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Tiny town

Living in Big Lake, MN

Big Lake is a tiny town of 378 people in Carlton County, Minnesota. It's about 24 miles from Duluth, MN and 124 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 78°F and winter highs 18°F, with about 71 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $257k and rent runs about $99 a month.

378people
$257kTypical home
$99/moRent
78° / 18°Summer / winter
71"Snow
223Sunny days
127Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Tiny town of 378
  • Its own small hub, not a suburb
  • About 179 people per sq mi
  • 124 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 24 mi to Duluth, MN
  • 6 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $257k (≈$1,619/mo)
  • Median rent $99/mo
  • Median household income $93k
  • Property tax about 1.2% of value
  • 6.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 78°F
  • Winter highs around 18°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 56°F)
  • 223 sunny days a year (62 totally clear)
  • 142 cloudy days a year
  • 42 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 127 days a year with rain or snow
  • 71" of snow a year
  • 20 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 69 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (126 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (320 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 43
  • 29% of households have kids
  • 20% are 65 or older
  • 24% have a college degree
  • Mixed community
  • 5% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 26 min
  • 2% walk or take transit to work
  • 22 mi to DLH airport
  • 129 mi to MSP (major hub)
  • 107 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 86% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1975
  • 86% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,312 ft
  • 606 mi to the ocean
  • 25 mi to a big lake
  • 24 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 16 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 8 mi to the nearest campground
  • 10 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 93 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 64 bars within 25 mi
  • 17 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • 2 music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 9 museums within 25 mi
  • 7 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 26 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 47% of Minnesota districts (reading)
  • 8 mi to the nearest grocery store
  • 5 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 26 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • 9 mi to the nearest vet
  • 8 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 9 congregations per 10k people
  • 5 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Carlton County: R+3 in 2024
  • Minnesota: D+4 in 2024

Natural hazards

  • Very low hurricane risk
  • Low tornado risk
  • Very low wildfire risk
  • Very low earthquake risk
  • Very low flood risk
  • Low drought risk
  • High winter storm risk
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Big Lake

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