Discreet Biohazard Cleanup Near Downtown Perham Perham, MN

Perham is a city in Otter Tail County in the heart of Minnesota lakes country, pronounced "PURM" by locals.

Perham was platted in 1873 and named for Josiah Perham, the first president of the Northern Pacific Railway; it was incorporated in 1881.

Perham had a population of 3,512 at the 2020 census, continuing growth in every census since 1970, when it had just 1,933 residents.

Perham had 1,544 households at the 2020 census, with an unusually high 41.6 percent of them made up of people living alone.

Perham is the headquarters of KLN Family Brands and Tuffy's Pet Foods, a third-generation family company that has made NutriSource pet food in town since 1964; its sister company, Kenny's Candy & Confections, was added in 1987.

Perham's German roots run deep — 50.3 percent of residents reported German ancestry in the 2000 census, with another 14.8 percent reporting Norwegian ancestry.

Amtrak's Empire Builder passes through Perham on BNSF tracks without stopping; the nearest station is Detroit Lakes, 21 miles northwest.

Perham was the hometown of Gabriele Grunewald, a U.S. national champion middle-distance runner, and of Fritz Hanson, a pioneer star of the Canadian Football League.

The Perham Focus newspaper is based in Perham and covers Otter Tail County and the surrounding area.

U.S. Route 10 and Minnesota state highways 78 and 108 are the three main road routes through Perham.