Minnesota 371 was originally designated as US 371

U.S. Route 371

U.S. Route 371 is a north–south United States highway in the U.S. states of Arkansas and Louisiana. The highway's northern terminus is in De Queen, Arkansas at an intersection with U.S. Highway 70. It is co-signed for its last between Lockesburg, Arkansas and DeQueen with U.S. Highway 59...

 from 1931 to 1973. During 1973, US 371 was re-designated Minnesota 371. The former US 371 designation was concurrent

Concurrency (road)

A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with US 2 from 1931 to 1973 between Cass Lake

Cass Lake, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 860 people, 331 households, and 192 families residing in the city. The population density was 753.2 people per square mile . There were 384 housing units at an average density of 336.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 30.12% White, 64.42%...

 and Bemidji

Bemidji, Minnesota

Bemidji is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was at 13,431 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beltrami County. Bemidji is the most major city in North Central Minnesota and the largest commercial center between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Duluth,...

 with a terminus at US 71

U.S. Route 71

U.S. Route 71 is a north–south United States highway. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstate highways. Currently, the highway's northern terminus is in International Falls, Minnesota at the Canadian border, at the southern end of the Fort...

.

Subsequently, US 371 was assigned to a concatenation of state highways in Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

 and Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

 to form a new US 371 in 1994. The current US 371 has no relationship to the old US 371 (now Minnesota 371) other than being associated with US 71 as the parent number.

Improvements

For the most part Highway 371 has been a high-volume, two-lane highway. Because of increases in traffic, especially during times of peak recreational demand, Highway 371 has been the focus of many highway upgrades in the area:

• In 2005, the remaining segment of the project that converted Highway 371 to a four-lane expressway from Little Falls
  Little Falls, Minnesota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 7,719 people , 3,197 households, and 1,899 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,232.5 people per square mile . There were 3,358 housing units at an average density of 536.2 per square mile...
  
   to Baxter
  Baxter, Minnesota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 5,555 people, 1,921 households, and 1,586 families residing in the city. The population density was 320.7 people per square mile . There were 1,979 housing units at an average density of 114.3 per square mile...
  
   was completed. This project included a bypass of Brainerd
  Brainerd, Minnesota
  Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,590 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County and one of the largest cities in Central Minnesota...
  
  , which opened in the year 2000. The old route through Brainerd is now bannered as Highway 371 Business.
• Plans are also in the works to upgrade the 16 miles (25.7 km) segment of Highway 371 from Nisswa
  Nisswa, Minnesota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 1,953 people, 819 households, and 577 families residing in the city. The population density was 179.5 people per square mile . There were 1,532 housing units at an average density of 140.8 per square mile...
  
   to Pine River
  Pine River, Minnesota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 928 people, 438 households, and 216 families residing in the city. The population density was 834.6 people per square mile . There were 464 housing units at an average density of 417.3 per square mile...
  
   to a four-lane expressway, with construction tentatively scheduled to begin around 2015.

Highway 371 Business

Before the opening of the Brainerd bypass in the year 2000, Old Highway 371 went through downtown Brainerd and then proceeded west on a two-mile (3 km) concurrency with Highway 210

Minnesota State Highway 210

Minnesota State Highway 210 is a highway in west-central, central, and northeast Minnesota, which runs from North Dakota Highway 210 at the North Dakota state line , and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 23 in Duluth near the Saint Louis River.The route...

 before resuming north at its current intersection in Baxter. Due to the addition of new highway mileage from the new bypass, the old route of Highway 371 was a candidate for turnback to local jurisdiction. Because of local preference to keep the old routing of Highway 371 as part of the state trunk highway system, it was agreed that portions of other highways in the surrounding area would be turnbacked instead: MN 18

Minnesota State Highway 18

Minnesota State Highway 18 is a highway in east-central Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with State Highway 25 in Brainerd and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 23 in Finlayson Township near Askov and Sandstone...

 from MN 210 to MN 25

Minnesota State Highway 25

Minnesota State Highway 25 is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 169 in Belle Plaine and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 210 in Brainerd.The route is in length....

, and the two-block long MN 322

Minnesota State Highway 322

Minnesota State Highway 322 was a state highway in the city of Brainerd. It ran for two blocks along Oak Street providing a short connection between Minnesota State Highway 371 and Minnesota State Highway 18...

 would be given to the city of Brainerd maintenance, and MN 25

Minnesota State Highway 25

Minnesota State Highway 25 is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its interchange with U.S. Highway 169 in Belle Plaine and continues north to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 210 in Brainerd.The route is in length....

 north of MN 210 to its terminus at Merrifield would be given to Crow Wing County maintenance as an extension of CR 3. The route of Old Highway 371 that had gone through downtown Brainerd and then proceeded west to Baxter was then redesignated Highway 371 Business in the year 2000. The business route is five miles (8.0 km) in length.

Major intersections