Coolest Small Town in America
Budget Travel readers named Ely the Coolest Small Town in America in 2010, for its mix of wilderness, culture and characters.
Ely, Minnesota
Historic preservation meets the great outdoors. A walkable historic downtown with a million-acre wilderness for a backyard.
Big Wilderness
The Gateway to the Boundary Waters
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness stretches about 150 miles along the Canadian border, and downtown Ely is the gateway to it.
- City of Ely
- 3,268 residents, 2020 Census
- Boundary Waters
- 1.09M acres of protected wilderness
- Wilderness Visitors
- 150,000+ a year, the most visited wilderness in the U.S.
- Lakes
- 1,100+ lakes in the Boundary Waters
- Canoe Routes
- 1,200 miles of canoe routes
- Campsites
- 2,000+ backcountry campsites
Ely by the Numbers
A Small Town That Sells Big
Ely had about 3,460 residents in 2010, yet the city rang up nearly $107 million in gross sales in 2011. That’s more than two and a half times the sales of Eveleth, an Iron Range city of about the same size.
Visitors drive it. The area is home to 14 canoe outfitters, 18 resorts, four dog sledding outfitters and national paddling bases for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The U.S. Forest Service estimates the Boundary Waters alone brings about $100 million a year to northeastern Minnesota.
Figures compiled in 2013 from city, census and U.S. Forest Service data.
- $107MGross sales in Ely, 2011
- +68%Growth in lodging tax receipts, 2000 to 2012
- 1,000Summer jobs at outfitters, resorts and dogsled businesses
- 80,000Yearly visitors to the Wolf and Bear Centers
Why Downtown
A Great Place to Live, Work & Grow
A Real Main Street
Sheridan Street’s historic storefronts are full of outfitters, galleries, restaurants and local shops, all within an easy walk.
Schools, College & Health Care
Ely Public Schools, Minnesota North College–Vermilion and a local hospital make Ely easy to live in, not just visit.
Outdoors All Year
Paddling and lake life in summer; snowshoes, cross-country trails and dog sledding in winter.
It’s Rich in Culture
Arts, Heritage & Festivals
From wolves and bears to folk art and film, a few of the places and events that bring people to Ely all year.
- International Wolf Center
- North American Bear Center
- Dorothy Molter Museum
- Ely’s Historic State Theater
- Ely Folk School
- Ely Arts & Heritage Center
- Northern Lakes Arts Association
- Bois Forte Heritage Center
- Quetico Provincial Park
- Blueberry Art Festival
- Harvest Moon Festival
- Ely Winter Festival
Then & Now
A Mining Town Main Street
Ely was founded in 1888 as the Vermilion Range’s iron mines opened, and Sheridan Street quickly filled with drugstores, dry goods, grocers, hotels and saloons serving miners and their families.
The mines are long closed, but many of those storefronts remain. Today they’re home to outfitters, restaurants, galleries and small businesses, and we’re proud to help bring more of them back.
Find Your Space in Downtown Ely
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