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 155. The population density is 66.0 people per km². Nelson is located at 45.8894°N, 95.2642°W. It observes the Central Time (America/Chicago) timezone. ZIP code: 56355.

Nelson rests in a broad embrace of Minnesota's prairie, where the land unfolds in gentle swells towards the horizon. It lies 57.8 miles west-north-west of St. Cloud, MN (from St. Cloud, MN: bearing 294°T), and is situated 5.5 miles east of Alexandria. The sky here is a vast, ever-present canvas, shifting from the cool, pale blues of morning to the fiery golds and bruised purples of sundown, each hue bleeding into the next with a quiet drama. Fields of corn and soybeans, their greens and yellows a vibrant counterpoint to the deep, rich earth, stretch as far as the eye can see, punctuated by the occasional cluster of sturdy oaks or the silver ribbon of a distant creek. The air carries the scent of ripening grain and the clean, sharp tang of summer rain, a subtle perfume that speaks of the land’s enduring fertility. The story of Nelson is written in the soil and the sweat of generations who have worked this fertile ground. Founded by hardy settlers drawn to the promise of agricultural prosperity, the economy has long been tied to the bounty of the fields, with grain elevators standing as stoic sentinels against the open sky. While the rhythm of life in Nelson is unhurried, marked by the turning of seasons and the cycles of planting and harvest, it is a place that knows the quiet strength of community. Local traditions, passed down through families, continue to bind the residents, fostering a shared sense of place and belonging that is as enduring as the prairie itself.

About This Nelson Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Nelson, Minnesota — switch between views using the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. Coordinates: 45.889407, -95.2642. 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 Nelson and Douglas County.

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). 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 Nelson is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.