{"id":4980,"date":"2023-07-02T10:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-02T10:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=4980"},"modified":"2026-08-22T01:45:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T01:45:39","slug":"kanabec-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/kanabec-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Kanabec County, Minnesota"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Kanabec County is a county in Minnesota, United States, in the east-central part of the state, roughly halfway between the Twin Cities and Duluth. It had a population of 16,032 at the 2020 census and covers 534 square miles (1,380 km2), of which 522 square miles (1,350 km2) is land, centred near 45\u00b057\u2032N 93\u00b018\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Mora is the county seat, and its postal code is 55051. The county has five incorporated cities, seven unincorporated communities, and 15 organized townships. It sits in the Central time zone.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Kanabec County<\/h2>\n<p>Twelve named places appear on the map of Kanabec County: five incorporated cities and seven unincorporated communities. Mora, the seat, holds roughly a quarter of the county&#8217;s population on its own. One city, Braham, straddles the Kanabec&ndash;Isanti county line, with most of its housing on the Isanti side. CDP = census-designated place; Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no municipal government.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Township<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Mora<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>3,665<\/td>\n<td>55051<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Braham<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>1,769<\/td>\n<td>55006<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ogilvie<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>388<\/td>\n<td>56358<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Grasston<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>154<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Quamba<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>107<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Brunswick<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Brunswick<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Coin<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Grass Lake<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Grass Lake<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kroschel<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>Kroschel<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lewis Lake<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Warman<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Woodland<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Braham is the county&#8217;s one border town: most of its housing and its post office sit across the line in Isanti County, but part of the city limits and some outlying land reach into Kanabec County&#8217;s Brunswick Township. It is included here because the U.S. Census Bureau splits Braham&#8217;s population between both counties.<\/p>\n<h2>Townships<\/h2>\n<p>Kanabec County&#8217;s unincorporated land is organized into 15 civil townships, each with its own township board. Verified 2020 per-township population counts were not available for this profile, so the table lists names and known principal settlements only.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Township<\/th>\n<th>Pop. (2020)<\/th>\n<th>Main settlements<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Ann Lake<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Arthur<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Brunswick<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>Brunswick<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Comfort<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Ford<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Grass Lake<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>Grass Lake<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hay Brook<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Hillman<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kanabec<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Knife Lake<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kroschel<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>Kroschel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Peace<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Pomroy<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>South Fork<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Whited<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>55051 &mdash; Mora (also serves Brunswick, Grass Lake, Lewis Lake and Woodland)<\/li>\n<li>56358 &mdash; Ogilvie<\/li>\n<li>55006 &mdash; Braham (shared with Isanti County)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Grasston, Quamba, Coin, Kroschel and Warman receive mail through nearby ZIP codes rather than one of their own; this profile does not publish an unverified ZIP for those places.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Kanabec County sits on the divide between the Mississippi and St. Croix river watersheds, in a landscape of glacial moraine, pine and hardwood forest, and lakes left behind by the last ice age. The Snake River, from which the county takes its name, crosses the county from northwest to southeast on its way to the St. Croix. Knife Lake and Ann Lake are among the larger of the county&#8217;s many small lakes. Farmland and pasture cover much of the southern townships, while forest and wetland dominate the north.<\/p>\n<p>Kanabec County borders <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/aitkin-county\/\">Aitkin County<\/a> to the north, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/mille-lacs-county\/\">Mille Lacs County<\/a> to the west, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/pine-county\/\">Pine County<\/a> to the east, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/chisago-county\/\">Chisago County<\/a> to the southeast, and <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/isanti-county\/\">Isanti County<\/a> to the south.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>The 2020 census counted 16,032 residents in Kanabec County, a density of about 31 people per square mile of land. Mora, the county seat, is by far the largest place, followed by Braham (whose population is split with Isanti County) and Ogilvie. Kanabec County&#8217;s median household income runs below the Minnesota median of $85,086, reflecting its rural, forestry- and agriculture-oriented economy; Mora and the county&#8217;s larger employers pull incomes up relative to the smaller townships.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Kanabec County&#8217;s economy rests on health care, agriculture, forestry and small manufacturing. Kanabec Hospital and its affiliated clinics in Mora are among the county&#8217;s largest employers, alongside the Kanabec County government offices and the Mora Public Schools district. Dairy and beef farms work the county&#8217;s southern townships, and logging remains active in the forested north. Mora hosts the Vasaloppet, an annual cross-country ski race modeled on Sweden&#8217;s Vasaloppet, reflecting the area&#8217;s Scandinavian settlement heritage; the county fair draws visitors to the fairgrounds each summer.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Kanabec County was created on March 13, 1858, from territory originally part of Pine County, but it was not fully organized as a functioning county government until 1882, when Mora was designated the county seat. The name comes from &#8220;ginebig,&#8221; an Ojibwe word for snake, a reference to the winding Snake River that crosses the county. Scandinavian immigrants, chiefly Swedes and Finns, settled much of the county in the late nineteenth century, a heritage still visible in Mora&#8217;s annual Vasaloppet ski race and in local place names.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>Minnesota State Highways 23, 65 and 107 are the county&#8217;s main routes, with MN-27, MN-47 and MN-70 serving the smaller towns and townships. Approximate driving distances from Mora:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Minneapolis &mdash; 65 miles south<\/li>\n<li>Duluth &mdash; 90 miles northeast<\/li>\n<li>St. Cloud &mdash; 40 miles southwest<\/li>\n<li>Cambridge (Isanti County) &mdash; 25 miles south<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The nearest commercial airport is Minneapolis&ndash;St. Paul International Airport, about an hour and a half&#8217;s drive south of Mora.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Kanabec County?<\/strong><br \/>It is in east-central Minnesota, about 65 miles north of Minneapolis&ndash;St. Paul, on the divide between the Mississippi and St. Croix river watersheds.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Kanabec County?<\/strong><br \/>16,032, according to the 2020 census.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Kanabec County?<\/strong><br \/>534 square miles (1,380 km2), of which 522 square miles is land and 12 square miles is water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Kanabec County?<\/strong><br \/>Mora is the county seat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns are in Kanabec County?<\/strong><br \/>Five incorporated cities &mdash; Mora, Braham, Grasston, Ogilvie and Quamba &mdash; plus seven unincorporated communities and 15 townships.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes are in Kanabec County?<\/strong><br \/>The main ZIP codes are 55051 (Mora), 56358 (Ogilvie) and 55006 (Braham, shared with Isanti County).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why is it called Kanabec County?<\/strong><br \/>The name comes from the Ojibwe word &#8220;ginebig,&#8221; meaning snake, after the Snake River that runs through the county.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/minnesota\/\">Towns and villages in Minnesota<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kanabec County is a county in Minnesota, United States, in the east-central part of the state, roughly halfway between the Twin Cities and Duluth. It had a population of 16,032 at the 2020 census and covers 534 square miles (1,380 km2), of which 522 square miles (1,350 km2) is land, centred near 45\u00b057\u2032N 93\u00b018\u2032W. Mora [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Kanabec County, Minnesota","_seopress_titles_desc":"Kanabec County, Minnesota: 16,032 people, Mora the county seat, ZIP codes, townships, geography, demographics and history.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-4980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-minnesota","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4980"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11291,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4980\/revisions\/11291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}