Welcome to Cosmos, MN, One of the Most Unique Towns in Our State

I can't imagine the difficulty of naming towns. Eventually, you either have to start getting really creative or you need to start duplicating town names from other states. Both things have happened.

Minnesota has its far share of unique town names (and some dirty ones, too, which we'll take a peek at later ). There's one Minnesota town, though, that has always really leaned into its town name.

ALSO READ: 11 Minnesota Towns Perfect for a Small Town Getaway

How Cosmos, MN Got Its Name

Cosmos, MN became an organized township in 1870. One of its first settlers, Daniel Hoyt, is the person responsible for the name, according to the Cosmos city website.

In ancient Greek, the word 'cosmos' means "order, harmony". Cosmos City Councilman Mark Minnick spoke with WCCO about his town of Cosmos and said that Daniel wanted the name to make people interested in the town and bring them in.

Well, a town named Cosmos definitely catches people's attention!

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What Cosmos, MN Is Like Today

Today, Cosmos is a small town of 507 as of the 2020 census. It's directly west of the Twin Cities

Even though the town is small, residents are quite proud of it and really lean into the space theme.

How Cosmos, MN Leans Into Their Space Theme

You can see hints of a space theme all around Cosmos. The streets are all space-related. Some include Mars St., Milkyway St., and Astro Ave.

There even used to be a rocket on top of the water tower. The rocket is still in town and makes an appearance at Cosmos' annual Space Festival parade, which is held in July.

The water tower is painted with stars and planets, of course.

They even have an alien mascot named Neptune Ned. Ned also has a random chicken as a buddy that everyone just calls Local Chicken. Both make appearances at the Space Festival parade with the famous rocket.

Even though the town is small, Cosmos residents are proud of their town and their space theme.

If you're interested, their Space Festival is coming up July 17th - 21st.