Big Lake Township, Sherburne County, Minnesota

Big Lake station is a Northstar Line commuter rail station in Big Lake, Minnesota, located at 19691 County Road 43, in the southeast corner of Big Lake near U.S. Highway 10. The station features bicycle lockers and a park and ride lot with capacity for 518 vehicles. Commute time to downtown Minneapolis from this station is about 51 minutes.This station is the northbound terminus until funding for an extension to St. Cloud is secured. In the meantime, a commuter bus branded the Northstar Link (route 887) connects Big Lake with St. Cloud, stopping at the Metro Bus downtown transit center, St. Cloud State University, a commuter parking lot at Lincoln Avenue and U.S. Highway 10 and the Coffee Cup Cafe in Becker. The bus is operated by St. Cloud Metro Bus, rather than Metro Transit.The maintenance facility for the Northstar trains was built just to the south.

Big Lake High School is a four-year public high school located in Big Lake, Minnesota. As of 2022, 951 students in grades 9-12 are enrolled. The school's principal is Robert Dockendorf and the assistant principal is Shallyn Tordeur. Big Lake High is part of the Big Lake Public School District 727, led by Superintendent Tim Truebenbach and Administrative Dean Jacob Klingelhutz. The district focuses on STEM education. The high school celebrated its centennial class in 2017. As of 2022, Big Lake High School offers a variety of over 150 courses across 14 departments. Classes run on a trimester system. Included is a session time for students to meet with advisors, work on math/reading skills, and host school-wide assemblies. Along with the many standard academic programs, Big Lake Schools partners with multiple outside groups to provide a larger range of options to explore their education. Starting their junior year, students are permitted to take college-level courses both on and off-campus. College in the Classroom (CIC) is a program allowing Big Lake staff to teach courses that grant students college credit. Students may also enroll in part or full-time PSEO programs, which allow students to learn on-campus at college campuses. Another option offered to students is taking courses through Wright Technical Center, an alternative school located in Buffalo, Minnesota.Starting in the 2018–19 school year, Big Lake switched to a new classroom technology program, Otus. This program allows students to access their assignments, grades, and textbooks. With this implemented, students are no longer provided with paper copies of textbooks, but rather must access their Otus account to view ebooks. A One-to-One program, where all students are provided with a laptop, which began during the 2020–21 school year. Big Lake's mascot is the "Hornet", its school song is a modified version of "You're a Grand Old Flag". Big Lake is a member of the Mississippi 8 Conference.

The Saint Francis River is a 79.0-mile-long (127.1 km) tributary of the Elk River in east-central Minnesota in the United States. Via the Elk River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area historically characterized by mixed hardwood and coniferous forests on flat to rolling till plains.The St. Francis River rises in Alberta Township in northeastern Benton County, and flows generally southwardly through eastern Benton County, passing to the east of Foley and collecting a minor tributary known as the West Branch St. Francis River. The river turns eastward in northern Sherburne County, and flows south- and southwestwardly through the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge and Sand Dunes State Forest. It joins the Elk River in Big Lake Township in southern Sherburne County, approximately one mile (2 km) north of the city of Big Lake. Canoeing is possible on some stretches of the river during periods of high water.

Big Lake is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,686 at the 2020 census.

Bailey is an unincorporated community in Big Lake Township, Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located between Big Lake and Elk River near the junction of Sherburne County Roads 14 and 15, and U.S. Highway 10.The community was named for Orlando Bailey, an early settler.

Tibbits Brook is a stream in Sherburne County, in the U.S. state of Minnesota.Tibbits Brook was named after four brothers who settled near the stream.

Monticello Field is a former airport and military airfield in Big Lake Township, Minnesota, United States, approximately a mile northeast of Monticello. It is inactive.

The Minnesota Road Research Facility (also known as MnROAD, pronounced Min-road), is an outdoor research laboratory operated by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) that specializes in testing different types of pavement. Said to be the largest such facility in the world, it is located 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul near the town of Albertville along Interstate 94 (I-94). Minnesota is a good site for such a project, as the state experiences some of the largest seasonal swings in temperature in the United States, and has a spring freeze–thaw cycle that can heavily damage roadways. More than 4,500 sensors are embedded in and under the road surfaces to measure stresses while the test segments are in use. The facility was constructed from 1990 through 1993 at a cost of $25 million and opened in 1994. It earned an Award of Merit in the Federal Highway Administration's 1996 Excellence in Highway Design competition.A three-mile (4.8 km) stretch of the Interstate is redirected onto test pavement at the site, and a test track simulating a low-volume rural roadway loops through the facility. Real highway traffic is used for this mainline test area, but traffic is simulated on the low-volume road by a semi-trailer truck. A bypass is available to shift traffic off the mainline testing area so researchers can closely examine the pavement without disrupting flow on the highway. Many different organizations have partnered with Mn/DOT to conduct research at the facility, ranging from partners such as the University of Minnesota, Federal Highway Administration, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation to others like the National Road Administration of Finland.

Holy Spirit Academy is a private Catholic school in Monticello, Minnesota, in the United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Opened in 2014, Holy Spirit Academy has an integrated program and teaches in the Catholic intellectual tradition. It was formally recognized as a Catholic school on October 2, 2020 by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. On May 25, 2023, the school was recognized in the Newman Guide, a society who acknowledges Catholic schools with strong commitment to the faith and academic excellence. Students attend Mass Wednesday through Friday, have regular access to the sacrament of Reconciliation, and daily communal prayer, as well as Lauds each morning. The Academy's Mission Statement is as follows: "Holy Spirit Academy is a private high school in the Catholic intellectual tradition offering an integrated academic program. The school’s Christ-centered approach to education fosters an environment grounded in the Truth, which prepares students for a life at the service of others. Through the action of the Holy Spirit and with the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the academy strives to help students realize their God given purpose, instilling in them confidence to enrich the current culture."

The Tobias G. Mealey House is a historic house in Monticello, Minnesota, United States. Its original section was built in 1855 by Tobias Mealey (1823–1904). The Mealey family made numerous additions to the house throughout the latter 19th century, and later owners added a large wing to the east. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 for having local significance in the themes of commerce, exploration/settlement, and politics/government. It was nominated for its association with Mealey, an influential local settler, entrepreneur, and politician. It was delisted in 2020.

The Nicherson–Tarbox House is a historic house in Monticello, Minnesota, United States. It was built in 1889 in a blend Queen Anne and Shingle Style architecture. A barn was moved to the rear of the lot around the turn of the 20th century to serve as a carriage house, now a detached garage. The property, which contained a second outbuilding that is no longer extant, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as the Nicherson–Tarbox House, Shed and Barn for having local significance in the theme of architecture. It was nominated for being a prominent and well-preserved example of Queen Anne and Shingle Style architecture in Monticello.

The Rand House, nicknamed "Random", is a historic house in Monticello, Minnesota, United States, constructed in 1884 and operated as a bed and breakfast from the mid-1990s until 2020. The house is now a private residence. It was the centerpiece of a summer estate owned by Minneapolis businessman Rufus Rand, Sr., and his wife Susan Mealey. The Rand House and a nearby building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as the Rufus Rand Summer House and Carriage Barn for having local significance in the themes of architecture, commerce, and entertainment/recreation. They were nominated for being representative of the late-19th-century country estates built by Twin Cities businessmen, their Queen Anne architecture, and association with Rand, a prominent utility executive.