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Big small town

Living in Big Lake, MN

Big Lake is a big small town of 12,367 people in Sherburne County, Minnesota. It's about 24 miles from St. Cloud, MN and 35 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 22°F, with about 39 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $330k and rent runs about $1k a month.

12,367people
$330kTypical home
$1,340/moRent
82° / 22°Summer / winter
39"Snow
232Sunny days
89Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Big small town of 12,367
  • Part of a metro area
  • About 1,710 people per sq mi
  • 35 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 24 mi to St. Cloud, MN
  • Has its own stores and services

Money

  • Typical home $330k (≈$2,082/mo)
  • Median rent $1,340/mo
  • Median household income $121k
  • Property tax about 1.1% of value
  • 3.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 82°F
  • Winter highs around 22°F
  • Somewhat humid summers (dew point 58°F)
  • 232 sunny days a year (75 totally clear)
  • 133 cloudy days a year
  • 41 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 89 days a year with rain or snow
  • 39" of snow a year
  • 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 60 nights a year below 10°F
  • Breezy

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (87 per 100k)
  • Very low property crime (472 per 100k)

People

  • Median age 33
  • 45% of households have kids
  • 6% are 65 or older
  • 27% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 4% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 36 min
  • 1% walk or take transit to work
  • 21 mi to STC airport
  • 41 mi to MSP (major hub)
  • 25 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 90% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 2000
  • 96% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 945 ft
  • 705 mi to the ocean
  • 54 mi to a big lake
  • 7 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 27 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 4 mi to the nearest campground
  • 42 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 311 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • 8 bars within 25 mi
  • 76 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 6 museums within 25 mi
  • 14 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 14 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 50% of Minnesota districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 6 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 13 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 7 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 5 congregations per 10k people
  • 24 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Sherburne County: R+35 in 2024
  • Minnesota: D+4 in 2024

Natural hazards

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

Places near Big Lake

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