Silver Bay is a city in Lake 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 List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

, United States. The population was 1,857 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the largest population center in a natural tourism area which includes, Tettegouche State Park and the

Split Rock Lighthouse Split Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse located southwest of Silver Bay, Minnesota, USA on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The structure was designed by lighthouse engineer Ralph Russell Tinkham and was completed in 1910 by the United States L ...

. It is a port along Lake Superior for

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...

and has

taconite Taconite () is a variety of iron formation, an iron-bearing (over 15% iron) sedimentary rock, in which the iron minerals are interlayered with quartz, chert, or carbonate. The name "taconyte" was coined by Horace Vaughn Winchell (1865–1923) � ...

mining facilities of its own. The North Shore National Scenic Drive runs through town.

History

The city of Silver Bay was founded on May 1, 1954 after previously being known as the Beaver Bay housing project. The company town was built to process

mined and shipped by train from

Babbitt, Minnesota Babbitt is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,462. Saint Louis County Highway 21 (CR 21) serves as a main route in the community. History The city grew out of the form ...

, sixty miles to the northwest.History of Silver Bay
, Retrieved July 7, 2010 Silver Bay attained widespread publicity in the 1960s when it was discovered that the Reserve Corporation was dumping

tailings into Lake Superior. In 1972 they were forced to stop and charged with violating the

Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 The Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899 is the oldest federal environmental law in the United States. The Act makes it a misdemeanor to discharge refuse matter of any kind into the navigable waters, or tributaries thereof, of the United ...

, which prohibited the dumping of harmful materials into interstate waters. In 1977, after a long trial, a new waste-storage facility was built 7 miles inland.

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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Silver Bay is located 28 miles northeast of Two Harbors, 54 miles northeast of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, and 55 miles southwest of Grand Marais. It is about half way between Duluth and Grand Marais, along the

North Shore North Shore or Northshore may refer to: Geographic features Australia *North Shore (Sydney), a suburban region of Sydney **Electoral district of North Shore **North Shore railway line, Sydney *Noosa North Shore, Queensland * North Shore, New So ...

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh w ...

. Tettegouche State Park, the Baptism River, and the

Palisade Head Palisade Head is a headland on the North Shore of Lake Superior in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is within Tettegouche State Park but not contiguous with the rest of that park. Palisade Head is located at milepost 57 on scenic Minnesota ...

rock formation are all nearby. Summer hiking trails, winter cross country skiing, and maintained snowmobile trails are located within Silver Bay.

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 1,887 people, 836 households, and 542 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

was . There were 974 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.9%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 836 households, of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% 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, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.69. The median age in the city was 50.1 years. 18.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.4% were from 25 to 44; 28.6% were from 45 to 64; and 28.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.8% male and 48.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,068 people, 844 households, and 589 families living in the city. The

was 268.0 people per square mile (103.4/km²). There were 933 housing units at an average density of 120.9 per square mile (46.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.68%

, 0.05%

, 1.11% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.10% from

, and 0.87% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

comprised 22.2% of the population, 18.1%

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

, 11.5% Swedish, 6.5% Finnish, 6.4% American, 6.1%

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, and 5.2%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

ancestry. There were 844 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. Individuals comprised 27.6% of all households, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.85. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,524, and the median income for a family was $41,667. Males had a median income of $40,655 versus $25,809 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 $16,958. About 5.3% of families and 6.8% 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 8.5% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Silver Bay was served by the Silver Bay Municipal Airport until it closed on June 7th, 2018 for an indefinite amount of time. Outer Drive (County Road 5), Penn Boulevard, and Minnesota Highway 61 are three of the main routes in Silver Bay.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Lake County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota Minnesota populated places on Lake Superior