The population was 25,835 at the 2020 census,[4] making Elk River the second largest city with an area of 42.33 square miles in the Central Minnesota region after St.

The last glacier to traverse Minnesota is responsible for the creation of the hardwood-forested hills where Elk River is nestled.

French fur trader and guide Pierre Bottineau bought the post and cabin from Folsom.

The trading post stood on a bluff just north of the present day bridge across the Elk River on main street.

Bottineau also built a hotel in 1850 on the bank of the Mississippi about a half mile below the mouth of the Elk.

Silas Lane opened up a farm near the old trading post site, making his claim in section 33 in 1850.

In 1851, Ard Godfrey and John C. Jamieson, a native of Orono, Maine, saw the potential of the water power of the Elk River and purchased the claim from Lane.

In the latter half of the 19th century, agriculture and dairy farming replaced lumber as the base of Elk River's economy.

Elk River's population continued to grow following a slow period caused by the civil war.

Charles Babcock, a native son of Elk River and the first Commissioner of Highways for the state, had a visionary plan to "get Minnesota out of the mud."

Highway 10 used to cross the Elk River over the dam bridge, but was rerouted to its present location shortly after World War II.

For years, the intersection of this road and Highway 10 was the only one with a stoplight in Elk River and on major travel weekends, traffic would back up halfway to Anoka.

By the 1990s, Elk River and Sherburne County were in one of the fastest growing corridors in the state and in the country.

In 1939 workers built steps, stone retaining walls and a warming house with a fireplace.

[citation needed] The Elk River Rotary Club fundraised enough money that in 2000 they repaired the stadium.

The mural, depicting the former buildings on the south side of Main Street circa 1960, captured the spirit when downtown was the center of the business community.

Mr. Houlton had a great interest in local history and created the mural as a gift to the community.

He stated the bakery and barber shop are still in operation today, but the business names have changed.

In 2001, the Three Rivers Community Theater applied for a grant to assist in providing monies towards the painting of a mural of an artistic and historical significance on the building adjacent to the River's Edge Park, located at the intersection of Main Street and Jackson Avenue.

Artist Carl Zachmann from Fergus Falls created the piece in reminiscence of the windmills on farms that pump water.

Elk River has always been a town energized by its local artists, showcasing talented residents.

They are also able to offer professional concerts in a state-of-the-art theater at Elk River Area High School.

Completed in 2019, the Furniture and Things Community Event Center is located near the Elk River High School and offers skating to youth and adults, as well as a Spring and Fall Arts and Craft Fair, an arena walking track, and much more.

[10] ERX Motor Park is an all-season motorsports and events facility located in Elk River, MN, off of US Highway 169.

It houses Grassroots Snocross, Beatercross, cross country snowmobile and dirt bike racing, off-road, concerts, corporate events, monster trucks, rodeo and more.

[11] The City of Elk River has 41 parks and one conservation area with a total of 1,388 maintained acres.

Cloud, and U.S. 169 continues due north toward Mille Lacs Lake from Elk River.

Many residents of Elk River commute to the Twin Cities daily for work; it is roughly a 40-mile drive to Minneapolis.

Elk River has a hot summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa).