Big Lake is a city in

Sherburne County, Minnesota Sherburne County is a County (United States), county in Central Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 97,183. The county seat is Elk River, Minnesota, Elk River. As of late 2024 the county obtained a city ...

, United States. The population was 11,686 at the 2020 census.

Facts

In 2019 it was named the safest city to live in, and the second safest city in 2021 with the lowest property crime rate in the state. U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota State Highway 25 are two of the main routes in Big Lake. Big Lake is located 41 miles northwest of

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

; and 27 miles southeast of St. Cloud. It was originally called Humboldt until 1867. Has a population of 11,226, with 49.5% male and 50.5% female. It houses the tallest structure in Minnesota, the KPXM Tower.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of ; is land and is water. A portion of the city lies along the Elk River. Located about forty-one miles northwest of the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

, Big Lake was once a popular location for escapes from the city, its lakes dotted with summer cabins. Now it is considered an

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and rela ...

of the metro area, with a significant portion of residents commuting into the Cities daily. The lake for which the town is named was once an important part of the Twin Cities economy, as in the days before modern refrigerators, much of the ice for metropolitan iceboxes was harvested from Big Lake. There is a connection to Mitchell Lake by a small channel on the north side of Big Lake. Big Lake station is currently the northernmost terminus of the Northstar Commuter Rail line connecting the northwest suburbs and downtown

; the line will be extended to St. Cloud at some point in the future. Currently, commuters can use the Northstar Link Commuter Bus to reach St. Cloud, Minnesota.

Demographics

The median house/condo value in 2005 was estimated to be $207,400 (67% increase from 2000).

2020 census

As of the census of 2020 there were 11,686 people, and 3,846 households. The racial makeup of the city was 89.0% White, 3.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.2% Asian, and 3.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latinos of any race made up 5.6% of the population.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 10,060 people, 3,377 households, and 2,500 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 3,640 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population. There were 3,377 households, of which 50.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.0% were non-families. 18.6% 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 2.97 and the average family size was 3.38. The median age in the city was 29.5 years. 34.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 35.7% were from 25 to 44; 17.1% were from 45 to 64; and 5.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female. 2013 Estimated Population is 10,298

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,063 people, 2,117 households, and 1,570 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,206 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.70%

, 0.13%

, 0.49% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.89% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population. 38.6% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 15.2% Norwegian, 7.5% Irish, 7.5% Swedish and 5.9% Polish ancestry. There were 2,117 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were

living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.23. In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, 14.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,658, and the median income for a family was $54,038. Males had a median income of $35,279 versus $26,601 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $18,931. About 3.5% of families and 4.7% 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 ...

, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

History

Big Lake was originally called Humboldt until 1867. Big Lake was originally established to harvest ice in both of its towns' lakes (Big and Mitchell Lakes). Due to the rich amount of ice Big Lake provided, it needed to be transported quickly, enabling Big Lake to be suitable for a railway station which was built in 1871. Big Lake was served by both the Great Northern Railway and Northern Pacific Railroad, later Burlington Northern Railroad, now BNSF Railway. The city was host to a station of both GN and NP railways until the NP station burned in 1918, in later years both railroads shared a depot. The depot no longer stands.

Culture

Big Lake is known locally for its annual summer festival "Spud Fest," which celebrates all things potato-related. The festival is also known for its large softball tournament, attracting teams from all over the state. Lakeside Park 2018

Big Lake is also home to the area famous ice auger company, Strike Master. The local newspaper is the Patriot Newspaper The local youth baseball league is the Big Lake Baseball Association. Big Lake is also host to the largest youth football tournament in the Upper Midwest.

Transportation

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

’s ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great North ...

'', which operates between

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, passes through the town on

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

tracks, but makes no stop. The nearest station is located in St. Cloud, to the northwest.

Education

The city hosts ISD #727, which includes Big Lake High School.

References

External links

City of Big Lake, MN – Official Website

Big Lake Public Schools website
{{authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Sherburne County, Minnesota