Communities

Location

Sherburne County is located in east central Minnesota between two growing and growing and economically healthy metropolitan areas - the Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Sherburne County is triangular in shape with the Mississippi River forming the southwestern boundary. The County covers 431 square miles. The population is concentrated along the Mississippi River area with the highest density of development being found in the southeast area adjacent to the Twin Cities and in the northwest adjacent to St. Cloud.

View a list of city and township contact information.

Topography

The topography of the County is flat to gently rolling and the soils are sandy and well-drained, creating ideal conditions for construction, Sherburne County is home to the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and the Sand Dunes State Forest.

A map showing the cities within Sherburne County

Transportation

Sherburne County has excellent transportation linkages to the rest of the state as well as to the rest of the nation. The two major highways that run through the County are U.S. Highways 10 and 169. They provide four-lane access on the southern and eastern edges of the County.

There are also three points of access to Interstate 94 that runs parallel to U.S. 10 south of the Mississippi River. These accesses are Minnesota Trunk Highways101, 25 and 24 at Elk River, Big Lake and Clear Lake respectively. Minnesota Trunk Highway 25 crosses the County north south. Minnesota Highway Number 95 transverses the northern edge, just outside the County.

Rail Service

Excellent rail service is available to businesses along U.S. Highway Number 10. The main line of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad from Chicago to Seattle runs through the County. Amtrak also runs on this line, but there are no stops made within Sherburne County.

Northstar Commuter Rail provides convenient access to the downtown Minneapolis at Target Station, a major transit hub for Metro Transit system - including light rail connections to the MSP International Airport and the Mall of America via the Blue Line and to the University of Minnesota and St. Paul via the Green Line (opening in 2014). Northstar commuter rail stations are located in Elk River and Big Lake. Northstar Link Commuter Bus connects the commuter rail station in Big Lake with the transit system in St. Cloud, providing convenient access to passengers moving between the two metro areas.

Airports

There are three public airports in Sherburne County located in St. Cloud, Princeton and Clear Lake. The St. Cloud Regional Airport offers commercial service.