Knife River Minnesota Map

About Knife River, Minnesota

Knife River is a locality in Lake County, Minnesota, United States. It is a small community with a population of 131. The population density is 56.8 people per km². Knife River is located at 46.9494°N, 91.7791°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. ZIP code: 55609.

Knife River emerges from the dense, boreal forests of Minnesota's North Shore, a ribbon of clear, cold water that tumbles over ancient, worn stones. It lies 19.3 miles north-east of Duluth, MN (from Duluth, MN: bearing 53°T), and is situated 7.2 miles south-west of Two Harbors. The landscape here is a rugged embrace of water and wood, where the land itself seems to have been sculpted by the persistent artistry of ice and erosion. Steep slopes, cloaked in the emerald hush of pine, spruce, and cedar, plunge towards the river's course, their shadows deepening as the sun arcs across the sky. In the late afternoon, a particular stillness settles, broken only by the murmur of the water and the distant call of a raven, a sound that seems to carry the very essence of this wild, untamed place. This stretch of the Knife River has long been a place of passage and sustenance, its history whispered in the wind through the trees and the worn smoothness of its streambed. For centuries, Indigenous peoples navigated these waters, their presence a faint echo in the landscape. Later, the logging industry found purchase here, the river a vital artery for transporting timber downstream, shaping the contours of the surrounding hills with its demands. Today, while the roar of chainsaws has quieted, the legacy of that hard-won labor is etched into the very character of Knife River, a quiet resilience that permeates the air. Small, independent businesses, often family-run, now form the backbone of the local economy, catering to those who are drawn to the river's undeniable allure, seeking solace in its unhurried flow and the enduring beauty of its wild heart.

About This Knife River Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Knife River, Minnesota — switch between views using the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. Coordinates: 46.94938, -91.779068. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Knife River and Lake County.

Detailed location data for Knife River includes the ZIP code (55609), telephone area code (218), county seat of Lake County (Two Harbors), and school district assignment (Lake Superior Public School District). These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Knife River is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.