Welcome to Brainerd ...
The city of Brainerd is located in Crow Wing County<1> and is the County Seat for Crow Wing County.
Brainerd was established in 1870.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Brainerd has a population of 13,456 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of Brainerd is 1,210 feet [369 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Brainerd lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
The area code for Brainerd: (218)
The ZIP code for Brainerd: 56401<4>
Websites for Brainerd ...
Official Website: www.ci.brainerd.mn.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.brainerdchamber.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Brainerd had an population of 13,456 people. This is a decrease of 0.99% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 2.11% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Brainerd had a population of 13,590 people (or 21.74% of the total population of Crow Wing County). This makes Brainerd the county's most populous community.
The population of Brainerd represents 0.26% of the total population of Minnesota (which has 5,303,925 people), making it the state's 73rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 13,590 people, the population of Brainerd increased 3.13% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 13,178 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Brainerd.
Communities Also Named Brainerd ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 5 communities that are also named Brainerd - they are located in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Manitoba and Tennessee.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Brainerd.
Communities near Brainerd ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Brainerd.
- Breezy Point
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Breezy Point have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breezy Point
- Breezy Point is located in Crow Wing County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,435 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Breezy Point <6>
- Crosby
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crosby
- Crosby is located in Crow Wing County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,315 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Crosby <6>
- Pequot Lakes
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pequot Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pequot Lakes
- Pequot Lakes is located in Crow Wing County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,305 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pequot Lakes <6>
- Nisswa
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nisswa have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nisswa
- Nisswa is located in Crow Wing County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,115 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nisswa <6>
- Lake Shore
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Shore have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore
- Lake Shore is located in Cass County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,069 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Shore <6>
- East Gull Lake
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Gull Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Gull Lake
- East Gull Lake is located in Cass County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,059 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for East Gull Lake <6>
- Deerwood
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deerwood have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerwood
- Deerwood is located in Crow Wing County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deerwood <6>
- Ironton
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
- Ironton is located in Crow Wing County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 554 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ironton <6>
- Pillager
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pillager have been provided by the GNIS.<5> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillager
- Pillager is located in Cass County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 486 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pillager <6>
- Cuyuna
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
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 Brainerd. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Brainerd.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Brainerd. 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 Brainerd.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Brainerd. Our list includes 11 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Brainerd.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Brainerd ...
Looking for more information about Brainerd? 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 Brainerd, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Brainerd.
Adding Brainerd to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Brainerd 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 Brainerd was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Brainerd post office opened in 1870.
We also found Brainerd in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Brainerd.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Brainerd: www.ci.brainerd.mn.us/
The official website for Crow Wing County: www.co.crow-wing.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 Crow Wing, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Brainerd. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Brainerd - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | 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 Brainerd). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Brainerd or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | 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. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |