Forest Lake is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, 27 miles northeast of Saint Paul and 29 miles northeast of Minneapolis. The population was 20,611 at the 2020 census.
Contents
History
Forest Lake began as a stop on the Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad (later reorganized as the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad Company in 1877).[1] The first train reached Forest Lake on December 9, 1868.[2] The lake was 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 an area of 35.54 square miles (92.05 km2); 30.56 square miles (79.15 km2) is land and 4.98 square miles (12.90 km2) is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Forest Lake had a population of 20,611. The median age was 39.1 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.5 males age 18 and over.
86.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 13.6% lived in rural areas.
There were 8,131 households in Forest Lake, of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.6% were married-couple households, 17.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 8,569 housing units, of which 5.1% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.
Income
Average household income for 2024 was $123,651. Per capita income was $45,527.
Politics
Forest Lake is in Minnesota's 8th congressional district.
Mayor: Blake Roberts
Council: Hanna Valento, Leif Erickson, Jeff Larson, Kevin Miller
City Administrator: open
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)
Sports Facilities
Forest Lake Sports Center
Fenway Park
Tanners Brook Golf Club
Forest Hills Golf Club
Forest Lake Sportsman's Club
Media
The first newspaper, The Enterprise, was printed in 1903. It was renamed The Forest Lake Advertiser in 1907 and The Forest Lake Times in 1916. The Lowdown is another local paper.