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Cokato, Minnesota

10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Cokato City. It lies in ZIP code area 55321. The Survey maps it on the Cokato quadrangle. 2,799 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,056 feet above sea level.

Cokato within Wright County

On record in Cokato

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 2 records

Population over time

2 figures

Cokato grew from 2,694 to 2,799 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.

YearPeople Change
20102,694
20202,799+105 (+4%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 10 printed sheets

Matched 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.

In the county-history sources

3,888 words on this township

History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915 names this settlement in its chapter on Cokato Township. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

Cokato embraces Congressional township 119, range 28. It is bounded on the north by the township of French Lake, on the east by Middleville, on the south by Stockholm, and on the west by Meeker county. The north fork of the Crow river passes through sections 2, 11 and 12, in the northeast part of the town. Sucker ereek flows from the south part of the town nearly through Cokato lake, in sections 14, 15 and 23. This is the largest lake in

Passage source: History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915.

The first actual settlers were Josiah P. Mooers and his sons, Augustus P. and Henry. They came to Minnesota from Maine in 1852, and in August, 1856, settled on section 34 in what is now Cokato township. All three became prominent men. Among other early settlers were Joseph Lane, Samuel Pavitt, Amos Chambers, Daniel Rose, William Lee, Luman Putnam, Timothy Lowell, David Griffith and Hugh MeNulty. Lane came in 1856; Griffith, Lee and Putnam in 1857; Pavitt, Chambers and Rose came in 1858.

Passage source: History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915.

In August, 1855, the town and range lines were surveyed, and in the winter the towns were subdivided into section lines. While engaged in this work, the United States surveyors camped for several months on the shore of Cokato lake. The name signified a stopping place, and was given by - Duffy, one of the crew. The surveyors cut a road from near the forks of the Crow river to Cokato lake, in the fall of 1855, and the settlers later improved this erude trail, By 1856 it was well cut and laid out, and a few bridges had been built over the creek, In April, 1856, a number of Minneapolis people laid out a city on section 14, at the north side, at the outlet of Cokato lake. A dam was put in, a hotel erected, and other improvements made. Among those interested were Dr. J. H. Murphy, of St. Paul, and the Messrs. Duffy, Sidel and Crane, of Minneapolis. MeNulty was the agent. He engaged Timothy Lowell and his family to keep the hotel,

Passage source: History of Wright County, Minnesota Volume II, published 1915.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Cokato Township - it names this place 10 more 10 times.

Mines and quarries near this place

1 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Cokato: 1 past producer. None of them still produces. 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Karinen PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Wright County

Storms near this place

52 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cokato in 52 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 29 hail, 21 thunderstorm wind, 2 funnel cloud. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 2002Thunderstorm WindCokato$200,000One barn was demolished with some materials blown 800 feet. Two other barns and several sheds were blown down.
May 2016HailCokato$10,000In addition to the quarter size hail, a wind gust of 55 mph southwest of of Cokato. There was a social media video of power poles blown down and large hail covering the ground.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindCokato-Trees were reported down near Cokato.
May 2022Thunderstorm WindCokato-Several trees were blown down around Cokato.
June 2022Thunderstorm WindCokato-Several trees were blown down in the Cokato area.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindCokato-Several large tree branches were blown down in Cokato, Minnesota.
June 2010Funnel CloudCokato-Several funnel clouds were reported around Cokato, Minnesota.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindCokato-Sixty mph wind gust measured at Dassel Cokato Middle School.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindCokato-Numerous tree limbs severed and utility lines felled across roadway.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindCokato-Residence affected was at 25495 750th SW. Just to the Southwest of the residence several trees in a small wooded area were toppled. In the Southwest portion of the farm site there was a tin shed approximately 20 feet by 40 feet. The majority of the tin shed roof was blown off or caved into the structure. Shingles blown off portion of roof of home on this property. Antenna on roof also damaged. Power lost for several hours. Portion of barn also damaged, with small sections of board from barn burrowed into the ground. Some wind damage to corn crop on Eastern portion of residence.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindCokato-Damage occurred at 72780 240th St. Damage included: a small canvas shed blown down. Two trees severed at the base of the trunk, several tree branches also severed. A pole holding up a small television antenna was blown over.
July 2008HailCokato-Strong winds were also reported with the hail. No wind damage was recorded.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindCokato-Two trees felled. Power out for several hours.
August 2007Thunderstorm WindCokato-Amateur radio spotters report power lines downed by strong winds in the Howard Lake and Cokato areas.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindCokato-The roof of a hoop barn was removed at a farm on 98th Street in Stockholm Township, Section 21. The tops of trees were also snapped.
September 2005HailCokato-Houses and vehicles were damaged by tennis ball to baseball sized hail.
May 2004HailCokato-Penny sized hail fell for 15 minutes.
September 2002Funnel CloudCokato-Distance approximate.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindCokato-Ten inch diameter branches downed. Minor damage to siding on house.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindCokato-Farm building blown down. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindCokato-Roof damage. Semitrailer blown over. Church steeple blown over. Township hall sustained heavy damage including roof blown off and wall collapse. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindCokato-Turkey barn destroyed. About 4,000 turkeys lost.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindCokato-Barn collapse. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997Thunderstorm WindCokato-Eight grain bins destroyed. Estimated windspeed.
June 1997Thunderstorm WindCokato-Power lines and large branches down. Trees also reported down in Waverly. Estimated windspeed.
June 2025HailCokato-no account filed
August 2025Thunderstorm WindCokato-no account filed
August 2025HailCokato-no account filed
July 2023HailCokato-no account filed
July 2023HailCokato-no account filed
September 2014HailCokato-no account filed
August 2013HailCokato-no account filed
May 2011HailCokato-no account filed
July 2008HailCokato-no account filed
June 2007HailCokato-no account filed
September 2007HailCokato-no account filed
September 2007HailCokato-no account filed
September 2007HailCokato-no account filed
April 2007HailCokato-no account filed
September 2005HailCokato-no account filed
April 2004HailCokato-no account filed
April 2002HailCokato-no account filed
June 2002HailCokato-no account filed
May 2002HailCokato-no account filed
May 2002HailCokato-no account filed
August 2002HailCokato-no account filed
June 2001HailCokato-no account filed
June 1999HailCokato-no account filed
May 1998Thunderstorm WindCokato-no account filed
July 1997HailCokato-no account filed
August 1997HailCokato-no account filed
August 1997HailCokato-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Wright County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Stockholm3.2 miles10
Smith Lake4.0 miles10
Rice Lake4.9 miles10
Albright5.5 miles10
Knapp5.6 miles10
Howard Lake6.3 miles10
French Lake8.6 miles10
West Albion8.8 miles10

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 CokatoAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1005655The 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 641381. 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.

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.