Forest Lake, Minnesota

History

Forest Lake began as a stop on 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 year at the former location of city hall (220 N. Lake Street). The city of Forest Lake was incorporated on July 11, 1893 with 175 residents. In 2001, the city annexed the surrounding former Forest Lake Township.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.54 sqmi; 30.56 sqmi is land and 4.98 sqmi is water.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2020 Census

Average household income for 2024 was $123,651. Per capita income was $45,527.

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 18,375 people, 7,014 households, and 5,044 families residing in the city. The population density was 601.3 PD/sqmi. There were 7,508 housing units at an average density of 245.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 86.9% White, 1.7% African American, 0.7% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.

There were 7,014 households, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.1% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median age in the city was 38.8 years. 26.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.7% were from 45 to 64; and 11.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

Politics

Forest Lake is located in Minnesota's 8th congressional district.

• Mayor: Blake Roberts
• Council: Hanna Valento, Leif Erickson, Jeff Larson, Kevin Miller
• City Administrator: Mark Statz
• State Senator: Karin Housley
• State Representative: Patricia Anderson and Josiah Hill

Public schools

The Forest Lake Area school system includes seven elementary sites, one middle school site, and one high school site. There are also two independent districts, North Lakes Academy and Lakes International Language Academy.

Elementary schools (grades K–6)

• Columbus (K–6)
• Forest View (K–5)
• Lakes International Language Academy (K–5)
• Lino Lakes (K–6 STEM)
• Linwood (K–6)
• North Lakes Academy (K–6)
• St. Peter Catholic School (preschool–8)
• Scandia (K–6)
• Wyoming (preschool–6)

Secondary schools (grades 6–12)

• Forest Lake Area High School (grades 9–12)
• Forest Lake Area Middle School (grades 6–8)
• North Lakes Academy (grades 7–12)
• Lakes International Language Academy (grades 6–12)
• St. Peter Catholic School (grades 7–8)

Media

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. The Lowdown is another local paper.

Notable people

Arts and entertainment, journalists, writers

• Dan Andersson, Swedish author, poet and composer, lived in Forest Lake from 1901 to 1903.
• John Caddy, poet and naturalist is a resident of Forest Lake.
• Douglas Harper, sociologist, author, photographer, is a resident of Forest Lake.
• Rich Matteson, jazz artist, educator, was born in Forest Lake.
• H. Keith Melton, author/collector, is a resident of Forest Lake.
• Carol Muske-Dukes, poet and novelist, grew up in Forest Lake.
• Terry Redlin, popular American artist, lived in Forest Lake in the 1960s
• Anni Rossi, singer, violist and keyboardist and recording artist
• Christopher Sieber, two-time Tony Award nominated actor
• Jordis Unga, rock singer, songwriter and performer.

Politics and public service

• Elmer L. Andersen, 30th governor of Minnesota, was a resident of Forest Lake
• James B. Bullard, chief executive officer and president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
• Arne Carlson, former Governor of Minnesota, is a former resident of Forest Lake
• Robert Carothers, former president of the University of Rhode Island, lived in Forest Lake
• Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of Defense, raised in Forest Lake
• Melvin Starkey Henderson, famed orthopedic surgeon, raised in Forest Lake
• William Rush Merriam, served as Governor of Minnesota from 1889 to 1893
• Walter Mondale, former vice president of the United States, was a former resident of Forest Lake
• Doug Swenson, Minnesota state representative, lawyer, and judge

Newsmakers

• T. Eugene Thompson, attorney, summer resident who hired a hit man to kill his wife in St. Paul in 1963.
• Bugs Moran, Chicago Prohibition-era gangster, lived in Forest Lake in the early 1930s.

Sports

• Rick Bayless, 1986 All-Big 10 and Minnesota Vikings running back
• Dick Furey, professional basketball player, lived in Forest Lake and coached at Forest Lake Area High School
• Brandon Girtz, mixed martial artist, born and raised in Forest Lake
• Bud Grant, Hall of Fame coach National Football League and Canadian Football League lived in Forest Lake in the 1950s
• Nora Greenwald (aka Molly Holly), former WWE world champion pro wrestler
• Adam Haayer, National Football League player, graduate of Forest Lake Area High School
• Hal Haskins, professional basketball player, lived in Forest Lake and coached at Forest Lake Area High School
• Wilfred T. Houle, former National Football League player with the Minneapolis Marines
• Dave Menne, former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion
• Dick Nesbitt, National Football League former Chicago Bears running back, was a former resident
• Leif Nordgren, two-time Winter Olympic Games biathlon competitor
• Bud Nygren, professional football player and college coach
• Arron Oberholser, professional PGA Tour golfer, was a former resident
• Brian Raabe, former Minnesota Twins player, lived in Forest Lake and coached at Forest Lake Area High School
• Jack Trudeau, former National Football League quarterback, was born in Forest Lake in 1962
• Matt Wallner, Minnesota Twins outfielder

References

References

1. "MN Election Results".
2. "City Council {{!}} Forest Lake, MN".
3. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
4. {{GNIS. 2394789
5. "Forest Lake (MN) sales tax rate".
6. "Explore Census Data". [[United States Census Bureau]].
7. Upham, Warren. (1920). "Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance". Minnesota Historical Society.
8. "Forest Lake - Washington County Historical Society".
9. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. (January 11, 2024). "City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022". United States Census Bureau.
11. United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing".
12. "City Council - Forest Lake, MN".
13. "Forest Lake Area Schools / Homepage".
14. hometownsource.com. "Forest Lake Times".
15. Publications, Press. "Forest Lake".