The World’s Smallest Town With A McDonald’s Is In Minnesota!?
When it comes to small towns in Minnesota there are a few amenities you expect. Most of them seem to have a gas station or two, maybe a 'dollar' store of some sort and in all likelihood a McDonald's.
Before moving to St. Cloud I lived in Princeton, Minnesota, which has a population of just over 4,000 people, and all of those boxes were checked. I practically lived on the double cheeseburger meal!
With that being said, I didn't think anything of such a small town having a McDonald's... it didn't seem out of place at all. However, one city in Minnesota claims to be the SMALLEST town in the world to have its own McDonald's restaurant.
The small city of Garrison, Minnesota (population 194) is located on the shores of Lake Mille Lacs along Highway 169. Known for its giant walleye statue that can see up to 300 carloads of visitors per day, it is also the smallest town in the world to host the Golden Arches!
The City of Garrison is located on the Northwest shores of beautiful Mille Lacs Lake and is home to the Garrison Walleye. The Garrison Walleye is placed at the entrance of the Concourse which was built by the Civilian Conservation Camp SP-15 in 1936-39.
The Concourse consists of pink and gray native stone which arch 180 feet into the lake, rises a dozen feet above the water and extends over 330 feet along the lake shore
. The Garrison Walleye is a favorite attraction for many and continues to be one of the most photographed statues around. During the summer months, an average of 300 cars per day stop and visit the Walleye.
Garrison has been known for fishing since 1899 and is the world's smallest City to have a McDonald's Restaurant. Come and enjoy our beautiful City.
My family had a cabin north of Mille Lacs when I was a little kid and we definitely made a ton of stops at this McDonald's (and/or the Dairy Queen in Onamia)! I never realized I was visiting a place of historical significance!
Have you ever stopped at this unique restaurant?