Alexandria, Minnesota Lake Home and Cabin Living

Alexandria Minnesota: Easy to Love!

Where southern prairie meets the northern forest, and receding glaciers once carved their way through the granite landscape, Alexandria is a scenic & recreational paradise. 
Just off I-94, the county seat for Douglas County lies almost exactly halfway between the Twin Cities and Fargo, and provides convenient access to business, work and commerce. The Alexandria Lakes Area offers the best of all worlds: unlimited access to the outdoors, friendly atmosphere, small town hospitality, bustling business, and big city conveniences and opportunities.  The lavish landscape creates a mythically perfect blend of lakes, rivers, forests, rolling hills, meadows, and open prairie. This scenic backdrop of year-round beauty provides unlimited opportunities for recreation, tourism, business, industry, shopping, and culture.

“The small town feel with the amenities of the larger cities are here for us…something for everybody! A  regional shopping center, a regional medical center, a regional airport, federal, state, and local government centers… only 2 ½ hours from the cities We’re blessed with a little of everything, plus the natural beauty of the lakes, of course! Alexandria is easy to get to, yet hard to leave. But don’t take my word for it. Come and see for yourself!” – H. Dan Ness, Mayor City of Alexandria.

If Vikings roamed the Midwest in the mid-14th century, then Alexandria is the “Birthplace of America”. It says so right on Big Ole’s shield, the 28-foot, 4-ton Viking Statue that greets visitors traveling north on Main Street.

Modern settlers drifted into the area after the signing of the Traverse des Sioux treaty in 1851.

In 1858, the same year that Minnesota became a state, Alexander and William Kinkead built a log cabin and a hotel on the shores of Lake Agnes, and named the area “Alexandria”. In 1866, the county’s borders were officially set and Douglas County was named for Sen. Stephen A. Douglas who helped get the county established. 

Recreation

The Alexandria area boasts over 300 lakes, with swimming, boating, fishing, nearly every kind of water sport you can imagine, as well as an abundance of city, county, and state parks featuring a variety of amenities, picnic areas, and both indoor and activities for the entire family.

The indoor Lake Area Recreation Center is a 35,000 sq. ft. facility that houses a gymnasium, aerobic/multi-purpose room, cardiovascular exercise room, weight room, and a gymnastics center. There are several health clubs that provide services ranging from tanning, a body spa, whirlpool, aerobics, racquetball courts, and a variety of weight and fitness equipment.

Most outdoor facilities are open year round for fun and recreation.  In the summer, you can catch a tan at any one of a number of parks and beaches.

Thousands of cyclists and hikers enjoy the Central Lakes Trail that winds along the old Burlington Northern railroad, through 55-miles of pristine woods, rivers and streams, lakes, farm land, hardwood forests, and prairies, with opportunities for shopping and rest in the communities on or near the trail. 

For winter fun, Andes Tower Hills Ski Area, the Runestone Community Center, and Noonan’s Park provide cross-country trails, downhill skiing, and snow tubing, skating rinks, and over 500 miles of snowmobile trails.

About the only sport you can’t do in Alexandria is surfing, and they’re probably working on that!  From bingo to bowling, football to Frisbee golf, Alexandria has it all. 

At the Viking Speedway, you can watch Go Kart, NASCAR and dirt racing all summer long.

America’s best college-bound players compete at Blizzard Hockey. Beetles Baseball its home at the Knute Nelson Memorial Park, named after the United States senator from Alexandria, where you’ll find a steady stream of Minnesota Twins, Major League, and Hall-of-Fame stars, other celebrities, and a whole lot of fans who just love baseball.

Go horseback riding, learn martial arts, play racquetball, try out the shooting range, skate board in the park, play golf, or take a lesson at the Golf Academy. Play tennis at the beach, rent a canoe, or just pamper yourself at the Body Spa.  There’s plenty of ways to relax and have fun!

And, of course, there’s fishing! Alexandria Echo Press reports that a local fisherman just landed 9 & 10-pound walleyes within days of each other on Lake Osakis. He calls it a “fantastic fishing lake” where “you can go after crappies, sunnies, walleye, northern, perch and bass and catch them all”

Arts & Education

Alexandria also offers arts and culture, from history at the museum, to ballroom dancing at the local dance club. Or, you can browse over to the Douglas County Library, where pre-school children fall in love with the songs, rhymes, films, and craft activities of Story Hour.

