Lake Elmo is a city in Washington County,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, United States. The population was 11,335 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 12,899. Much of the area within the city limits is still

farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...

, giving the city a rural appearance. Following the loss of a lawsuit against the

Metropolitan Council The Metropolitan Council, commonly abbreviated Met Council or Metro Council, is the regional governmental agency and metropolitan planning organization in Minnesota serving the Twin Cities seven-county metropolitan area, accounting for over 55 pe ...

, a regional planning authority, the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2005 ordered that Lake Elmo had to compile a plan in accordance with the Councils regional development guide. The population of Lake Elmo is developing rapidly. It is projected that by 2040, the population of the city will be over 21,000.

History

The city took its name from nearby

Lake Elmo Lake Elmo is a city in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,335 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 12,899. Much of the area within the city limit ...

. Lake Elmo began with one farm in 1852 on the southwest corner of the intersection of what is now Manning Avenue and 30th Street, just southeast of downtown Lake Elmo and across the highway from the

Lake Elmo Airport Lake Elmo Airport is a public airport located just outside the city of Lake Elmo in Washington County, Minnesota, United States, about 12 miles The city also has a park commission and a planning commission. The park commission is there to advise the City Council on issues regarding the development, improvement and maintenance of the city's parks and trails. The planning commission is there to make recommendations regarding the Comprehensive Plan and amendments to the plan, site plans, subdivisions, conditional use permits, planning, zoning and sign regulations, open space preservation developments, and other planning related items. The members include: Mayor – Mike Charles Cadenhead Council members – Jeff Holtz, Katrina Beckstrom , Dale Dorschner, and Lisa McGinn Planning Commission Members – Charles Cadenhead (Chair), Jeff Holtz, Jordan Graen, Kyle Risner, Brian Steil, Kathy Weeks, Brandon Mueller Park Commission Members – John Ames, Jean Olinger, Barry Weeks, John Mayek, Isak Nightingale, Steve Schumacher

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of ; is land and is water. Minnesota State Highway 36 runs east–west along Lake Elmo's northern boundary line.

Interstate 94 Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...

runs east–west along Lake Elmo's southern boundary line. County State-Aid Highway 14 serves as the main east-west route, while County State-Aid Highway 17 serves as the main north-south route.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 8,069 people, 2,779 households, and 2,252 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 2,877 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.3% Native American, 3.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.5% of the population. There were 2,779 households, of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 19.0% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age in the city was 42.4 years. 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.9% were from 25 to 44; 34.6% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.2% male and 49.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 6,863 people, 2,347 households, and 1,924 families living in the city. The

was 300.4 people per square mile (116.0/km). There were 2,389 housing units at an average density of 104.6 per square mile (40.4/km). The racial makeup of the city was 95.82%

, 0.38%

, 0.29% Native American, 1.75%

, 0.54% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.31% of the population. There were 2,347 households, out of which 41.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% were

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.0% were non-families. 13.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.19. The population had 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males. The median income for a household in the city was $76,876, and the median income for a family was $84,562. Males had a median income of $56,667 versus $32,564 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $33,007. About 4.8% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Most of Lake Elmo is part of the Stillwater School District (#834), and is home to Lake Elmo Elementary School and Oak-Land Jr. High School Rasmussen College–Lake Elmo / Woodbury campus is located in Lake Elmo and serves students in the surrounding areas. Rasmussen College is a career focused, regionally accredited college that offers bachelor and associate degree programs. Rasmussen college concentrates on programs in the following areas: health sciences, nursing, criminal justice, technology and design, business, and early education.

Baytown Township Groundwater Plume

The primary source area for the Baytown Township Groundwater Plume Contamination

Superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...

site is a property located at 11325 Stillwater Boulevard in Lake Elmo. The property was used by a metal-working facility from 1940 to 1968. The site is listed as a superfund site due to TCE

contamination Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that spoils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination W ...

of a

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

aquifer used for local drinking water supplies.