Welcome to Fergus Falls ...
The city of Fergus Falls is located in Otter Tail County<1> and is the County Seat for Otter Tail County.
The pronunciation of Fergus Falls: FER-guhs<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Fergus Falls, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
When the people of Fergus Falls refer to themselves (known as a demonym), they frequently use Fergusite<3>
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Fergus Falls has a population of 13,770 people<4> (see below for details).
Fergus Falls is 1,190 feet [363 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Fergus Falls lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
The area code for Fergus Falls: (218)
The ZIP codes for Fergus Falls: 56537-56538<6>
Websites for Fergus Falls ...
Official Website: www.ci.fergus-falls.mn.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.fergusfalls.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Fergus Falls had an population of 13,770 people. This is an increase of 4.81% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 2.22% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Fergus Falls had a population of 13,138 people (which is 22.93% of the total population of Otter Tail County). This makes Fergus Falls the county's most populous community.
The population of Fergus Falls represents 0.25% of the total population of Minnesota (which has 5,303,925 people), making it the state's 79th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 13,138 people, the population of Fergus Falls decreased 2.47% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 13,471 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Fergus Falls.
Communities near Fergus Falls ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Fergus Falls.
- Pelican Rapids
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pelican Rapids
- Pelican Rapids is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,634 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pelican Rapids <7>
- Battle Lake
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Battle Lake
- Battle Lake is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 929 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Battle Lake <7>
- Rothsay
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rothsay have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rothsay
- Rothsay is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rothsay <7>
- Ashby
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashby have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashby
- Ashby is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ashby <7>
- Underwood
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Underwood
- Underwood is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Underwood <7>
- Dalton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalton
- Dalton is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dalton <7>
- Elizabeth
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabeth have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabeth
- Elizabeth is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 170 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elizabeth <7>
- Wendell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wendell
- Wendell is located in Grant County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 165 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wendell <7>
- Erhard
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erhard have been provided by the GNIS.<8> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erhard
- Erhard is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erhard <7>
- Foxhome
(11 miles [17.7 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 Fergus Falls. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Fergus Falls.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Fergus Falls. 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 Fergus Falls.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Fergus Falls. Our list includes 26 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Fergus Falls.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Fergus Falls ...
Looking for more information about Fergus Falls? 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 Fergus Falls, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Fergus Falls.
Adding Fergus Falls to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Fergus Falls on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Minnesota (1932).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Fergus Falls.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Fergus Falls: www.ci.fergus-falls.mn.us/
The official website for Otter Tail County: www.co.otter-tail.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 Otter Tail, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Fergus Falls. 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. |
| <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 Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Fergus Falls - 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 Fergus Falls). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Fergus Falls or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Fergus Falls includes: 56537 & 56538. |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | 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. |