Professional summer stock theatre and Theatre L’Homme Dieu perform seven different plays throughout the summer season. The Alexandria Area Arts Association Community holds year round community theatre and concert events.  And, the Carlos Creek Winery offers tours year round tours of the largest grape vineyard in MN, and stables filled with purebred Arabian horses.

Alexandria’s schools have a well-established tradition of educational excellence. An Early Education Center, elementary schools, junior and senior high, multiple Christian schools, and an active Learn at Home Group serve nearly 5,000 K-12 students in a district where students consistently surpass state averages at all grade levels in reading, math, and writing.

Extra-curricular programs are offered at all levels, featuring choir, band, and other fine and performing arts, academic and athletic teams, varsity sports and numerous school clubs and leadership opportunities.

Higher education programs are offered at the award-winning Alexandria Technical College, which has a solid reputation for quality instruction and service to its students, and a Customized Training Center available to local business.

Parents and volunteers are encouraged to be “partners in education” involved in the education process at all levels. This collaboration innovatively positions Alexandria students for a dynamic and prosperous future.

Shopping & Community Development

Downtown Alexandria has a wide variety of restaurants, interesting stores, and antique shops. The Viking Plaza Mall has over 40 merchants, major department stores, including Herbergers and JCPenney, and the Midway Cinema 9. In fact, if you watch movies like American Gangster, Miami Vice, or Perfect Storm, then you’ve seen Alexandria born veteran actor John Hawkes, who’s also starred on TV shows like 24, the X-Files, and HBO’s Deadwood.

Two TV stations, and local non-profit, viewer supported organization provide Alexandria with local news, weather, and sports. Eight different radio stations provide listening pleasure from Classical to Classic Rock, including News Radio, Oldies, Country, Christian Hits, Adult Contemporary, and Smooth Jazz.

The Alexandria area contains a rich variety of more than 250 organizations which provide activities and social interaction for hobbyists, professionals, civic, social, and service organizations not counting schools, churches, and health care organizations which provide another several hundred opportunities for activities and services.

Alexandria area churches are the source of social activity, culture, education and community service. Many stand as historical and architectural landmarks adding to the charm and personality of Alexandria.

Alexandria’s strong, vibrant, economy is represented by large companies like Douglas Machine manufacturing, and the 3M Abrasive Systems plant, and supported by groups like the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, the City Government, and Alexander Area Economic Development Commission, all helping to develop long-term sustainable growth and expansion in the area.

The Real Estate market in Alexandria is surprisingly strong, due to the high proportion of lakeshore property in the area. While the rest of the state was hit hard in 2007, residential sales in Alexandria dipped only slightly, and lakeshore sales actually grew in total dollar revenue.

Chandler Field is the Regional Airport where you can also buy, rent, or sell your private airplane. 

Regional medical facilities, the Alexandria Clinic and the Osakis Medical Center, are modern and well-equipped, providing preventative, interventional, and supportive services in a compassionate, thoughtful, and efficient manner.

Events

Alexandrians know how to celebrate often, and they do it big! Early spring starts with the NPRA Rodeo in April, followed by a year jam-packed with fun, festivity, and excitement for everyone.

By far the largest community celebration is “Awake the Lakes”, a Memorial Day weekend celebration with family fish fry, entertainment, games, and concerts honoring Norwegian and Swedish ancestry.

In June, nationally recognized and hailed as Minnesota’s largest band competition, the annual Vikingland Band Festival draws over 30,000 spectators and 2,300 performers from seven states, Canada, and Norway.

In July, Art in the Park brings national artisans to the City Park to show their work. And, the Briggs Motley Craft Show brings more artisans to the Runestone Community Center in the spring and fall.

The summer Festival of the Lakes is a classical concert series that brings a variety of world-renowned musicians to Alexandria throughout the summer. And, the Carlos Creek Winery features a Grape Stomp festival in the fall.

A place of history, mystery, excitement, and fun! Alexandria is definitely west-central Minnesota’s premier destination. It’s easy to love!