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Welcome to Detroit Lakes ...

The city of Detroit Lakes is located in Becker County<1> and is the County Seat for Becker County.


The location of Detroit Lakes has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>


The pronunciation of Detroit Lakes: DE-troyt<3>

While we don't have a date for the founding of Detroit Lakes, you might consider that their post office opened  in 1926.

A typical abbreviation for Detroit Lakes: Detroit Lks.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Detroit Lakes has a population of 9,289 people<4> (see below for details).

Detroit Lakes is 1,330 feet [405 m] above sea level.<5>.

Time Zone: Detroit Lakes lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Detroit Lakes lies within the (218) area code.

The ZIP codes for Detroit Lakes: 56501-56502<6>

Websites for Detroit Lakes ...

Official Website:   www.ci.detroit-lakes.mn.us/

Chamber of Commerce:   www.visitdetroitlakes.com/

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Detroit Lakes had an population of 9,289 people. This is an increase of 8.4% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 26.42% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Detroit Lakes had a population of 8,569 people (or 26.36% of the total population of Becker County). This makes Detroit Lakes the county's most populous community.

The population of Detroit Lakes represents 0.16% of the total population of Minnesota (which has 5,303,925 people), making it the state's 105th most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 8,569 people, the population of Detroit Lakes increased 16.62% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 7,348 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Detroit Lakes.

Communities near Detroit Lakes ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Detroit Lakes.

  • Perham
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perham
    • Perham is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,638 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perham <7>
  • Pelican Rapids
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Frazee
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazee
    • Frazee is located in Becker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,381 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frazee <7>
  • Lake Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
    • Lake Park is located in Becker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Park <7>
  • Audubon
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Vergas
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vergas have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vergas
    • Vergas is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vergas <7>
  • Callaway
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callaway have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callaway
    • Callaway is located in Becker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Callaway <7>
  • Dent
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dent have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dent
    • Dent is located in Otter Tail County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dent <7>
  • Bucks Mill
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucks Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Mill
    • Bucks Mill is located in Becker County
  • Rochert
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochert have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochert
    • Rochert is located in Becker County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochert <7>

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 Detroit Lakes. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Detroit Lakes.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Detroit Lakes. 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 Detroit Lakes.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Detroit Lakes. Our list includes 7 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Detroit Lakes.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Detroit Lakes ...

Looking for more information about Detroit Lakes? 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 Detroit Lakes, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Detroit Lakes.

Adding Detroit Lakes to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Detroit Lakes 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 Detroit Lakes was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>

From that list, the Detroit Lakes post office opened in 1926.

We also found Detroit Lakes on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Minnesota (1932).

For more details, see References and Mentions for Detroit Lakes.

The official website for Detroit Lakes: www.ci.detroit-lakes.mn.us/

The official website for Becker County: www.co.becker.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 Becker, 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>The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Detroit Lakes. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
<4>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Detroit Lakes.
<5>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Detroit Lakes - 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 Detroit Lakes). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Detroit Lakes or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Our list of ZIP Codes for Detroit Lakes includes: 56501 & 56502.
<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/




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024