Annandale, MN

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Annandale is located just 45 minutes from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area and 25 minutes from St. Cloud. With 26 area lakes within a 10 mile radius, Annandale truly is “the Heart of the Lakes”. With a strong downtown retail corridor, existing industry, and beautiful residential opportunities including lake and golf course living, Annandale is a wonderful place to call home!

There are several versions of the source of Annandale’s name. The village was originally named Abbeyville, but a new name had to be chosen when applying for a post office permit revealed there was already an Abbeyville in Minnesota. In one story a show bill for Lizzy Annandale was on display just outside the window when the decision was being made. Another version has the town named after Annie, the sweetheart of James Pratt, the man who platted Annandale in 1886. The third and least colorful account is that it was named after the Annan River in Scotland. Whatever the true origin of the name, Annandale was incorporated in 1888 with 187 citizens and John Buri as the first mayor (president of the council).

In 1889 when Annandale celebrated its first July 4th, the money left over from the event went equally to the Methodist Episcopal Church where Mayor John Buri was secretary and the school where he was school board clerk. Buri opened the first store in Annandale, a hardware store, and when the State Bank of Annandale opened in 1893 he was vice-president. Our first mayor was a busy man!