Pelican Rapids, Minnesota

About Pelican Rapids

Pelican Rapids is a small town in northwestern Minnesota with an estimated population of 2,594.

Pelican Rapids holds the status of an incorporated city with its own municipal government. The community covers 2.58 square miles, giving it a balanced suburban layout with room to breathe at roughly 1,005 residents per square mile.

📰 Pelican Rapids News Today

• Pelican Rapids, a turkey plant town of 2,600, saw itself as welcoming to all. Then came ICE. Star Tribune · Aug 15
• Obituary for Richard Nelson West Funeral Home · Aug 16
• Donna Mae Poach Obituary Aug 9, 2026 larsonfuneralpelicanrapids.com · Aug 9
• Follingstad, Janet Fergus Falls Daily Journal · Aug 17
• Pelican Rapids Air Quality Index (AQI) and USA Air Pollution IQAir · Jun 23

Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.

What Makes Pelican Rapids Unique

• The only place in America named Pelican Rapids — a truly one-of-a-kind name among 32,000+ US communities.
• Positioned in northwestern Minnesota, convenient to the region's corridors and crossings.
• Part of the fabric of Minnesota — one of 915 recognized communities statewide.

Why People Love It Here

• A tight community feel that bigger cities can't replicate.
• Cost of living typically runs below the big-metro average.
• Well connected: 3+ neighboring communities within 14 miles.

🍽️ Where to Eat in Pelican Rapids

• Big John's Pelican Pizza — pizza
• Cornfield Cafe (café)
• Maple Beach Grill — burger
• Zorbaz — pizza

Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.

🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Pelican Rapids

• Blanket Flower Prairie SNA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• E. L. Peterson Park reviews ★
• Fitzgerald WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Gardner WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Grefsrud WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Grenna Lake WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Grunewald WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Haiby WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Klovstad WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Larson WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Monson WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★
• Nelson WPA · Nature reserve reviews ★

Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.

🏫 Schools in Pelican Rapids

• PELICAN RAPIDS ALT CENTER MID-LEVEL
• PELICAN RAPIDS ALT LEARNING CENTER
• PELICAN RAPIDS SECONDARY
• VIKING ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.

⚡ Quick Facts

🗺️ Map of Pelican Rapids

🏘️ Nearby Communities