Most of East Gull Lake was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Below: maps from 1916 on and the census since 1940.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Gull Lake is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Gull 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 East Gull 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 two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. 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 East Gull Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of East Gull Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1916Pillager sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of East Gull Lake.
The story so far
East Gull Lake, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of East Gull Lake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
East Gull Lake is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 986 at the 2020 census. The nearest semi-urban area is that of Brainerd and Baxter. It is part of the Brainerd Micropolitan Statistical Area. East Gull Lake is in Central Minnesota's Brainerd Lakes Area and takes its name from the largest lake within its borders, Gull Lake. East Gull Lake Airport (FAA code 9Y2) is a small two-runway airport.
Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,004 in 2010, 986 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
East Gull Lake is more historic than 12% of U.S. towns. 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 East Gull Lake?
3% of East Gull Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1993.
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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
