There are a bunch of small burgs, towns, and villages that lie scattered along Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior home. These little settlements range in size but they all have one important factor in common: they are strong communities that take pride in being together. There are a lot of little clusters located around Highway 61. These contain some burgs and some small towns. The main urban area you’ll find is Duluth, which is located on the southwest end of the shore.
If you travel from the eastern edge of Duluth to the western edge of Two Harbors, you will see the iconic Scenic 61 route. The route has a lot of shops, homes, diners, and hotels that run alongside it so if you want to make a few stops along the way, you can. Two Harbors is pretty much the biggest town located on the shore and it also the county seat of Lake County. It has a pretty large population and a lot of local events and happenings going on.
If you move northeast up the shore, you will come to Castle Danger. This is a little gathering on Highway 61 and is just shy of Gooseberry to the southwest. Next up, you will find Beaver Bay, which is the oldest village on the shore and was founded in 1856. It was and still remains a fishing town and is filled with fishing families. As a great contrast, you will also find Silver Bay when you keep traveling up. This is the youngest town in Minnesota and was established in 1954.
You’ll love Little Marais if you’re into small villages. This village is scarcely more than a stopgap between Highway 1 and County Road 6. It’s nestled right in between these two roads and if you blink, you’ll miss it! Keep heading further north for six or seven miles and you’ll reach Finland which was created in 1890 by Finnish immigrants. When you continue your drive up the shore, you’ll hit Schroeder, Tofte, and Lutsen, which are great places to ski and sled in.
Lastly, you’ll find the tip of Minnesota’s Arrowhead is Grand Portage Indian Reservation which sits on Lake Superior and borders Canada. It was established after the 1854 treaty and continues to be a select and tight-knit community.