Minnesota State Highway 73 serves as a main route in Kettle River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.38 square miles (0.98 km2), all land.

The Kettle River area of Carlton County, Minnesota, was settled by a large concentration of Finnish Immigrants in the years leading up to the First World War and the influence of those immigrants is still noticeable even today.

On October 12, 1918, the Cloquet fire, caused by sparks on the local railroads, left much of western Carlton County area devastated.

The only building left standing in Kettle River following the fire was the bank that was made of brick.

This building still stands in Kettle River, near the center of the town on the west side of State Highway 73.

Following the fire, with most people homeless and destitute, the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 caused more damage to the community.

[7] Every August, the town hosts Ma and Pa Kettle Days, an annual festival; that includes a pancake breakfast, parade, pageant, and street dances.