The history of Elko New Market is the story of two different settlements. The city of New Market began to develop into a community before that of Elko. German and Prussian were the predominant heritages of the area’s early day visitors. By 1865, it was incorporated into a city whose entire community was centered around the German Catholic Church. The area was not very developed and it mostly consisted of farmland and one tiny downtown area. The city also had its own public school, which was closed in 1916 and since then the New Market has been a part of the New Prague school district.

However, by the 1900’s, New Market began to thrive agriculturally, especially with the integration of a grain elevator in the nearby community of Elko. Interstate 35 was constructed in the late 1960s, which provided a very different way of transportation to and from of the community. For this reason, the city experienced residential development in the 70’s.  

Even with its proximity, development of the city of Elko was quite different from that of New Market. In 1902, the Chicago-St. Paul Railroad was built through the community that would later become the city of Elko. Elko was incorporated in 1949 when there was an argument over the disbursement of liquor licenses with the Township Board. While neighboring New Market was mainly a German Catholic community, the residents of Elko consisted a large number of Scandinavian Lutherans.

The Elko Speedway, the most popular place in the city, opened in 1964 and continues to attract a large number of racing fans every year. The city kept pace with New Market in the 60’s and 70’s as the integration of the interstate brought many residents to the area.

In 2005, the officials from Elko and New Market met to discuss a possible combination of the two cities. They realized the benefits from such a merger and it became official in 2007, becoming the city of Elko New Market.

If you have any questions regarding the city of Elko New Market, Minnesota, or if you would like to sell or buy a house in the area, please feel free to visit TwinCitiesPropertyFinder.com or call 1-800-909-1953.