Cross Lake, Minnesota
11 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1976. It stands in Crosslake City. It lies in ZIP code area 56442. The Survey maps it on the Cross Lake quadrangle. 2,394 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,240 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresCross Lake grew from 2,141 to 2,394 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 | 2,141 | |
| 2020 | 2,394 | +253 (+12%) |
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.
- 1953 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Cross Lake quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1965 USGS Brainerd quadrangle1:250000
- 1976 USGS Pine River quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
112 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 112 fires within 5 miles of Cross Lake between 1992 and 2020, burning about 212 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 9 were 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 | 58 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 8 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 7 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 September 2006 | Natural | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 September 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 9 July 2007 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 7 July 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 31 July 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 25 July 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 25 July 2001 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 21 July 2005 | Recreation and ceremony | 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 Cross Lake: 3 occurrences. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Limestone, General. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crow Wing County Marl Beds No 5 | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Crow Wing County Marl Beds No 6 | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Crow Wing County Marl Beds No 7 | Limestone, General | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
49 since 1995Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Cross Lake in 49 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 33 thunderstorm wind, 15 hail, 1 lightning. The reports record 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | 3 hurt | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | $6,000 | Thunderstorm winds knocked down at least 50 trees in the immediate Crosslake area. A large oak tree fell on a garage while another large tree fell on a motorhome. |
| July 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | $5,000 | Numerous trees were blown down across the county. A sailboat on Gull Lake was flipped over by the winds, along with pontoons at other resorts. Store signs in Brainerd were torn off and blown two blocks. Winds in Cross Lake were measured at 60 knots (69 mph). Trees in Baxter were blown down on cars. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | $500 | A tree was blown down on County Road 1. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | A dozen trees were on roadways and three trees were down on powerlines in the community of Crosslake. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | Hail 2 inches or more in diameter fell continuously between 6:17PM and 6:42PM. Hail was still over 1.5 inches in diameter over an hour and half after it stopped falling. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Several trees were uprooted and snapped. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | A few small to medium sized trees were snapped. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Multiple trees were snapped in the Crosslake Recreation area. One healthy tree that was about 1 to 2 feet in diameter was snapped near the base. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | A photo was received showing a 12 to 14 inch tree that had been snapped. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | A boat lift and a dock were flipped on Lower Whitefish Lake. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Multiple medium to large trees were downed across a campground. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | A tree fell during the storm onto an occupied popup camper at the Corps of Engineers campground. |
| August 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Multiple trees and power lines were downed by the storm. |
| September 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Multiple trees were knocked down along with nearby power lines. |
| September 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Multiple trees were knocked down along with nearby power lines. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Fifteen trees were blown down in the individual's yard. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Large trees were blown down along West Shore Road. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Numerous trees were blown down along County Roads 3, 103, and also 120. |
| May 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Ten trees were snapped off and two others uprooted at a USACE camp ground. Several other trees were blown down on structures around the camp. |
| May 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Two 12 inch diameter trees were uprooted. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Trees were blown down between Crosslake and Fifty Lakes. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Trees were blown down. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | People were trapped in a campground due to numerous downed trees. Trees were also reported down in the Whitefish and Deerwood areas. |
| May 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Several large oaks and powerlines were blown down. |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Two 10-inch diameter pine trees were blown down. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Trees were blown down, causing power outages. |
| April 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | There was major tree damage. |
| September 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | Numerous trees were blown down. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| September 2022 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Lightning | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| April 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| August 2000 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Cross Lake | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manhattan Beach | 4.9 miles | 10 | |
| Fifty Lakes | 5.6 miles | 11 | |
| Mission | 5.9 miles | 10 | |
| Breezy Point | 6.2 miles | 12 | |
| Lakewood Court | 6.3 miles | 10 | |
| Swanburg | 6.5 miles | 10 | |
| Emily | 9.6 miles | 11 | |
| Wolford | 10.6 miles | 10 |
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 Cross Lake | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q1884108 | 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 642486. 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.





