Transportation & Utilities

Greater Mankato is strategically located relative to all southern Minnesota, as well as to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.

Major highways connecting Greater Mankato and the surrounding area are enhanced to accommodate the dramatic growth in economic activity throughout the region. With a state-of-the-art regional airport, trucking services and rail access, Greater Mankato offers an efficient Midwest gateway to U.S. and global markets.

Highways

Rail

Air

Mankato

Transportation

  • Highways: Greater Mankato is bisected by two four-lane interstate quality highways. US Highway 169/MN Highway 60 provides 4 lane access from the Minneapolis-St. Paul area all the way south to Sioux City, Iowa. US Highway 14 provides 4 lane access to Rochester to the east and by the end of 2023 will provide 4 lane access to New Ulm to the west. Interstates 90 and 35 are both accessible within 1 hour.
    The MnDOT District 7 Capital Highway Investment Plan and interactive map can be found here.
  • Rail: Greater Mankato is bisected by two rail lines – Union Pacific and Canadian Pacific.
    Map of Rail System in Minnesota (pdf download)
    Minnesota Rail Viewer Application – this web application, which highlights rail lines and crossings, may take some time to load all layers.
  • Air: The Mankato Regional Airport (MKT) is Minnesota’s second busiest airport and serves as a vital transportation component for the region. The airport is frequently utilized for chartered flights and many regional employers base corporate jets at the airport. The airport is capable of handling air freight and there is city-owned land available for industries seeking to be adjacent to the airport.
    Commercial service is available with a short 75-minute drive to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Affordable

Utilities

Because of the consistent growth patterns in the area, utility and service providers have been able to expand accordingly. Ample and affordable water, gas and electricity, at prices below the national average, benefit both residents and businesses in Greater Mankato. Minnesota companies are also leading the nation in renewable energy, from wind power to bioenergy. 

Businesses have options for electric service providers when choosing to locate in Greater Mankato. Two major generating providers operate in the region. Xcel Energy is an energy provider serving over 3.7 million customers. Xcel is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN and operates in eight US states. Great River Energy (GRE) is a member-owned generating utility serving 28 distribution cooperatives and over 1.7 million customers.

BENCO Electric Cooperative is served by GRE. Additionally, the cities of Saint Peter and Lake Crystal operate their own electric utilities. The electric service provider boundaries can be viewed using this interactive map.

Businesses and their employees take advantage of strong telecommunications infrastructure with multiple fiber providers and door to door gigabit residential fiber being completed in the core urbanized area and high speed fiber throughout the region. Businesses that depend on fast speeds can get connections up to 10 Gbps. Where fiber is not currently laid, businesses take advantage of short lead times and competitive rates due to the existence of multiple providers.

Consolidated Communications, MediaCom, MetroNet, Spectrum all have a presence.

CenterPoint is the primary natural gas provider in the region and through its partnership with Northern Natural Gas and proximity to interstate gas lines is able to explore engineering solutions to meet your needs regardless of the volume or pressure desired. 

Resources

Learn more about the communities within the Greater Mankato Region

Community Profiles
For more information, please contact:
Ryan Vesey
Business Development Director

Phone: 507-385-6644
Email: [email protected]

Greater Mankato

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Subscribe
en_USEnglish
es_MXEspañol de México soSomali arالعربية zh_CN简体中文 en_USEnglish