Welcome to Prior Lake ...
The city of Prior Lake is located in Scott County<1>.
The location of Prior Lake has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (ie- the GNIS).<2>
The pronunciation of Prior Lake: PRY-er<3>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Prior Lake, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was in a book dated 1895.
A typical abbreviation for Prior Lake: Prior Lk.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Prior Lake has a population of 27,266 people<4> (see below for details).
Prior Lake is 940 feet [287 m] above sea level.<5>.
Time Zone: Prior Lake lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Prior Lake is located in the (952) area code.
The ZIP code for Prior Lake: 55372<6>
Websites for Prior Lake ...
Official Website: www.cityofpriorlake.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Prior Lake had an population of 27,266 people. This is an increase of 19.61% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 71.3% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Prior Lake had a population of 22,796 people (or 17.55% of the total population of Scott County). This makes Prior Lake the county's 3rd most populous community.
The population of Prior Lake represents 0.43% of the total population of Minnesota (which has 5,303,925 people), making it the state's 45th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 22,796 people, the population of Prior Lake increased 43.22% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 15,917 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Prior Lake.
Communities near Prior Lake ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Prior Lake.
- Minneapolis
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minneapolis
- Minneapolis is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 433,111 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minneapolis <7>
- Bloomington
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington
- Bloomington is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 84,583 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bloomington <7>
- Lakeville
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeville
- Lakeville is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 69,583 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lakeville <7>
- Eagan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagan
- Eagan is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 65,975 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagan <7>
- Eden Prairie
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eden Prairie
- Eden Prairie is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 64,894 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eden Prairie <7>
- Burnsville
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
- Burnsville is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 62,170 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burnsville <7>
- Minnetonka
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minnetonka have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka
- Minnetonka is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55,370 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minnetonka <7>
- Apple Valley
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apple Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Valley
- Apple Valley is located in Dakota County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 54,847 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apple Valley <7>
- Edina
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edina
- Edina is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 52,477 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edina <7>
- Saint Louis Park
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Louis Park
- Saint Louis Park is located in Hennepin County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 48,821 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Louis Park <7>
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 Prior Lake. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Prior Lake.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Prior 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 Prior Lake.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Prior Lake. Our list includes 5 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Prior Lake.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Prior Lake ...
Looking for more information about Prior 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.
In addition to the Tourism page for Prior Lake, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Prior Lake.
Adding Prior Lake to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Prior 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 Prior Lake was in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
We also found Prior Lake on a map titled Shell Oil Road Map for Minnesota (1956).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Prior Lake.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Prior Lake: www.cityofpriorlake.com/
The official website for Scott County: www.co.scott.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 Scott, 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> | The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Prior Lake. While it might not be exactly right, hopefully it will be close. If we have it wrong or there's a better way to pronounce the name, please contact us through our Feedback Page. |
| <4> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Prior Lake. |
| <5> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Prior Lake - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <6> | 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 Prior Lake). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Prior Lake or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |