Austin Homes for Sale
Live listings, local resources and things to do in Austin, MN.
About Austin
Austin, MN is the county seat of Mower County and is located at the intersection of Interstate Highway 90 and U.S. Highway 218 in the southeastern part of Minnesota and was named for Austin R. Nichols, the first settler in the area. Most famously, Austin is home to Hormel's corporate headquarters, a factory that makes most of North America's SPAM tinned meat, and the Spam Museum. Austin is also home to the Hormel Institute, a leading cancer research institution operated by the University of Minnesota with significant support from the Mayo Clinic. Austin was originally settled along the Cedar River and it has two man-made lakes called East Side Lake and Mill pond. The town was named for Austin R. Nichols, the first settler in the area. Austin has been named one of the "Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live," as well as one of the "Best Small Cities in America" for 2015. With a population right around 40,000, Austin is the perfect mix of small town and small city.
For more info/resources:
- Austin MN Chamber of Commerce
- Austin MN New Resident Info
- Austin MN Economic Development
- Austin Public Schools
- Austin MN Facebook Page
- History of Austin MN
- Top 10 Affordable Small Towns Where You'd Actually Want to Live
Things to do:
Commute to Mayo Clinic from Austin
From Austin it’s about 52 min (41.7 miles) by car to Mayo Clinic’s downtown campus.
| From | Downtown campus (Gonda) | Saint Marys campus |
|---|---|---|
| Austin (town center) | 52 min41.7 mi | 51 min42.3 mi |
Approximate driving times from the OSRM route planner (OpenStreetMap data), calculated 2026-10-02 for normal, light traffic, not rush hour. Downtown construction and winter weather can add time. Times are to the campus area, not to a specific ramp or door.
Bus and transit options
- Mayo Clinic commuter bus: the Mayo Clinic staff commuting flyer lists Austin as a hub for weekday morning and evening commuter buses for Mayo staff (staff pay $2 per ride). Ask Mayo Parking & Transportation for current schedules.
- Rochester City Lines, a private bus company, runs weekday peak-hour commuter buses into Rochester from communities around the region, and riders don’t need to work at Mayo. Check rclbus.com for a current route from Austin.
Austin listings
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