Welcome to Heron Lake ...
The city of Heron Lake is located in Jackson County<1>.
The location of Heron Lake has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Heron Lake, you might consider that their post office opened in 1870.
A typical abbreviation for Heron Lake: Heron Lk.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Heron Lake has a population of 645 people<3> (see below for details).
Heron Lake is 1,420 feet [433 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Heron Lake lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Heron Lake is within the boundaries of the (507) area code.
The ZIP code for Heron Lake: 56137<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Heron Lake had an population of 645 people. This is a decrease of 7.59% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 16.02% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Heron Lake had a population of 698 people (or 6.8% of the total population of Jackson County). This makes Heron Lake the county's 3rd most populous community.
The population of Heron Lake represents 0.01% of the population of Minnesota (which has 5,303,925 people), making it the state's 426th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 698 people, the population of Heron Lake decreased 9.11% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 768 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Heron Lake.
Communities near Heron Lake ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Heron Lake.
- Worthington
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Worthington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Worthington
- Worthington is located in Nobles County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 12,968 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Worthington <6>
- Windom
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Windom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Windom
- Windom is located in Cottonwood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,403 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Windom <6>
- Lakefield
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lakefield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakefield
- Lakefield is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,602 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakefield <6>
- Fulda
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulda
- Fulda is located in Murray County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,206 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fulda <6>
- Westbrook
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westbrook
- Westbrook is located in Cottonwood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 712 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Westbrook <6>
- Brewster
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest) - Round Lake
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Round Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Round Lake
- Round Lake is located in Nobles County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 364 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Round Lake <6>
- Jeffers
(18 miles [29 km] to the north) - Storden
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north) - Avoca
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
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 Heron Lake. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Heron Lake.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Heron Lake. 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 Heron Lake.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Heron Lake. Our list includes 5 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Heron Lake.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Heron Lake ...
Looking for more information about Heron Lake? 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.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Heron Lake, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Heron Lake.
Adding Heron Lake to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Heron Lake 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 Heron Lake was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Heron Lake post office opened in 1870.
We also found Heron Lake in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Heron Lake.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Heron Lake. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Jackson County: www.co.jackson.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 Jackson, 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> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Heron Lake. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Heron Lake - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | 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 Heron Lake). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Heron Lake or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |