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Ely

A city of 3,240 people in Minnesota
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Around town

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Outdoors in Ely

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Map of Ely: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk
Conserved land2.4%44 of 1,862 acres
Trails4.3 mi1.5 mi per sq mi
Parks & preserves314 conserved acres per 1,000 residents

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US

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About Ely

City in Minnesota, United States
3,268Population
2.9 sq miArea
1,427 ftElevation

Ely ( EE-lee) is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,268 at the 2020 census. Located on the Vermilion iron range, Ely once had several iron ore mines. It is an entry point for campers and canoers into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Canada's Quetico Provincial Park wilderness area. The International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center are nearby. Ely's main street has nature outfitters, outdoor clothing stores, and restaurants. MN 1, MN 169, and County Road 21 (Central Avenue) are Ely's main routes. The city is 16 mi (26 km) south of the Canadian border and is within the Superior National Forest.

Official town website ↗

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Town numbers

ZIP code55731
Area code218
Living in Ely

Housing in Ely

$285K▲ 6.7% in a year Typical home value · Zillow

The typical Ely home is worth about $285,000, up 6.7% in a year, 19% below the Minnesota typical home.

Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data CenterHousing market →

Safety in Ely

B

Safety Grade B

Ely reports less crime per resident than 60% of the U.S. towns and cities we grade.

Violent crime per 1,000
Ely 1.9
Minnesota 2.3
U.S. 3.3
Property crime per 1,000
Ely 9.7
Minnesota 14.3
U.S. 15.5
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeCrime & safety →

Health in Ely

Compared with Minnesota

1better than MN·11worse

of 32 measures CDC estimates. The other 20 are too close to call.

BetterToo close to callWorse

What stands out

Care nearby

Ely - Bloomenson Community HospitalEly · 1 mi · ER · rural critical access
Scenic Rivers Health ServicesTower · 20.7 mi · sliding-scale fees
Primary careShortage · part of Ely
DentalShortage · part of Ely
Mental healthShortage · county-wide
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CDC's estimate for Ely · CMS · HRSAHealth in Ely →

Schools in Ely

All Ely schools →
B

School Grade B

The public schools Ely’s kids attend outperform 59% of Minnesota’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.

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DistrictELY PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTSchools4

School data from the U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results, graded within MN. Ratings are from neighbors.

Famous people from ElyWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Ely.Meet them →

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Ely

Minnesota · MN
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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01