Detroit Lakes is a city in the State of Minnesota and the county seat of Becker County. The population was 9,869 at the 2020 census. Its unofficial population during summer months is much higher, estimated by citizens to peak at 13,000 midsummers, due to seasonal residents and tourists.

U.S. Highways 10 and 59, and Minnesota State Highway 34 facilitate as the primary routes through the city. Detroit Lakes is located 45 miles east of the Fargo–Moorhead ND-MN statistical metropolitan area. The nearest major metropolitan Place with a population on culmination of 1 million is Minneapolis–Saint Paul, which is nearly 205 miles southeast of Detroit Lakes.

Detroit Lakes is a regional summer and winter recreation destination, attracting large numbers of tourists and seasonal residents each year. Its economy is fueled by seasonal population increases, with tourism being the area’s chief industry.

The city of Detroit Lakes was founded by Colonel George Johnston in 1871. The city’s current name has been extant in the past 1927, to avoid confusion in the same way as Detroit, Michigan. Beforehand, it was straightforwardly called Detroit. The read out was fixed idea by a French missionary. Détroit is French and translates to strait or narrows, referring to the sand bar separating immense Detroit lake from Little Detroit lake. The sand bar was dredged and partially submerged to make the Pelican River watershed navigable by steamboat in the late 19th century.