IntelliMoveTake the quiz →Living in Country around Buffalo Lake, MN
Country around Buffalo Lake is a rural area of about 1,187 people in Renville County, Minnesota, named for the post office its ZIP code uses. It's about 52 miles from Mankato, MN and 67 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 82°F and winter highs 21°F, with about 44 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $179k and rent runs about $781 a month.
1,187people
$179kTypical home
$781/moRent
82° / 21°Summer / winter
44"Snow
239Sunny days
89Rain/snow days
Is Near Buffalo Lake right for you?
Take the 5-minute quiz and see your match — and how it stacks up against 34,000 other places.
Size & setting
- Rural — about 1,187 people spread over the area
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 16 people per sq mi
- 67 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 52 mi to Mankato, MN
- 14 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $179k (≈$1,130/mo)
- Median rent $781/mo
- Median household income $80k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 3.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 82°F
- Winter highs around 21°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 59°F)
- 239 sunny days a year (77 totally clear)
- 126 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 89 days a year with rain or snow
- 44" of snow a year
- 15 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 61 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (62 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (323 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 45
- 28% of households have kids
- 25% are 65 or older
- 19% have a college degree
- Mixed community
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 27 min
- 3% walk or take transit to work
- 60 mi to STC airport
- 68 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 59 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 88% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1964
- 86% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,060 ft
- 762 mi to the ocean
- 104 mi to a big lake
- 40 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 42 mi to the nearest ski area
- 3 mi to the nearest campground
- 8 golf courses within 25 mi
Things to do
- 26 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
- Few or no bars within 25 mi
- 3 coffee shops within 25 mi
- No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
- 8 museums within 25 mi
- 3 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 14 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 31% of Minnesota districts (reading)
- 13 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 13 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 41 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 18 mi to the nearest vet
- 14 mi to the nearest dog park
- 21 congregations per 10k people
- 34 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Renville County: R+41 in 2024
- Minnesota: D+4 in 2024
Natural hazards
- Very low hurricane risk
- High tornado risk
- Very low wildfire risk
- Very low earthquake risk
- Low flood risk
- Very low drought risk
- High winter storm risk
- Low heat wave risk
- Very low volcano risk