Alexandria, Minnesota
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Alexandria City. It lies in ZIP code area 56308. The Survey maps it on the Alexandria West quadrangle. 14,335 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,404 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Alexandria
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 8 records
Alexandria Public Librarylisted 1985
Thomas F. Cowing Houselisted 1985
Douglas County Courthouselisted 1985
Great Northern Passenger Depotlisted 1985
Knute Nelson Houselisted 1977
U.S. Post Office-Alexandrialisted 1979
Noah P. Ward Houselisted 1985- Alexandria Residential Historic Districtlisted 1991
Population over time
2 figuresAlexandria grew from 11,070 to 14,335 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 11,070 | |
| 2020 | 14,335 | +3,265 (+29%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1953 USGS Saint Cloud quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Saint Cloud quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Saint Cloud quadrangle1:250000
- 1966 USGS Alexandria West quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1986 USGS Lake Minnewaska quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
22 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 22 fires within 5 miles of Alexandria between 1992 and 2009, burning about 195 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 17 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2006 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 29 September 1992 | Debris and open burning | 1.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 31 July 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 3 May 1997 | Debris and open burning | 10 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 2 May 1999 | Debris and open burning | 5.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 8 April 2003 | Debris and open burning | 2.5 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 2004 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 April 1999 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Alexandria: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jensen Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Northland Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Wayne Lee Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
44 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Alexandria in 44 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 20 thunderstorm wind, 16 hail, 2 tornado, 2 flash flood. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1996 | Tornado (F2) | Alexandria | 4 hurt | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Thunderstorm wind gust estimated at 65 mph downed several trees in Alexandria. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Multiple trees were down along with power lines on roads. |
| May 2022 | Tornado (EF1) | Alexandria | - | A fast moving tornado (storms were moving northeast at 70 mph) touched down near Donna Drive and West Meadow Lane on the northwest edge of Alexandria, then tracked across Lake Darling before hitting land again along County Road 11. Numerous houses were hit on the south side of Lake Darling. After crossing Lake Darling, the tornado damage was mostly to trees, with less damage directly to houses, as the tornado was becoming weaker in this area. It dissipated on land shortly after moving across a small part of the southwest portion of Lake Carlos. Maximum winds were estimated at 110 mph. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | A large tree blew down over a road east of Alexandria, near Lake Geneva. |
| June 2009 | Funnel Cloud | Alexandria | - | A funnel cloud was observed by a storm chaser and local storm spotters just east of Alexandria. |
| June 2009 | Hail | Alexandria | - | Trained spotter reported large hail on the north side of Alexandria, Minnesota. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Trained spotters reported a large tree blown down. |
| June 2008 | Hail | Alexandria | - | In addition, a gust of 56 mph was recorded at the Alexandria airport. |
| April 2006 | Hail | Alexandria | - | The quarter size hail occurred near Lake Taylor. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Large tree limb down across power line. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Four inch tree branches were downed onto Interstate 94. |
| July 2005 | Lightning | Alexandria | - | Four homes were struck by lightning. A home on South Union Lake Road suffered a 16 inch hole where a bolt struck the house. A home on County Road 44 reported items being knocked off walls and a hole in the wall from a lightning strike. A lightning strike fried wires at a home on Kyle Drive. A home that was struck on North McKay Avenue suffered no damage. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | A tree was downed on the south end of Lake Mary. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Trees were felled onto several houses near county roads 11 and 34. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | A tree was downed at the intersection of 6th Avenue and Cedar Street. |
| June 2005 | Heavy Rain | Alexandria | - | Legion Park, between 8th and 9th avenues, was flooded by heavy downpours. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Measured by MNDOT road weather system along Interstate 94. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Several trees toppled. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Alexandria | - | Hail covered ground. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Alexandria | - | County wide flooding. Several inches of rainfall. Highway 27 was flooded northwest of Kensington. Street flooding and roads under water in Alexandria and Nelson. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Trees down. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Tree down. |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Few trees down across power lines. |
| July 2002 | Flash Flood | Alexandria | - | Numerous streets flooded. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | 40 trees blown down at golf course. Estimated windspeed. |
| August 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Trees blown down. Estimated windspeed. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Trees and power lines blown down. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | Numerous trees down. House damaged by tree. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| September 2014 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| June 1996 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alexandria | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hiview Park | 2.3 miles | 11 | |
| Nelson | 6.0 miles | 11 | |
| Forada | 6.5 miles | 10 | |
| Garfield | 7.2 miles | 9 | |
| Carlos | 7.5 miles | 11 | |
| Holmes City | 9.4 miles | 8 | |
| Belle River | 10.7 miles | 9 | |
| Miltona | 11.9 miles | 9 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Alexandria | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q538210 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 639272. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.




