Finland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Crystal Bay and Beaver Bay townships, Lake County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 195.

Geography

The community of Finland is located 6 mi inland from Lake Superior's North Shore and 39 mi northeast of the city of Two Harbors. State Highway 1, County Road 6, and County Road 7 are three of the main routes in the community. State Highway 1 continues northwest from Finland 56 mi to Ely. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Finland CDP has a total area of 13.9 sqkm, of which 0.06 sqkm, or 0.41%, are water. The Baptism River flows through the community. George H. Crosby Manitou State Park is located 7 mi northeast of Finland. The community is located within the Finland State Forest in Lake County.

History

A post office called Finland has been in operation since 1915, and a cooperative general store was established in 1913, which is Minnesota's longest continuously operated store. The name of the town comes from the fact that a large portion of the early settlers were Finns. The 1931 book Finlandssvenskarna i Amerika ('The Finland Swedes in America') describes the town's founding: "Two Finns, a Lindström and a Pelto, went out to the forest 40 miles north of Two Harbors a few years ago. They set about clearing forest and breaking ground. Later, a railroad was built through the new community and the place was named Finland." The visitor center is the former home of forest ranger and longtime Finland resident O. M. Eckbeck, who built it in 1927. The Lutheran church was struck by lightning on July 6, 2013, burning down as a result. It was later rebuilt.