Buffalo, Minnesota
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Buffalo City. It lies in ZIP code area 55313. The Survey maps it on the Buffalo East quadrangle. 16,168 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 928 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresBuffalo grew from 15,453 to 16,168 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 | 15,453 | |
| 2020 | 16,168 | +715 (+5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 12 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 Stillwater quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Buffalo quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000
- 1975 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1981 USGS Buffalo East quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Anoka quadrangle1:100000
- 1991 USGS Anoka quadrangle1:100000
In the county-history sources
5,026 words on this townshipHistory of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915 has no passage naming this settlement, which was common for smaller places. Its township is covered in full.
The chapter on Buffalo City covers the township.
Read the chapter on Buffalo City - 5,026 words.
Fires near this place
2 since 2001Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of Buffalo between 2001 and 2004, burning about 66 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 April 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2.0 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 4 November 2001 | Debris and open burning | 64 acres | 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 Buffalo: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris Nebtz Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Munsterteiger Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Varner Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
43 since 1997Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Buffalo in 43 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 25 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 2 funnel cloud, 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2020 | Hail | Buffalo | $100,000 | There were numerous reports of large hail, the largest measured at 2 inches in diameter, occurred across Wright County. Based on radar, and observations, there was a swath of hail between Buffalo, and Montrose, including the towns, that moved eastward toward the Hennepin County line near Rockford. There was also likely large hail west of Buffalo but due to the time of night and the rural area, there were no reports and is not included here. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | $25,000 | A 63 knot wind gust was measured on a home weather station. |
| June 2025 | Flood | Buffalo | - | MnDOT Camera located in Buffalo showed flooded roadway at Hwy 55 and 25 intersection. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Buffalo | - | There were several reports of large hail in the city of Buffalo, with the largest hailstone measured at 2 inches. |
| August 2020 | Hail | Buffalo | - | Most hail was smaller. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | A large tree limb was snapped off northwest of Buffalo. |
| May 2011 | Hail | Buffalo | - | Located at Highway 55 and County Road 12. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Several large trees were blown down around Buffalo. |
| June 2010 | Tornado (EF1) | Buffalo | - | Isolated tree damage was noted near the initial touchdown location, but the damage became more concentrated and more intense as the storm approached Constance Lake. Low end EF-1 tornado damage was noted, as the trunks of several trees were snapped at locations on both sides of the lake. An intermittent damage path continued further north, with damage to trees and a small lean-to shelter. The tornado dissipated near the intersection of 85th St NE and Cahill Ave. |
| September 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Large tree toppled across the street from Buffalo hospital. Information provided by the Wright County Journal Press. |
| September 2007 | Hail | Buffalo | - | At Highway 55 and County Road 14. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Tree toppled, large branches felled, light pole down. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Six to eight inch tree limbs severed. Few power lines down. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | A tree was downed at the law enforcement center. |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Thirty foot trees were blown down in scattered locations across town and a garage door was blown in. Signs were blown down near Buffalo High School. A tree was downed onto County Road 134 in Buffalo Township. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Buffalo | - | Dime to nickel sized hail was reported. |
| June 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Large branches were downed and a railroad crossing arm was damaged. A wind gust of 46 MPH was measured. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Scattered trees down, including one across a road 3 S Buffalo. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Several eight inch branches down in northern part of Buffalo. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Large tree blown down. Estimated windspeed. |
| May 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Airplane flipped over. Trees knocked down. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo | - | Mobile home cut in half by fallen tree. One aircraft overturned at local airport. High school gymnasium lost part of its roof. Estimated windspeed. |
| May 2022 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| September 2022 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Funnel Cloud | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| September 2007 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| May 2002 | Hail | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Funnel Cloud | Buffalo | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Buffalo | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bufflao Manor | 0.8 miles | 12 | |
| Buffalo Manor East | 0.9 miles | 12 | |
| Rassat | 6.4 miles | 12 | |
| Montrose | 7.6 miles | 12 | |
| Maple Lake | 7.8 miles | 10 | |
| Waverly | 8.7 miles | 12 | |
| Highland | 9.0 miles | 10 | |
| Rockford Riverview Estates | 9.3 miles | 15 |
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 Buffalo | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q987142 | 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 640603. 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.








