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Nelson Minnesota Map

Explore Nelson, Minnesota, with this interactive street and satellite map.

This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.

Interactive Map of Nelson, Minnesota

How to Use This Nelson, Minnesota Map

This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Nelson, Minnesota. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of Minnesota or beyond.

Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).

TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Nelson.

Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.

Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.

City	Nelson
State	Minnesota (MN)
County	Douglas County
Country	United States of America
Timezone	Central Time (America/Chicago)

Latitude	45.889407
Longitude	-95.2642
Population	182
Density	106.3 /km²
Incorporated	Yes
ZIP Code	56355
Area Code	320
County Seat	Alexandria
School District	Alexandria Public School District

🌦 Goto Nelson Weather Page: Nelson, Minnesota — Weather Warnings, Forecast, Radar, Satellite & Current Conditions

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.

Nearby Outdoor Places

Douglas County Waterfowl Production Area Of Mn (Resource Management Area) — 1.1 mi, 154° SE
Douglas County Waterfowl Production Area (Resource Management Area) — 1.1 mi, 154° SE
Great Northern State Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 1.1 mi, 118° SE
Belle River State Wildlife Management Area (State Conservation Area) — 3.0 mi, 012° N
Geneva Crest Park (Local Park) — 3.4 mi, 285° W
Lake Le Homme Dieu Beach (Local Park) — 3.6 mi, 297° NW
Big Ole statue (Monument) — 5.4 mi, 271° W
Alexandria Area Arts Association (Arts Centre) — 5.5 mi, 267° W
Miscellaneous (State Resource Management Area) — 6.3 mi, 116° SE
Lake Carlos State Park (State Park) — 6.9 mi, 334° NW
Brandon Auditorium (Theatre) — 16.8 mi, 288° W
Pope County Historical Museum (Museum) — 18.1 mi, 199° S
510 Art Lab (Arts Centre) — 18.3 mi, 125° SE
Runestone Replica (Monument) — 19.9 mi, 254° W
Todd County Museum (Museum) — 20.3 mi, 073° E
Veterans' Memorial (Monument) — 22.4 mi, 042° NE
Inspiration Peak (Viewpoint) — 22.6 mi, 319° NW
Inukshuk (Public Artwork) — 22.7 mi, 340° N
Glacial Lakes State Park (State Park) — 26.6 mi, 203° SW
Melrose Area Museum (Museum) — 26.7 mi, 124° SE
Northern Tallgrass Prairie National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 27.6 mi, 192° S · 12k acres
Roosevelt Hall (Theatre) — 30.1 mi, 273° W
Ordway Prairie (Nature Reserve) — 30.7 mi, 179° S
Lake Johanna Esker Preserve (Nature Reserve) — 32.1 mi, 175° S
Art of the Lakes (Gallery) — 34.6 mi, 322° NW
Captain Black's Cabin (Historic Ruins) — 39.1 mi, 004° N
Finn Creek Museum (Museum) — 39.2 mi, 355° N
Charles A Weyerhaeuser Museum (Museum) — 42.2 mi, 084° E
Crane Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (National Wildlife Refuge) — 47.4 mi, 089° E · 4,358 acres

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