Biwabik, MN

Biwabik is a city on Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range and the gateway to the East Range, with State Highway 135 and the Vermilion Trail running through the community. Its name comes from the Ojibwe word for iron, a fitting link to the ore country around it. Mining and lumber once defined the work of this part of Saint Louis County; today Biwabik’s public face also reaches toward Giants Ridge, the recreation area just outside town. The 2020 census counted 961 residents.

That connection shapes present-day routines and events. The Mesabi Trail links Biwabik with Giants Ridge, while the resort’s golf, skiing, tubing, and bike park draw activity into the surrounding hills. Within town, Bavarian-style civic buildings and events give Biwabik a visual language distinct from the industrial history of the Range. The city’s parks, Vermilion Trail campground, and civic calendar keep local activity close to the same roads that lead toward the mines and recreation areas. Biwabik is a small range city where an Ojibwe iron name, mining geography, Bavarian streetscape, and outdoor recreation meet.