More historic than 14% of U.S. towns · #256 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Big Lake was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2000. Below: maps from 1961 on and the census since 1900.
The Big Lake post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Elk Prairie (1854), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 177 in 19002020 census: 11,686171 years
How historic is Big Lake?
D
More historic than 14% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Big Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Big Lake’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Big Lake is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #256 of 273 in Minnesota. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Big Lake’s overall grade.
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Big Lake’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Big Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Big Lake was originally established to harvest ice in both of its towns' lakes (Big and Mitchell Lakes). Due to the rich amount of ice Big Lake provided, it needed to be transported quickly, enabling Big Lake to be suitable for a railway station which was built in 1871. Big Lake was served by both the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railroad, later Burlington Northern Railroad, now BNSF Railway.
The city was host to a station of both GN and NP railways until the NP station burned in 1918, in later years both railroads shared a depot. The depot no longer stands.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Big Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1961Big Lake sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Big Lake.
People over time
Big Lake, census by census
Grew from 177 people in 1900 to 11,686 in 2020, more than tenfold.
13 censuses, 1900–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Big Lake’s Wikipedia page.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Big Lake’s post office has been open since 1855. Another post office, Elk Prairie, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Elk Prairie
1854–1855
Big Lake
1855–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Big Lake Estates
1cemetery inside Big Lake
Big Lake
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Big Lake’s history
What year was Big Lake founded?
The Big Lake post office opened in 1855, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Big Lake rank for history?
Big Lake is more historic than 14% of U.S. towns, #256 of 273 in Minnesota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Big Lake?
1% of Big Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 2000.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (5), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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