Forest Lake, Minnesota

Forest Lake, Minnesota
City
Location of Forest Lake, Minnesota
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Washington
Area
• Total	4.2 sq mi (11.0 km2)
• Land	4.2 sq mi (10.9 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	912 ft (278 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	6,798
• Density	1,620.8/sq mi (625.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	55025
Area code	651
FIPS code	27-21770Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	0643806Template:GR
Website	www.ci.forest-lake.mn.us

Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, USA. As of 2006, the population is listed at 14,440 citizens.

Interstate Highway 35, U.S. Highway 8, and U.S. Highway 61 are three of the main arterial routes in the city.

History

Forest Lake began as a stop for the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad. The first train reached Forest Lake on December 23, 1868. The lake was so named for the abundant timber that lines its shores. Forest Lake Township was organized on March 11, 1874; The first one-room school was built that same year, which stood at the present day location of city hall. The city of Forest Lake was incorporated on July 11, 1893 with 175 residents.

The first newspaper, The Enterprise, was printed in 1903. It was changed in 1907 to The Forest Lake Advertiser and later to The Forest Lake Times, in 1916 as it remains to this day. In July of 1910, the first Boy Scout club in Minnesota was formed: The Forest Lake Wolf Patrol.

Landmarks

• The Tin Man (was removed in 2006)
• Forest Lake
• Park on the Lake

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11.0 km²), of which, 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.18%) is water.

Demographics

As of 2006, the population resides at 14,440 citizens. As of the census² of 2000, there were 6,798 people, 2,805 households, and 1,744 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,620.8 people per square mile (626.4/km²). There were 2,897 housing units at an average density of 690.7/sq mi (267.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.18% White, 0.40% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 2,805 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,419, and the median income for a family was $52,898. Males had a median income of $38,333 versus $26,028 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,058. About 4.1% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

• Residence of Arne Carlson, former Governor of Minnesota.
• Gangsters Ma Barker, John Dillinger, & Baby Face Nelson occupied Forest Lake for a short time.
• Pro wrestler Nora Greenwald (aka Molly Holly) was born in Forest Lake and grew up in Linwood Township.

External links

• City of Forest Lake, MN -- Official site
• Forest Lake Area Schools site
• Forest Lake Community Page
• Forest Lake Police Department
• Forest Lake Times newspaper site

See also

• Interstate Highway 35
• U.S. Highway 8
• U.S. Highway 61
• State Highway 97

45°16′44″N 92°59′07″W