Location Guide
Emily Quiet Northwoods Lake Country
Emily is a small lake-country town in northern Crow Wing County, sitting on Lake Emily with the Gull chain waters nearby. It offers a quiet pace, family resorts, and strong fishing on a network of smaller lakes.
Emily at a Glance
County
Crow Wing County
Community
843 (2020 census)
From Brainerd
About 33 miles, roughly 45 to 50 minutes
From the Twin Cities
About 143 miles, roughly 3 hours
Schools
Crosby-Ironton Public Schools (ISD 182), with parts of the area served by Pine River-Backus (ISD 2174)
About Emily
Emily sits at the northern edge of Crow Wing County on Lake Emily, a shallow, fish-rich lake connected by channel to Mary Lake, with Upper Gull Lake and the rest of the Gull chain stretching south toward Lake Shore and Nisswa. It is a genuine northwoods outpost, more cabins and resorts than town, and that is the appeal.
The community is small year-round and busy in summer, with family resorts like Lake Emily Resort and Ruth Lake Resort renting cabins, a handful of local businesses, and the Emily Bog ranking among Minnesota's great birding wetlands. Buyers here trade some convenience for quiet water, lower prices, and a pace that feels disconnected from the metro.
Key Facts
The essentials that shape daily life, the housing market, and the resale picture in this community.
Sits on Lake Emily and the Gull chain waters
Family resorts and campgrounds
Strong fishing and boating on smaller lakes
Groomed snowmobile and ATV trails
Quiet, northwoods character
The Water
Emily is the kind of place people find by accident and never leave: a small town on Highway 6 with resort cabins, quiet lakes, and the relaxed pace of true northwoods living. Lake Emily offers solid fishing, and the Gull chain's upper lakes add bigger water nearby.
Lakes and Waterways
Life Here Year-Round
The town's season runs from fishing opener to ice-out and back again. Summer brings families to Lake Emily Resort and the area's cabin rentals; winter brings groomed snowmobile and ATV trail networks that connect into the broader Crow Wing and Cass county systems. For year-round residents, Emily is quiet, safe, and close enough to Crosby, Brainerd, or Pine River for services.
Buying in Emily
What buyers should understand before buying or selling in this community, and how it fits the bigger lake-market picture.
Compare Other CommunitiesEmily offers some of the most affordable lakefront in the region, on smaller, quieter lakes than the big-name waters.
Lake Emily's shallow water and strong panfish and northern fishery appeal to fishing-focused buyers.
Upper Gull Lake and the Gull chain are 10 to 15 minutes south for bigger-water boating.
Services are a drive: Crosby or Pine River about 30 minutes, Brainerd about 45 to 50.
Questions Buyers Ask About Emily
Why do people buy lake property in Emily?
For quiet, affordable water on smaller lakes. Emily is a classic northwoods community where prices run well below the big-name lake markets and the pace is genuinely slow.
Is Lake Emily good for fishing?
Yes. The lake holds walleye, northern pike, bass, and panfish, and its channel connection to Mary Lake expands the fishable water.
Is Emily close to the rest of the Lakes Area?
It is a bit out of the way by design: about 45 to 50 minutes to Brainerd and roughly 30 minutes to Crosby or Pine River, with the Gull chain a short drive south.
What is winter like in Emily?
Quiet and recreational. Snowmobile and ATV trails run through the area, ice fishing is strong on the local lakes, and the small-town community takes care of its own.
Life Around Emily
Lake Emily
Fishing, kayaking, and channel access to Mary Lake.
Upper Gull Lake
Gull chain water, a short drive south.
Lake Emily Resort and Ruth Lake Resort
Classic family resort cabins with beaches and rentals.
Emily Bog
A rare wetland for birding and wildlife.
Explore More Communities
Brainerd
The Hub of the Lakes Area
Baxter
Modern Living with Lake Access
Nisswa
Charming Lakeside Living
Crosslake
Year-Round Lake Culture
Pequot Lakes
Gateway to the Whitefish Chain
East Gull Lake
Prestigious Gull Lake Living
Lake Shore
Quiet Residential Lake Living
Breezy Point
Resort Living with Year-Round Recreation
Aitkin
The Mississippi River County Seat
Fifty Lakes
Backroads Lake Country Near the Chain
Jenkins
Quiet Town, Big Lake Next Door
Pillager
River Town Minutes from Brainerd
Little Falls
Historic Mississippi River City
Merrifield
The Countryside Between Brainerd and the Lakes
Longville
The Woman Lake Chain Town
Motley
Where the Crow Wing Chain Reaches the River
Staples
Railroad Town with Strong Lake Country
Interested in Emily?
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