Elk River, Minnesota

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Elk River City. It lies in ZIP code area 55330. It stands on Elk River. The Survey maps it on the Elk River quadrangle. 25,835 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 896 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Elk River within Sherburne County

On record in Elk River

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 3 records

Oliver H. Kelley HomesteadNational Historic Landmark · listed 1966
Elk River Water Towerlisted 2012
Elkhi Stadiumlisted 2004

Population over time

2 figures

Elk River grew from 22,974 to 25,835 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	22,974
2020	25,835	+2,861 (+12%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 13 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.

1953 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000
1955 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000
1958 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1961 USGS Elk River quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
1961 USGS Elk River quadrangle1:62500
1965 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000
1975 USGS Stillwater quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
1985 USGS Anoka quadrangle1:100000
1991 USGS Anoka quadrangle1:100000

Fires near this place

126 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 126 fires within 5 miles of Elk River between 1992 and 2020, burning about 326 acres in total. None started naturally. 15 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	52
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	19
Railroad operations and maintenance	15
Arson/incendiarism	15
Equipment and vehicle use	10
Smoking	7
Recreation and ceremony	3
Other causes	2
Misuse of fire by a minor	2
Power generation/transmission/distribution	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
24 September 1999	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
8 August 2006	Arson/incendiarism	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
15 August 2006	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
15 August 2006	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
11 August 2008	Debris and open burning	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
9 July 1996	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
23 July 2007	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named
8 June 1997	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	not named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Sherburne County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 13 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Elk River: 12 producers, 1 prospect. 12 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.

Site	Commodity	Status
Barsody Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Barton Pit No 715	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Barton Pit No 717	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Country Club Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Elk River Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Elk River Sand & Gravel	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Hanson Pit and Mill	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Johnson Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Kreger Pit and Mill	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Malstrom Pit No 726	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Sherburne County

Storms near this place

60 of 75 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Elk River in 75 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 37 hail, 31 thunderstorm wind, 3 funnel cloud, 2 heavy rain. 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
May 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	$3,000,000	Garage destroyed. Roof ripped off nursery. Estimated windspeed. Many trees blown over. Damage estimate for entire county.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	$100,000	Numerous trees were blown down, along with damage to a farm's fence. Extensive damage occurred in the town of Elk River Minnesota, including the Sherburne County Fair where tents and sheds were blown over.
September 2006	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	$100,000	A used car sales trailer at Elk River Ford-Dodge-Jeep dealership was rolled; the dealership also incurred damage to a sign and some vehicles. Part of a townhome roof was blown off in the Kliever Lake Fields subdivision along County Road 12, just west of Fillmore Street. Some garage doors in the subdivision were pushed in, and one garage was damaged. An area along Yale Street, behind Broadway Bar, saw some damage, as did Park Pointe development. A garage door was blown in at the Furniture and Things warehouse on Ulysses Street. A semi-trailer outside a restaurant was blown over. Trees were blown down and signs were bent. Most information provided by the Annandale Advocate and the Elk River Star newspapers.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	$25,000	Multiple trees and power lines were blown down near Elk River.
August 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	$25,000	Roof partially removed from apartment building.
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	$500	Several large tree branches were blown down in an Elk River parking lot.
July 2025	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Ten-inch tree broken by thunderstorm winds.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Dispatch relayed multiple reports of trees down in Elk River.
July 2023	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Tree fell on house and tent, three people had minor injuries. Time based on radar and dispatch report.
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	A few trees and power lines were blown down in Elk River.
June 2020	Hail	Elk River	-	A social media picture of mainly dime to nickel size hail was noted.
June 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	A large tree was blown down in Elk River.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Several large trees were blown down northwest of Elk River.
June 2015	Hail	Elk River	-	There were several reports of hail west and south of Elk River. The largest hail stone was nickel size.
May 2012	Heavy Rain	Elk River	-	A local observer measured 3.50 inches in the last 24 hours.
August 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Several large oak trees were blown down north of Elk River.
May 2011	Hail	Elk River	-	Hail fell at County Road 33 and Twin Lakes Road.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	A large tree blew down in a church parking lot in Elk River.
June 2010	Hail	Elk River	-	Several reports of hail up to the size of half dollars, occurred around Elk River, Minnesota.
July 2008	Funnel Cloud	Elk River	-	Occurred one mile West of Elk River golf club.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Eight inch diameter oak branch severed.
July 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Four to six inch tree branches down.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	A boat lift near Big Lake was thrown in the air and landed across the lake.
September 2006	Hail	Elk River	-	Occurred at the County Law Enforcement Center.
July 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	A tree was downed at the intersection of 147th Street and Highway 10.
September 2005	Hail	Elk River	-	Hail ranging from three quarters to two inches in diameter was reported by a trained spotter and an off-duty National Weather Service employee. A deck was dented, a light fixture was broken, some roofs needed repair, and 3 squad cars were damaged in the area.
September 2005	Heavy Rain	Elk River	-	A total of 3.5 inches of rain caused street flooding.
September 2005	Lightning	Elk River	-	Lightning struck an empty home. The resulting fire destroyed a garage and two bedrooms.
September 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	A tree was downed onto a house on the east side of town.
September 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Hundreds of trees down, including some on houses and across roads. Section of roof off an apartment building, displacing 50 residents from 24 units. Gust of 72 mph measured at the fire station.
April 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Trees and power lines were downed on the east side of town.
May 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	A few trees and power lines were downed.
July 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Four 2 foot diameter oak trees were downed.
July 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Scattered trees and power lines down. One tree was blown down across a road.
July 2003	Hail	Elk River	-	Hail covered ground.
June 2003	Flash Flood	Elk River	-	The Southern portion of Sherburne county flooded. Five to ten inches of precipitation were common, including 8.19 inches measured in Elk River. Some township roads were washed out, along with street flooding in and near Elk River. Low Lying areas near the Elk River were also flooded.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Estimated windspeed.
July 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Six inch tree branches severed. Winds estimated.
June 1998	Hail	Elk River	-	Hailed for 10 minutes.
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Large tree branches down. Estimated windspeed.
August 1997	Hail	Elk River	-	Crops damaged.
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	Roof blown off apartment building. Numerous large trees down. Estimated windspeed.
September 1993	Hail	Elk River	-	Severe thunderstorms packing large hail moved through southern Minnesota, during the early morning hours of the 13th.
July 2023	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	no account filed
May 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	no account filed
July 2019	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
July 2019	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
June 2015	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
June 2015	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
June 2014	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
September 2013	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
July 2012	Funnel Cloud	Elk River	-	no account filed
May 2011	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
May 2011	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
August 2010	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
June 2010	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
July 2009	Hail	Elk River	-	no account filed
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Elk River	-	no account filed
July 2008	Funnel Cloud	Elk River	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Sherburne 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.

Place	Distance	Sheets
Lake Orono Estates	1.9 miles	13
Bailey	5.3 miles	13
Big Lake Estates	9.5 miles	13
Big Lake	9.7 miles	13
Zimmerman	9.7 miles	14
Zimmerman Terrace	10.0 miles	14
Orrock	13.2 miles	14
Salida	13.9 miles	16

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 Elk River	An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q985516	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 643266. 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.