Welcome to Willmar, MN!
Approximately 93 mi (150 km) west of
Minneapolis, Willmar makes for a pleasant escape from the big city for a weekend or even a day. This small city of approximately 20,000 residents is located in Kandiyohi County, in south-central
Minnesota, and is surrounded by lakes (19 in fact). Set on the southern shores of Willmar and Foot lakes, downtown Willmar features all the urban amenities and attractions travelers require, but generally isn’t the reason people come here. The first settlers arrived in the 1850s, attracted by agricultural opportunities. After the site was abandoned during the Dakota War, the next wave of settlers arrived with the Great Northern Railway in 1869. But today, residents and visitors alike gravitate toward Willmar for its laid-back pace and great outdoors. As well as the lakes, which afford plenty of boating and fishing opportunities, Willmar is known for its abundance of hiking and biking trails, the
Glacial Lakes State Trail being a favorite. Willmar is also dotted with parks. The peninsula-like
Robbins Island Park on Willmar Lake was an isolation house for contagious patients around 1900 but is now a prime example of natural tranquility. Those interested in local history will find interesting and varied exhibits at the
Kandiyohi County Historical Museum, and summer visitors might be drawn to the annual
Sonshine Festival—one of the state’s biggest family-friendly Christian music events.
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