Big Lake, Minnesota

Big Lake is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 10,060 at the 2010 census.

U.S. Route 10 and Minnesota State Highway 25 are two of the main arterial routes in the city.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11.3 km²), of which, 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.0 km²) of it (18.04%) is water. A portion of the city lies along the Elk River.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,063 people, 2,117 households, and 1,570 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,688.4 people per square mile (652.1/km²). There were 2,206 housing units at an average density of 614.3 per square mile (237.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.70% White, 0.13% African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population. 38.6% were of German, 15.2% Norwegian, 7.5% Irish, 7.5% Swedish and 5.9% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 2,117 households out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples 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 for the city was $18,931. About 3.5% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

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

History
Located about 40 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 a suburb 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.

Big Lake is currently the northernmost terminus of the Northstar Commuter Rail line connecting the northwest suburbs and downtown Minneapolis; there are plans for the line to be extended to St. Cloud by 2015.

Big Lake also was the home of the Great Northern Railroad and Northern Pacific Railroad.

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 mascot for Big Lake Schools is the Hornet.

The local newspaper is the West Sherburne Tribune.