"The island is really beautiful. I grew up in Minneapolis and I used to visit my grandfather when I was young. I'm 71 now so that was along time ago. My grandfather, Fred B. James, was the St Louis county assessor in Ely and he used to take us out to the island to visit. They called it Vincent's Island then. It was full of trees and just beautiful. My grandmother used to tell me the Chippewa Indians used to have pow wows there.

"And the fishing is great, too."

Bootsie Hodges, August 1997

This map is from the City.net. mapquest collection.

The Ely area is located in the Northeast region of Minnesota in the Superior National Forest, surrounded by vast areas of the Forest and hundreds of lakes. Lakeshore property values vary considerably depending on several factors, some of which are accessibility to, and desirability of the lake; size and location of the lake, landlocked lake or part of a chain. etc. Whether lakeshore or rural, parcels of land on which comparable building might be located can vary in size from a small lot size to several acres; the topography can vary from rough and rocky to lowland or swamp; access can vary from paved roads to two lane dirt roadways; consequently, land values can vary tremendously when calculating comparisons.

With the exception of homes built in the early to middle 1900's, the City of Ely consists of homes with a myriad of styles and architecture. They vary considerably in size; not only in the square footage of the dwelling, but lot size as well. There exists no planned development, where dwellings have been built with but slight variations in square footage, lot size , ages, and amenities.

As for commercial property, most of the commercial building in the Ely area are 65 to 90 years old. Many of them have living quarters above the commercial enterprise, and a number of business are located in renovated residences.

Additionally, the Federal Government owns 65-70% of the lands around the Ely area.

Betty A. Salerno, Appraiser

This City Map is from Yahoo City Maps Collections

Located in northeastern Minnesota's Superior National Forest, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is approximately one million acres in size, contains hundreds of lakes and rivers, has 1,200 miles of canoe routes, is home to threatened and endangered species, and is visited by over 200,000 people a year. It is the most heavily used wilderness area in the country. There is a delicate balance in this wilderness. As you look through this document and possibly plan a trip to the BWCAW, remember that those qualities which call you to this magnificent area are fragile. Steps you take today to preserve this area will not only benefit you, but future generations as well. Wallace Stegner, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, wrote: "Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed." Please enjoy and at the same time and care for this precious resource.

University of Minnesota Resource Guide