Map of Prior Lake city

Prior Lake is an exurban city 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Minneapolis seated next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city lies south of the Minnesota River in an area known as RiverSouth and establishes the urban fringe of the south-southwest portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States. The population was 27,617 at the 2020 census.

Prior Lake was first incorporated as a village in 1891. Prior Lake is one of the oldest cities in the south metro area. The city’s modern rapid growth is due in part to the ease of access for commuters to the rest of the region, via the upgraded State Highway 13.

Prior Lake city overview:
Name:	Prior Lake city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Minnesota
County:	Scott County
Founded:	1872
Elevation:	948 ft (289 m)
Land Area:	16.28 sq mi (42.16 km²)
Water Area:	3.25 sq mi (8.41 km²) 15.77%%
Population Density:	1,696.69/sq mi (655.09/km²)
ZIP code:	55372
Area code:	952
FIPS code:	2752594
GNISfeature ID:	0649740
Website:	priorlakemn.gov

Online Interactive Map

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Prior Lake online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Prior Lake location map. Where is Prior Lake city?

Prior Lake location on the U.S. Map. Where is Prior Lake city. — Prior Lake location on the U.S. Map.

Prior Lake location on the Minnesota map. Where is Prior Lake city. — Location of Prior Lake in Minnesota.

Prior Lake Road Map

Prior Lake city Satellite Map

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.33 square miles (47.47 km); 15.44 square miles (39.99 km) is land and 2.89 square miles (7.49 km) is water.

Upper Prior Lake and Lower Prior Lake sit at the center of the city in an elongated shape towards the southwest to Spring Lake. Prior Lake as a whole is the largest lake in the southern metro area.

Lakes

The nearby Dakota people originally called Prior Lake Bdé Mayá Thó, meaning Lake of the Blue Banks.

Prior Lake (renamed after Charles Prior, of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul railroad) is made up of two sections, Upper Prior Lake and Lower Prior Lake. The area of each is 354 and 810 acres (3.3 km) respectively. Upper prior Lake flows Northerly, draining into the larger, Lower prior Lake via a navigable channel that runs under Eagle Creek Avenue Scott County Highway 21. Prior Lake is a popular destination for fishing and water sports. Prior Lake is also popular with snowmobilers and can be accessed using the Scott County Snowmobile Trail and other designated trails in the winter. On April 10, 2009, zebra mussel shells were discovered on the shore of Lower Prior Lake. On April 14, the DNR confirmed that the Zebra Mussels were also in Upper Prior Lake.

The eastern portion of Spring Lake along Scott County Road 12 is also located within the City of Prior Lake. Spring Lake, with 290 acres, but being a few minutes further out from the metro area offers similar recreational opportunities as Upper Prior Lake with a more rural character and less traffic. Spring Lake, being several feet higher in elevation, flows north, into Upper Prior Lake via a non-navigable spillway and culvert under County Road 12.