Elk River real estate.
Where the Elk River meets the Mississippi: county offices, one school district, no Northstar.
Elk River covers 42.3 square miles in eastern Sherburne County, where the Elk River empties into the Mississippi. The 2020 census counted 25,835 residents; the 2020-2024 ACS estimate is 26,793, about 633 people per square mile. Sherburne County's Government Center is here at 13880 Business Center Drive NW, and the Elk River Area School District headquarters is at 11500 193rd Avenue NW.
The housing runs newer than most of the metro without costing more. In the 2020-2024 ACS the median Elk River home was built in 1997, against 1981 metro-wide, and the median value, $370,100, sits just under the metro's $374,000. Detached single-family makes up 6,958 of 10,214 units, and owners occupy 7,792 of the 9,835 occupied ones. Most of what trades here is late-1990s and 2000s subdivision stock.
Two things catch buyers out. Northstar commuter rail no longer exists: the last trains ran January 4, 2026, and Metro Transit replaced the line with buses the next day, so the Elk River Park & Ride is now a weekday bus stop. And there is no school-district split to check here. Every address in the city sits in Elk River Area 728, which also runs schools in Rogers, Otsego and Zimmerman.
The housing
The 2020-2024 ACS counted 10,214 housing units, median value $370,100, and a median build year of 1997, sixteen years newer than the metro's 1981. Detached single-family accounts for 6,958 units; another 1,212 are attached. Owners occupy 7,792 of the 9,835 occupied units. Density runs near 633 people per square mile across 42.3 square miles.
Schools
Elk River Area School District 728 covers the entire city, with 14,577 students across 28 schools in the 2024 federal Common Core of Data. Elk River High School, Salk and VandenBerge middle schools, and Lincoln, Meadowvale, Parker and Twin Lakes elementaries are all in town. Two public charters operate here too: Spectrum on Industrial Circle NW, grades 6-8 and 9-12, and K-6 Three Rivers Montessori on Yale Street NW.
Getting around
U.S. 10, U.S. 169 and Highway 101 all serve the city. Northstar rail is gone. Metro Transit's weekday-only Route 882 replaced it, running from Big Lake through the Elk River Park & Ride to downtown Minneapolis; on the schedule effective July 22, 2026, morning trips arrive downtown at 6:45, 7:15 and 7:45 a.m., with afternoon returns from 3:42 p.m. Mean travel time to work is 27.4 minutes (2020-2024 ACS).
Parks & things to do
Woodland Trails Regional Park runs 427 acres, and Hillside Park has 7.4 miles of mountain bike trails. Bailey Point Nature Preserve sits downtown at the Mississippi confluence. Elk RiverFest is held at Orono Park, 33.82 acres on Lake Orono. The Riverfront Concert Series runs Thursday evenings at Rivers Edge Commons Park, 679 Main Street. The Oliver H. Kelley Farm, a Minnesota Historical Society site, is on Kelley Farm Road.
Neighborhoods in Elk River
- Downtown and Main Street
- Lake Orono
- Meadowvale
- Twin Lakes
- Trott Brook Farms
- Deerfield Hill
- The Highlands
- Rice Lake
- Mississippi riverfront
- Elk Hills
Buying or selling in Elk River.
Can I still take the train from Elk River to Minneapolis?
No. Northstar ran its last trains January 4, 2026, and Metro Transit replaced the line with buses the next day. Weekday-only Route 882 now runs from Big Lake through the Elk River Park & Ride to downtown Minneapolis, arriving at 6:45, 7:15 and 7:45 a.m., with afternoon returns from 3:42 p.m. There is no weekend service. Some local government pages are still out of date on this.
Which school district serves Elk River?
All of it. Census school-district boundaries put all of Elk River inside Elk River Area School District 728, so there is no boundary split to check. The district enrolled 14,577 students across 28 schools in the 2024 federal Common Core of Data. Two public charters also sit inside the city: Spectrum on Industrial Circle NW, with a 6-8 middle school and a 9-12 high school, and Three Rivers Montessori, a tuition-free K-6 charter at 17267 Yale Street NW.
Is Elk River housing newer than the rest of the metro?
Yes, and it does not cost more for it. The 2020-2024 ACS puts the median Elk River build year at 1997 against 1981 for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, while the median value here, $370,100, sits just under the metro's $374,000. In practice that means late-1990s and 2000s subdivision stock at close to metro-median pricing, with 6,958 of 10,214 units detached single-family.
Who supplies power and water in Elk River?
Elk River Municipal Utilities, owned by the city, supplies both electricity and water here, and also serves parts of Otsego, Dayton and Big Lake Township. Its power has come through the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, where ERMU has been a member since 2018. MMPA's Hometown Solar installation for Elk River sits at City Hall; the agency's utility-scale solar is a 7 MW array near Buffalo, not in town.
Explore other communities.
Otsego
Just under 30 square miles at the Mississippi-Crow confluence, median build year 2008.Ramsey
Twenty-nine square miles between the Rum and the Mississippi, with a downtown built from scratch.St. Francis
Twenty-three square miles on the Rum River, where half the housing stock has gone up since 2000.Anoka
The county seat, with a historic downtown where the Rum River meets the Mississippi.Thinking about Elk River?
Whether you're buying or selling here, we'll pull the current numbers and put together a plan. No obligation.