The Twin Lakes Township post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Twin Lakes (1856) and Iverson (1909), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 2,093170 years
How historic is Twin Lakes Township?
C−
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Twin Lakes Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Twin Lakes Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Twin Lakes Township is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Twin Lakes Township’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 Twin Lakes Township’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 still be C−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). 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 Twin Lakes Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
"Twin Lakes Township was named for its two small lakes in section 36, on the first road laid out from St. Paul, through Chisago and Pine counties, to the head of Lake Superior. A map of Minnesota in 1856, by Silas Chapman, shows this road with a small settlement named Twin Lakes, which was the only locality indicated as having inhabitants in Carlton County." - from Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, volume XVII.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Twin Lakes Township.
1954Wrenshall 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 Twin Lakes Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Twin Lakes Township
Nobody well known was born in Twin Lakes Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Twin Lakes Township post office opened in 1856, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Twin Lakes Township rank for history?
Twin Lakes Township is more historic than 21% 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 Twin Lakes Township?
5% of Twin Lakes Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
