ZIP Code 55309

Big Lake is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,686 at the 2020 census. It houses the tallest structure in Minnesota, the KPXM-TV Tower. Big Lake is located 41 miles northwest of Minneapolis; and 27 miles southeast of St. Cloud. It was originally called Humboldt until 1867. The city has a total area of 2.92 square miles (7.56 km²); 2.11 sq miles (5.46 km²) is land, and 0.81 sq km² (2.10 sq miles) is water. The average median household income is $87,129, with 49.5% male and 50.4% female. The median house/condo value in 2005 was estimated to be $207,400 (67% increase from 2000). The city was named the safest city to live in, and the second safest city in 2021 with the lowest property crime rate in the state. It is currently the northernmost terminus of the Northstar Commuter Rail line connecting the northwest suburbs and downtown Minneapolis; the line will be extended to downtown Minneapolis at some point in the future. A portion of the city lies along the Elk River, about forty-one miles northwest. of the Twin Cities, Big Lake was once a popular location for escapes from the city, its lakes dotted with summer cabins. Now it is considered an exurb of the metro area, with a significant portion of residents commuting into the Cities daily.

Facts

Big Lake is located 41 miles northwest of Minneapolis; and 27 miles southeast of St. Cloud. It houses the tallest structure in Minnesota, the KPXM-TV Tower. It was originally called Humboldt until 1867. The average median household income is $87,129. It has a population of 11,226, with 49.5% male and 50. 5% female. It is located on U.S. Highway 10 and Minnesota State Highway 25. 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. The city is located in the Upper Midwest region of the state, and is located near the town of Big Lake, which was once known as Humboldsdt. The population is 11,227, with the average household income of $87.129. The town has a total population of 12,816. It also houses the highest building in Minnesota in the tallest building in the city, the TV tower, which is located at 1,856 feet. It's located on the banks of the Red River, which flows into the Mississippi River. The waterway is one of the main routes in the town, and runs through Big Lake and into the city of St Cloud, where it connects to the rest of Minnesota and the state's north and south coasts. The river is also known as the "Big Lake River" and was once called the "Red River River".

Geography

Big Lake is located about forty-one miles northwest of the Twin Cities. The city has a total area of 2.92 square miles (7.56 km²) A portion of the city lies along the Elk River. Big Lake station is currently the northernmost terminus of the Northstar Commuter Rail line connecting the northwest suburbs and downtown Minneapolis. There is a connection to Mitchell Lake by a small channel on the north side of Big Lake. The Northstar Link Commuter Bus will be extended to St. Cloud at some point in the future. The town is named for the lake for which the lake is named. In the days before modern refrigerators, much of the ice for metropolitan iceboxes was harvested from Big Lake, which is located on the northern side of the town. The lake was once a popular location for escapes from the city, its lakes dotted with summer cabins. Now it is considered an exurb of the metro area, with a significant portion of residents commuting into the Cities daily. Current commuters can use the North star Link Commuters Bus to reach St.Cloud, MN, at a cost of about $3.50 per person per trip. The line is expected to be extended into St.cloud at some time in the near future, and will connect to downtown Minneapolis at a later date. It is currently unclear if the line will also connect to the city of Minneapolis or just St. Louis, MO. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Big Lake has a population of 2,938.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,060 people, 3,377 households, and 2,500 families living in the city. There were 3,640 housing units at an average density of 1,725.1 per square mile (666.1/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 92.4% White, 1.7% African American, 0.4%. Native American,1.2% Asian, and 1.6% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7%. The median house/condo value in 2005 was estimated to be $207,400 (67% increase from 2000). The median income for a household in theCity was $50,658. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.38. The median age in the City was 29.5 years, with 32.5% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 37.3% from 25 to 44, and 5.6%. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 101.2 males. The city has a population of 10,298, with a population density of 4,767.8 inhabitants per squaremile (1,840.9/km 2) The city's median income is $54,038, with the average household income of $35,601. About 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2%.

History

Big Lake was originally established to harvest ice in both of its towns' lakes. Due to the rich amount of ice Big Lake provided, it needed to be transported quickly. 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. The town was originally called Humboldt until 1867, then Big Lake until 1871. It is now known as Big Lake and has a population of about 2,000. It was the site of the first railway station in the U.S., built in 1871, and was used by the GN until 1918, when it was replaced by a new station. The station was built on the banks of Big Lake's largest lake, which is now called Mitchell Lake. The lake is now home to the town's largest park, Big Lake Park, which was established in 1867. The park is located on the north side of the lake and was once called Big Lake, but was renamed Mitchell Lake in 1872. It now has a parking lot, and is home to a number of businesses, including a ski resort, a golf course, and an ice cream parlour. It has been home to Big Lake since 1871 and was originally known as Humboldsdorf, a German town, until it was renamed Big Lake.

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. Big Lake is also home to the area famous ice auger company, Strike Master. The local youth baseball league is the Big Lake Baseball Association. The town is also host to the largest youth football tournament in the Upper Midwest. The local newspaper is the Patriot Newspaper. Big Lake has a population of about 2,000. It is located in the northern part of the U.S. and is located on the shores of Big Lake Lake, which is a body of water in the middle of the Big Lakes region of the Upper Upper Midwest, about 30 miles north of Minneapolis. It also has a number of lakes, including Big Lake Reservoir, which runs through the center of the town and is known as the "lake of the lakes" It is also the home of the American Legion, which has a presence in the town for more than 100 years. It has a large number of sports teams, including the local baseball and football teams. The community also has its own version of the National Football League, the American League of American Football, which was formed in the late 1800s. It was the first league to be established in the United States and is based in the state of Minnesota. The league is still in existence today, with teams from across the state playing in the league.

Education

The city hosts ISD #727, which includes Big Lake High School. The city is home to Big Lake Elementary School and Big Lake Middle School. Big Lake is also the home of Big Lake Junior and Senior High. The town is also home to the Big Lake Golf and Country Club, which has a membership of 1,000. It also hosts Big Lake Lake Elementary and Middle School, as well as Big Lake Senior High and High School, which have a combined enrollment of 2,000 students. It is the site of the city's first high school, which opened in 1883. It was named after Big Lake, a lake in the town's eastern part, and was later named after the town, Big Lake. It has also been home to a number of other high schools, including Big Lake Intermediate and Little Lake Junior High, which was founded in 1881. It's also the location of the first public library, which went into operation in 1884. It opened in the same year as the first elementary school, and later became a middle and high school in 1894. It now has a high school and a junior high, which were both built in the 1950s and 1960s, and a middle school, too. The community also has an elementary school and an after-school program, which began in the 1970s and 1980s, which is called Big Lake-Big Lake Elementary. The high school is located in the city, and the high school has a junior and senior high.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Big Lake, Sherburne County, Minnesota = 82. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Big Lake = 3.3 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 11,686 individuals with a median age of 33.5 age the population grows by 37.32% in Big Lake, Sherburne County, Minnesota population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 219.39 residents per square mile of area (84.71/km²). There are average 3.19 people per household in the 2,904 households with an average household income of $74,069 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.90% of the available work force and has dropped -2.96% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 26.18%. The number of physicians in Big Lake per 100,000 population = 45.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Big Lake = 29.3 inches and the annual snowfall = 41.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 95. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 196. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 49, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Big Lake, Sherburne County, Minnesota which are owned by the occupant = 93.79%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 16 years with median home cost = $219,780 and home appreciation of -6.53%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $8.50 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,618 per student. There are 19.3 students for each teacher in the school, 447 students for each Librarian and 1017 students for each Counselor. 8.06% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 12.98% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.42% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).