Knife River, Minnesota

About Knife River

Set in the northeastern part of Minnesota, Knife River is a small unincorporated community.

Knife River holds the status of a census-designated place — a real, named community that residents call home, governed at the county level. The community covers 0.67 square miles.

📰 Local News

Read the latest Minnesota headlines on our news site, Bless News Daily.

What Makes Knife River Unique

• The only place in America named Knife River — a truly one-of-a-kind name among 32,000+ US communities.
• An unincorporated community — no city hall of its own, which often means lower local taxes and county-managed services.
• Positioned in northeastern Minnesota, convenient to the region's corridors and crossings.

Why People Love It Here

• Small-town pace of life: less traffic, more community, and neighbors who wave.
• Cost of living typically runs below the big-metro average.
• Easy reach of Duluth (20 mi) — commute to the city, live where it's calm.

🍽️ Where to Eat in Knife River

• Dream Cloud Coffee Roasters — coffee shop (café)
• Ledge Rock Grille
• New Scenic Café

Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · click a restaurant to read or write reviews.

🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Knife River

• Knife River Aquatic Management Area · Nature reserve reviews ★
• French River Hatchery reviews ★
• McQuade Small Craft Harbor reviews ★

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

⚡ Quick Facts

🌤️ Current Weather

Full forecast →

Source: National Weather Service

🗺️ Map of Knife River

🏘️ Nearby Communities