About Foley

Located in the center of Benton County - one of the original nine counties of the first territorial legislature - is the City of Foley, the County Seat. Foley was named for one of several brothers who came from Canada in the early 1880s. The brothers set up a logging camp and built a steam sawmill. The place as at that time covered with a fine stand of white oak trees, which the Foley brothers had a contract to cut for the Great Northern Railroad. To supply the needs of lumberjacks, mill hands, and others, businessmen moved to the camp and set up shops. By 1900 the community was incorporated as a village. It was named for John Foley, whose many generous contributions had helped to build the town. In 1902, after a struggle with Sauk Rapids, Foley succeeded in becoming the seat of Benton County. By that time lumbering had become less important in the area because the best trees had been cut. The cutover land in the vicinity was cleared and made into farms. The region which the pioneers once referred to as oak country became known as dairy county and the business places of Foley, which formerly served the lumber industry, now served the farmers. Located just 65 miles north of Minneapolis / St. Paul, the city of Foley continues to grow in business and industry as the population rises to over 2600.

Foley is located just an hour from the northern lakes area of Brainerd or the big city life of the Twin Cities and only minutes from St. Cloud. Two major highways - Hwy. 23 and Hwy. 25 - intersect at Foley, making travel in any direction easy. Living in Foley offers small town atmosphere and many recreational opportunities. Two city parks complete with full kitchen facilities are available, along with a skateboard park, golf course, municipal swimming pool and walking trail.

An aerial photo of downtown Foley.