Breckenridge, Minnesota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1904 and the latest in 1989. It stands in Breckenridge City. It lies in ZIP code area 56520. It stands on Bois de Sioux River. The Survey maps it on the Wahpeton quadrangle. 3,430 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 965 feet above sea level.
On record in Breckenridge
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 1 record
Wilkin County Courthouselisted 1980
Population over time
2 figuresBreckenridge grew from 3,386 to 3,430 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 | 3,386 | |
| 2020 | 3,430 | +44 (+1%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 11 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.
- 1904 USGS Wahpeton quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1953 USGS Fargo quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Fargo quadrangle1:250000
- 1964 USGS Wahpeton quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1985 USGS Wahpeton quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1989 USGS Fargo quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
7 since 2016Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 7 fires within 5 miles of Breckenridge between 2016 and 2020, burning about 9 acres in total. None started naturally. None 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 |
|---|---|
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 August 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | MASONITE |
| 4 July 2017 | Fireworks | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 1378 |
| 2 July 2016 | Fireworks | 1.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 7022016 |
| 1 June 2020 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | North Dakota State Forest Service | 2020-1501 |
| 4 April 2017 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 4.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 657 |
| 1 April 2019 | Railroad operations and maintenance | under an acre | North Dakota State Forest Service | 20190707 |
| 3 December 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | North Dakota State Forest Service | 2700 |
Storms near this place
50 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Breckenridge in 50 storm reports between 1996 and 2024: 16 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 11 flash flood, 3 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | $250,000 | Numerous large trees were snapped or uprooted at various locations along a roughly 3 mile wide path centered along MN Highway 210. Farm machinery was moved about, doors and roofing materials were torn off farm buildings and homes. Peak winds estimated at 90 to 100 mph at multiple locations. |
| August 2008 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | $40,000 | The city park was flooded and several streets were blocked off due to street flooding. |
| July 2016 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | $5,000 | Fields and farm access roads were flooded near the Doran Slough. |
| July 2011 | Tornado (EF1) | Breckenridge | $5,000 | This tornado touched down in a farmstead shelterbelt just east of Lake Breckenridge and tracked near a second residence during its roughly one mile path. Some large trees were knocked down, a number of large branches were broken down and a few shingles were lifted off the house. A two cubic yard metal dumpster was lifted and thrown about 100 feet into a nearby ditch. Peak winds were estimated at 95 mph. |
| June 2014 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | Photo of quarter sized hail relayed by broadcast media. |
| April 2023 | Flood | Breckenridge | - | Wahpeton - First crest of 12.29 ft occurred on 4/15, with a secondary crest of 12.51 ft occurring on 4/19. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Several large ash, poplar, and spruce trees snapped or uprooted. Numerous Large branches and limbs broken. Power lines were down and shingles were blown off homes. Time estimated based on radar and nearby wind sensors. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Large tree branches were broken, with diameters of 6 to 8 inches. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | The wind gust was measured by a personal weather station. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in the Wahpeton-Breckenridge area. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Trees were blown down at the Bois de Sioux golf course. |
| July 2019 | Funnel Cloud | Breckenridge | - | The funnel was nearly overhead. |
| July 2019 | Tornado (EF1) | Breckenridge | - | Twin funnels moved across the Red River north of Breckenridge and produced at least one damaging touchdown path. This tornado was the second (2B) which formed in this cyclic series. It touched down near highway 75 and tracked northeast, breaking numerous large tree branches in shelterbelts along its path. One farmstead had a few ash and cottonwood trees snapped. Peak winds were estimated at 95 mph. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Tree damage was reported. |
| June 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | A small shed and 18 inch diameter trees were blown down. |
| June 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Breckenridge | - | Video and photographic evidence showed that this tornado produced a sizable dust plume, but no damage of note. Peak winds were estimated at 70 mph. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Numerous large trees were blown down. Power poles and power lines were blown down. An entire steel roof was torn off its rafters and flung southeastward across Minnesota Avenue. Impacts from the debris broke down a steel street light pole and caused incidental damage to other buildings across the street. Peak winds were estimated at 80 mph. |
| August 2013 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | Strong winds and very heavy rainfall was also reported. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Hail up to 1.5 inches in diameter also fell with the very strong winds. Numerous large tree branches were also blown down. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Two 24 inch diameter trees were blown down. |
| August 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Breckenridge | - | The persistent funnel cloud tracked east-northeast to near Foxhome before dissipating. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Several large four to six inch diameter tree branches were blown down. |
| July 2009 | Heavy Rain | Breckenridge | - | Quite a bit of rain fell across the Breckenridge area. Approximately 3.05 inches of rain was measured at the Breckenridge water plant. This caused ponding of water in low spots at the Wilkin County Fair. |
| September 2008 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | Three to five inches of rain fell in 4 hours, which resulted in localized flooding of farm fields and farm access roads. Some street flooding also occurred. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | Seven empty railroad grain cars were tipped off a railroad track. 62 other empty railroad cars were pushed one mile south of their parked location. |
| June 2007 | Flood | Breckenridge | - | In Wahpeton/Breckenridge, an estimate 20 to 40 homes had basement flooding or sewer backup. The Wilkin County Emergency Manager estimated at least one road in every township had washed out. On the Red River at Wahpeton/Breckenridge, which was showing a level of about 9.3 feet on the morning of the 1st, the river stage shot up to around 15.6 feet by late in the afternoon of the 3rd (a jump of over 6 feet in about 2 days). Again, the 15.6 river peak would qualify as a top ten historical crest. On the Rabbit River at Campbell, which was showing a level of about 5 feet on the evening of the 1st, the river jumped to around 17.9 feet by the morning of the 3rd (a rise of about 13 feet in a day and a half). |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | 2.5 inches of rain fell in an hour, flooding city streets. |
| June 2005 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | Street flooding was reported after two inches of rain fell in less than an hour. |
| June 2003 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | Water flowed over Highway 75 near the overpass. |
| July 2002 | Lightning | Breckenridge | - | Lightning struck a power pole snapping two electrical lines. Residents lost power for an hour. |
| August 2002 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | Street flooding was reported. |
| April 2001 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | Basement flooding was reported. |
| July 2019 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Flash Flood | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | no account filed |
| August 1996 | Hail | Breckenridge | - | 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.
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 Breckenridge | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q4904287 | 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 640448. 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.
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.





