Living in Heron Lake, MN
Heron Lake is a tiny town of 593 people in Jackson County, Minnesota. It's about 72 miles from Mankato, MN and 129 miles from Minneapolis, MN, the nearest major city. Summer highs average 83°F and winter highs 23°F, with about 46 inches of snow a year. The typical home is valued around $89k and rent runs about $833 a month.
593people
$89kTypical home
$833/moRent
83° / 23°Summer / winter
46"Snow
240Sunny days
107Rain/snow days
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Size & setting
- Tiny town of 593
- A standalone small town, not a suburb
- About 477 people per sq mi
- 129 mi to Minneapolis, MN
- 72 mi to Mankato, MN
- 18 mi to the nearest town of 10k+
Money
- Typical home $89k (≈$559/mo)
- Median rent $833/mo
- Median household income $68k
- Property tax about 1.3% of value
- 2.0% unemployment
Weather
- Summer highs around 83°F
- Winter highs around 23°F
- Somewhat humid summers (dew point 59°F)
- 240 sunny days a year (85 totally clear)
- 125 cloudy days a year
- 38 of 90 winter days are gray
- 107 days a year with rain or snow
- 46" of snow a year
- 16 days a year with 1"+ of snow
- Rarely hits 100°F
- 57 nights a year below 10°F
- Windier than most places
Safety
- Very low violent crime (111 per 100k), county-wide
- Very low property crime (191 per 100k), county-wide
People
- Median age 46
- 21% of households have kids
- 27% are 65 or older
- 22% have a college degree
- Not very diverse
- 3% of residents are college students
Getting around & homes
- Average commute 20 min
- 8% walk or take transit to work
- 73 mi to FSD airport
- 128 mi to MSP (major hub)
- 135 mi to the nearest Amtrak station
- 90% single-family homes
- Typical home built around 1953
- 89% of homes have broadband
Outdoors
- Flat, open land
- Elevation 1,421 ft
- 833 mi to the ocean
- 146 mi to a big lake
- 53 mi to the nearest trailhead
- 68 mi to the nearest ski area
- 7 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
- 4 museums within 25 mi
- No breweries & distilleries within 25 mi
- 45 mi to the nearest farmers market
Everyday
- Schools in the bottom 18% of Minnesota districts (reading)
- 11 mi to the nearest grocery store
- 11 mi to the nearest ER hospital
- 18 mi to a 4–5★ hospital
- 20 mi to the nearest vet
- 11 mi to the nearest dog park
- 20 congregations per 10k people
- 20 mi to the nearest college
Politics
- Jackson County: R+42 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