Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the state of Minnesota. Its population at the 2010 census was 18,016. The city is at the junction of Interstates 35 and 90, at a distance of about 90 miles south of the Twin Cities. It is on the shores of numerous lakes, namely Fountain Lake, Pickerel Lake, Albert Lea Lake, Goose Lake, School Lake, and Lake Chapeau.
The city was originally agricultural, and then transformed into a manufacturing town as well as a significant railroad center. The largest employer is presently Mayo Clinic Health System with over 1,500 employees.
The population has a majority of White Americans. A significant percentage of the population comprises people of Hispanic origin.
