More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #195 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Forest Lake was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1955 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: the first Forest Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1874.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Forest Lake’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Forest Lake is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #195 of 273 in Minnesota. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Forest Lake’s overall grade.
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Forest Lake’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1874 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Forest Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Forest Lake began as a stop on the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad. The first train reached Forest Lake on December 23, 1868. The lake was so named for the abundant timber that lines its shores. Forest Lake Township was organized on March 11, 1874. The first one-room school was built that year at the former location of city hall (220 N. Lake Street). The city of Forest Lake was incorporated on July 11, 1893 with 175 residents. In 2001, the city annexed the surrounding former Forest Lake Township.
Passages that mention Forest Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley1881 · page 470Read the page →
Read the text
in Forest Lake township in 1864, purchasing the land on which formerly lived Mr. Wilson, the first settler of Forest Lake. Mr. Veith died July 31st, 1867, leaving his widow with five children, Franklin, Fred, Caroline V., William and Adella.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota1881 · page 470Read the page →
Read the text
in Forest Lake township in 1884, purchasing the land on which formerly lived Mr. Wilson, the first settler of Forest Lake. Mr. Veith died July 81st, 1887, leaving his widow with five chil¬ dren, Franklin, Fred, Caroline V., William and Adella.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Washington County and the St. Croix Valley Including the Explorers and Pioneers of Minnesota1881 · page 466Read the page →
Read the text
A special meeting to elect officers and complete the township organization, was held April 23d, 1874, at the depot in Forest Lake. Two hundred dollars for town purposes was voted. M. Marsh was chosen moderator, and Louis Schiel, clerk.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Forest Lake, 1869 to 1997
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Forest Lake post office opened in 1869, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1874.
How does Forest Lake rank for history?
Forest Lake is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #195 of 273 in Minnesota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Forest Lake?
7% of Forest Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.1 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1988.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (18), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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