Welcome to Dawson ...
The city of Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County<1>.
The location of Dawson has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Dawson, you might consider that their post office opened in 1884.
When the people of Dawson refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Dawsonite<3>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Dawson has a population of 1,401 people<4> (see below for details).
Dawson is 1,040 feet [317 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Dawson lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Dawson is within the boundaries of the (320) area code.
The ZIP code for Dawson: 56232<6>
Websites for Dawson ...
Official Website: www.dawsonmn.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Dawson had an population of 1,401 people. This is a decrease of 9.03% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 8.97% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Dawson had a population of 1,540 people (which is 21.22% of the total population of Lac qui Parle County). This makes Dawson the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Dawson represents 0.03% of the population of Minnesota (which has 5,303,925 people), making it the state's 291st most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,540 people, the population of Dawson has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (with a count of 1,539 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Dawson.
Communities Also Named Dawson ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 28 communities that are also named Dawson - they are located in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri (2), Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania (4), Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Yukon.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Dawson.
Communities near Dawson ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Dawson.
- Montevideo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montevideo
- Montevideo is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,027 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Montevideo <7>
- Canby
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canby
- Canby is located in Yellow Medicine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,645 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canby <7>
- Madison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Appleton
(18 miles [29 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Appleton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Appleton
- Appleton is located in Swift County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,311 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Appleton <7>
- Clarkfield
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkfield
- Clarkfield is located in Yellow Medicine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 775 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkfield <7>
- Milan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Milan
- Milan is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Milan <7>
- Watson
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Watson is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <7>
- Boyd
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyd have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
- Boyd is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyd <7>
- Bellingham
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellingham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
- Bellingham is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Marietta
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Dawson. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Dawson.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Dawson. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Dawson.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Dawson. Our list includes 7 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Dawson.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Dawson ...
Looking for more information about Dawson? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Dawson, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Dawson.
Adding Dawson to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Dawson in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Dawson was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Dawson post office opened in 1884.
We also found Dawson in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Dawson.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Dawson: www.dawsonmn.com/
The official website for Lac qui Parle County: www.ci.madison.mn.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Minnesota's counties, including Lac qui Parle, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | A demonym is the name for a resident of a community which is usually derived from (or is related to) the name of that community. In other words, it's how the residents of Dawson refer to themselves. It's important to note that there aren't any rules for taking a city's name and turning it into a demonym. A demonym is informal and while the majority of Dawson may use one name, keep in mind that others may use something different. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Dawson. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Dawson - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Dawson). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Dawson or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |