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Welcome to Ottertail ...

The city of Ottertail is located in Otter Tail County<1>.

The pronunciation of Ottertail: AH-ter-tayl<2>

While we don't have a date for the founding of Ottertail, you might consider that their post office opened in 1894.

From the  Census Estimates for 2019, Ottertail has a population of 646 people<3> (see below for details).

Ottertail is 1,350 feet [411 m] above sea level.<4>.

Time Zone: Ottertail lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time

Area Code for Ottertail: 218

The ZIP code for Ottertail: 56571<5>

Population Details ...

Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Ottertail had an population of 646 people. This is an increase of 12.94% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 43.24% since the 2000 Census).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Ottertail had a population of 572 people. This makes Ottertail the county's 8th most populous community.

The population of Ottertail represents 0.01% of the population of Minnesota (which has 5,303,925 people), making it the state's 473rd most populous community.

With a 2010 count of 572 people, the population of Ottertail increased 26.83% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 451 people).

More information can be found on the Census Page for Ottertail.

Communities Also Named Ottertail ...

Using our Gazetteer, we found another community named Ottertail - it's located in British Columbia.

For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Ottertail.

Communities near Ottertail ...

We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Ottertail.

  • Perham
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Perham is located in Otter Tail County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perham
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,638 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perham <6>
  • New York Mills
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Battle Lake
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Henning
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Underwood
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Vergas
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Deer Creek
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Deer Creek is located in Otter Tail County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Creek
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 321 people
  • Bluffton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Bluffton is located in Otter Tail County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bluffton
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
  • Dent
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Dent is located in Otter Tail County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dent
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dent <6>
  • Clitherall
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)

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 Ottertail. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Ottertail.

Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Ottertail. 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 Ottertail.

We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Ottertail. See our Newspapers Page for Ottertail.

TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Ottertail ...

Looking for more information about Ottertail? 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 Ottertail, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Ottertail.

Adding Ottertail to Our Gazetteer ...

We originally found mention of Ottertail 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 (so far) for Ottertail was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>

From that list, the Ottertail post office opened in 1894.

For more details, see References and Mentions for Ottertail.

Footnotes ...

<1>If you're interested in how the shape of Minnesota's counties, including Otter Tail, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
<2>The pronunciation we've provided is our attempt to give a phonetic pronunciation for Ottertail. 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.
<3>Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Ottertail.
<4>The elevation is an estimate for the area around Ottertail - it will be higher in some places and lower in others.
<5>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 Ottertail). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Ottertail or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS).
<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 the Blevins & Helbock Post Office list with background information can be found at:

      https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/