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Small town

Living in Elbow Lake, MN

Elbow Lake is a small town of 1,301 people in Grant County, Minnesota. It's about 73 miles from Fargo, ND and 149 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 81°F and winter highs 19°F, with about 41 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $127k and rent runs about $742 a month.

1,301people
$127kTypical home
$742/moRent
81° / 19°Summer / winter
41"Snow
238Sunny days
71Rain/snow days

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Size & setting

  • Small town of 1,301
  • A standalone small town, not a suburb
  • About 940 people per sq mi
  • 149 mi to Minneapolis, MN
  • 73 mi to Fargo, ND
  • 21 mi to the nearest town of 10k+

Money

  • Typical home $127k (≈$800/mo)
  • Median rent $742/mo
  • Median household income $60k
  • Property tax about 1.2% of value
  • 4.0% unemployment

Weather

  • Summer highs around 81°F
  • Winter highs around 19°F
  • Comfortable summers (dew point 57°F)
  • 238 sunny days a year (78 totally clear)
  • 127 cloudy days a year
  • 37 of 90 winter days are gray
  • 71 days a year with rain or snow
  • 41" of snow a year
  • 14 days a year with 1"+ of snow
  • Rarely hits 100°F
  • 67 nights a year below 10°F
  • Windier than most places

Safety

  • Very low violent crime (65 per 100k), county-wide
  • Very low property crime (33 per 100k), county-wide

People

  • Median age 38
  • 34% of households have kids
  • 19% are 65 or older
  • 21% have a college degree
  • Not very diverse
  • 2% of residents are college students

Getting around & homes

  • Average commute 25 min
  • 3% walk or take transit to work
  • 76 mi to FAR airport
  • 154 mi to MSP (major hub)
  • 58 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
  • 78% single-family homes
  • Typical home built around 1958
  • 93% of homes have broadband

Outdoors

  • Flat, open land
  • Elevation 1,207 ft
  • 766 mi to the ocean
  • 32 mi to a big lake
  • 26 mi to the nearest trailhead
  • 19 mi to the nearest ski area
  • 4 mi to the nearest campground
  • 4 golf courses within 25 mi

Things to do

  • 15 sit-down restaurants within 25 mi
  • Few or no bars within 25 mi
  • 5 coffee shops within 25 mi
  • No music venues & clubs within 25 mi
  • 16 museums within 25 mi
  • 2 breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
  • 53 mi to the nearest farmers market

Everyday

  • Schools in the top 16% of Minnesota districts (reading)
  • Grocery store in town
  • 1 mi to the nearest ER hospital
  • 29 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
  • Vet in town
  • 20 mi to the nearest dog park
  • 23 congregations per 10k people
  • 28 mi to the nearest college

Politics

  • Grant County: R+31 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
  • Very low heat wave risk
  • Very low volcano risk

Places near Elbow Lake

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