Nicollet, Minnesota
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1991. It stands in Nicollet City. It lies in ZIP code area 56074. The Survey maps it on the Nicollet quadrangle. 1,143 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 984 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresNicollet grew from 1,093 to 1,143 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 | 1,093 | |
| 2020 | 1,143 | +50 (+5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
7 surveys from 9 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 New Ulm quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS New Ulm quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS New Ulm quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Nicollet quadrangle1:24000
- 1967 USGS New Ulm quadrangle1:250000
- 1986 USGS New Ulm quadrangle1:100000
- 1991 USGS New Ulm quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
2 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 2 fires within 5 miles of Nicollet between 2003 and 2013, burning about 165 acres in total. None started naturally. 1 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 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 May 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 15 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
| 13 April 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 acres | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Nicollet: 2 producers. All of them 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judson Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Zimmerman East Pit and Mill | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer |
Storms near this place
34 since 1998Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Nicollet in 34 storm reports between 1998 and 2025: 14 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 7 tornado, 1 flood. The reports record 1 death and 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 1998 | Tornado (F3) | Nicollet | 1 killed, $120,000,000 | Tornado made a direct hit on the city of St. Peter and Gustavius Adolphus College. All major buildings on campus suffered varying degrees of damage. The spire on Christ Chapel snapped in half. 70% of the windows on campus were broken. 500 homes were destroyed in St. Peter, 1,700 were damaged. Over 1,000 trees uprooted. One person killed just outside St. Peter when the tornado struck a vehicle. St. Peter Catholic Church destroyed. Hospital severely damaged. Roof ripped off library. 25% of books lost. Debris from St. Peter found 50 miles away in southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. 60 rural homes and farms damaged or destroyed from Courtland to St. Peter. Rural damage estimated at 6.5 million. |
| August 2006 | Tornado (F3) | Nicollet | 7 hurt, $3,500,000 | The tornado began with a very narrow path and gradually expanded to a half mile wide multiple vortex tornado. One home in Nicollet lost much of its upper floor, and other homes suffered major damage, including some bring shifted off their foundation. The tornado continued east along Highway 99, producing major damage to houses, farm buildings, and a power substation. It did its most severe damage on the southern outskirts of St. Peter, where a house was completely leveled. A total of 57 homes properties in Nicollet County were damaged, and several homes had to be totaled out. A spokesmen from the St. Peter Community Hospital said several persons were admitted with severe wounds, such as broken bones. The tornado crossed the Minnesota River near the southern city limits of St. Peter, and entered Le Sueur County near the city of Kasota (see separate entry). |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | $4,000,000 | Roof torn off high school gymnasium resulting in water damage to floor. Garage walls blown down at pair of houses in northwestern part of town. High winds affected 100,000 to 115,000 acres across Nicollet county. 50,000 acres of crops severely damaged. Damage estimate for entire county. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 2020 | Tornado (EF0) | Nicollet | $25,000 | Hundreds of trees were broken or uprooted. Numerous swaths of corn were flattened. Portion of roof were torn off a machine shed. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | $10,000 | A road sign was damaged and a roof west of Nicollet on Highway 14. |
| September 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | $5,000 | Several trees were damaged or uprooted in Nicollet. The highest wind speeds around the area were between 45 and 55 mph. |
| June 2025 | Tornado (EF0) | Nicollet | - | Approximate track of tornado, based on storm chaser video. The tornado knocked down small branches at a farmstead. Many storm chasers, spotters, and members of the public took photos and video of this tornado. It was highly visible from miles away. |
| June 2020 | Flash Flood | Nicollet | - | There were numerous reports of flooded or closed roadways due to water over the road across southern Nicollet County. There were multiple mud slides in the Minnesota River Valley, including one on Highway 169, south of St. Peter. There was also rushing water over 490th street at Highway 14, southeast of Nicollet. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | About one dozen large branches were broken. |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | Several trees were uprooted and numerous large branches were broken. |
| August 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Nicollet | - | A tornado developed south of Nicollet and moved north-northwest. It caused mainly tree damage, but did hit a farmstead and damaged a garage and grove of trees. Placement of tornado track was based on high-res satellite imagery. |
| August 2017 | Tornado (EF0) | Nicollet | - | Shortly after one tornado, a second tornado developed south of Nicollet and moved north. It was observed by a local citizen, and a damage survey showed that it caused damage to corn fields. Placement of tornado track was based on high-res satellite imagery. |
| May 2012 | Hail | Nicollet | - | Numerous spotters and local law enforcement officials reported a swath of large hail, up to golf ball size, from 6 miles west of North Mankato, to just west of North Mankato. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | Large trees were downed. |
| May 2004 | Hail | Nicollet | - | Enough nickel sized hail fell to shovel at Swan Lake. |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | A large tree was downed onto Judson Bottom Road. The time was estimated. |
| August 1999 | Flood | Nicollet | - | Rainfall of 4.15 inches reported in the city of Nicollet. Time period estimated. |
| June 1998 | Tornado (F0) | Nicollet | - | Remained near/over Swan Lake. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | Shingles off roof. Trees blown down. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | Barns and sheds blown down. Estimated windspeed. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | Hog barn destroyed. 500 acres of corn flattened. |
| June 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Nicollet | - | Trees and large branches down. Estimated windspeed. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| July 2017 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| May 2016 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Nicollet | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Nicollet | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicollet Landing | 1.6 miles | 9 | |
| Poor Farm Landing | 4.6 miles | 9 | |
| Oshawa | 4.7 miles | 10 | |
| North Star | 5.8 miles | 10 | |
| Kerns | 6.1 miles | 13 | |
| Courtland | 8.1 miles | 9 | |
| New Sweden | 9.1 miles | 9 | |
| Avalon | 9.6 miles | 13 |
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 Nicollet | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2228386 | 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 648544. 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.






