Chisago City, both alone and in the context of the greater Chisago Lakes area, has become known throughout the years as a favorite vacation/resort destination for residents of Minneapolis/St. Paul, and for its Swedish heritage, highlighted in Vilhelm Moberg's Emigrant books.
Early settlers, recognizing the beauty of the country's almost 4,500 lake acres of water, named their county after Chisago Lake. The name "Chisago" is derived from Ojibwe words meaning large and fair/lovely.
In the beginning settlers would travel north from Minnesota's territorial capital of Stillwater up the St. Croix river. Later, roads would be built along the river and north from the larger population centers of St. Paul and St. Anthony.
It was not until the addition of the railroad in 1880, which provided easy access to Chisago City, Lindstrom and Center City (Chisago Lakes) that people started to flock to this area for their summer fun and Chisago Lakes became widely known for its greatest natural asset.
Today, Chisago City and the Chisago Lakes Area are still known for their lakes, great fishing, the Hazelden treatment center and the Swedes who settled here and built the cities we live in today.
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New Town:
Chisago City