Forest Lake, Minnesota

Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, located 27 miles northeast of Saint Paul. The population was 20,611 at the 2020 census.

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
Median household income for 2017 was $76,904. Average household income was $93,296. Per capita income was $35,334.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, 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 94.7% White, 1.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.5% 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 2.3% 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 37.4 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 6th congressional district.
 * Mayor: Mara Bain
 * Council: Sam Husnik, Hanna Valento, Leif Erickson, Blake Roberts
 * City Administrator: Open position
 * State Senator: Karin Housley
 * State Representative: Josiah Hill

Public schools
The Forest Lake Area school system includes eight 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 Lake (4–6)
 * Forest View (K–3)
 * Lakes International Language Academy (K–5)
 * Lino Lakes (K–6 STEM)
 * Linwood (K–6)
 * North Lakes Academy (K–5)
 * 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 7–8)
 * North Lakes Academy (grades 6–12)
 * 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 Forest Lake Lowdown is another local paper.

Arts and entertainment, journalists, writers

 * Dan Andersson, Swedish author, poet and composer, lived in Forest Lake in 1902.
 * 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, 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, is a 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.
 * Pete Hegseth, Fox News Channel contributor, 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.
 * Bugs Moran, Chicago Prohibition-era gangster, lived in Forest Lake in the 1930s.

Sports

 * Rick Bayless, 1986 All-Big 10 and Minnesota Vikings running back
 * Brandon Girtz, mixed martial artist, born and raised in Forest Lake
 * Bud Grant, Hall of Fame football coach, 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, basketball player, lived in Forest Lake
 * Wilfred T. Houle, National Football League player
 * Dave Menne, former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion
 * Dick Nesbitt, National Football League running back
 * Leif Nordgren, two-time Winter Olympic Games biathlon competitor
 * Bud Nygren, professional football player and college coach
 * Arron Oberholser, professional golfer, was a former resident
 * Brian Raabe, former major league baseball player
 * Jack Trudeau, former quarterback, was born in Forest Lake in 1962
 * Matt Wallner, Minnesota Twins outfielder