.

This rural turned exurban county is more conservative than the state as a whole.

Al Franken received just 33% of Isanti County's votes.

In 2016, Donald Trump won almost 65% of the vote here while narrowly losing the state to Hillary Clinton.