Nelson Minnesota Map

About Nelson, Minnesota

Nelson is a locality in Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. It is a small community with a population of 182. The population density is 106.3 people per km². Nelson is located at 45.8894°N, 95.2642°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. Nelson is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 56355.

Nelson emerges from the flat, expansive horizon as a quiet collection of structures held within the vast agricultural plains of the upper Midwest. It lies 5.5 miles east of Alexandria, MN (from Alexandria, MN: bearing 87°T), and is situated 18.3 miles northwest of Sauk Centre. The landscape around Nelson is defined by an immense, open sky that shifts from a pale, bruised violet at dusk to an uncompromising, bright blue during the long, dry afternoons. Only a mile away, the Douglas County Waterfowl Production Area Of Mn offers a sanctuary where tall grasses sway in rhythmic, wind-driven patterns, while the distant, muted silhouette of Tower Hill anchors the far-off view. Two miles to the east, the quiet surface of Stowe Lake reflects the changing seasons, and three miles further, the slow, deliberate movement of Crooked Lake Ditch channels the runoff through the low-lying fields.

History in Nelson is measured by the steady, persistent labor of those who broke the stubborn sod to establish the grain elevators and rail-adjacent structures that still define the local skyline. The economy remains tethered to the rhythm of the harvest, where the collective effort of the region dictates the pace of the year and the seasonal influx of activity. Life here possesses a grounded, practical quality, shaped by the cyclical demands of the land and the quiet endurance required by the long, deep winters. Residents recognize the subtle shifts in the soil and the behavior of the migrating birds, finding a particular beauty in the way the frost alters the texture of the fields before the first thaw brings the promise of another cycle of growth.

About This Nelson Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Nelson, Minnesota. Coordinates: 45.889407, -95.2642. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Nelson includes the ZIP code (56355), telephone area code (320), county seat of Douglas County (Alexandria), and school district assignment (Alexandria Public School District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.