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