White Bear Lake
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Great for
- Safe & Sound
- Childcare
- Schools
- Neighborly Spirit
- Parking
Not great for
- Public Transport
- Nightlife
- Clean & Green
- Cost of Living
- Eating Out
Who lives here?
- Families with kids
Got a burning question? Why not ask the locals! Simply ask your question below
Reviews
White Bear Lake
rating details
2yrs+
- Neighborly Spirit
- Safe & Sound
- Clean & Green
- Pest Free
- Peace & Quiet
- Eating Out
- Nightlife
- Parks & Recreation
- Shopping Options
- Gym & Fitness
- Internet Access
- Lack of Traffic
- Parking
- Cost of Living
- Resale or Rental Value
- Public Transport
- Medical Facilities
- Schools
- Childcare
"The idyllic small town near the big city."
White Bear is the kind of place where you can't go anywhere without seeing someone you know. Everyone is friendly and polite, and it's a very community oriented town. Most of the shops in downtown are dog friendly, and there's even a dog beach exclusively for your four-legged companions. Make sure to stop by on a Thursday in the summertime for Marketfest, or Friday mornings for the farmer's market!
Pros
- Friendly
- Walkable
Cons
- Lack of public transportation
White Bear Lake
"White Bear Lake Real Estate"
WHITE BEAR LAKE
The name White Bear Lake, which means abode of the Great Spirit, refers to both the city as well as one of the biggest lakes in Minnesota (2,416 acres). The lake got its name courtesy of a native legend that associates the lake with the appearance of a white bear.
This city, which is now considered one of the most attractive suburbs in the Twin Cities due to its proximity to St. Paul (only about 20 minutes), provides residents as well as visitors a refreshing mix of rural life (by providing easy access to fishing, swimming and boating activities) and city life (through a bustling business district).
Majority of White Bear Lake’s lands have been appropriated for public parks and open spaces (almost 59%) while the rest have been divided into single and multi-family use, commercial use (4.3%) and industrial (3.1%). The land used for public/semi-public and recreational purpose is around 18% of the total land area.
Population Profile
White Bear Lake is among the biggest cities in the Twin Towers, population-wise, with 24,325 people living in 9,813 housing units of the 2000 Census. It is interesting to note that 30.9% of the 9,618 households consist of non-families.
Majority of its residents are Whites (95.31%) followed by Hispanics and Latinos (1.75%) and Asians (1.54%).
The city’s population is quite young with a median age of 37 years with 24.8% of the population under the age of 18 and only 14.6% of the total population at the age of 65 years old and above.
With an average household income of $52,934 and a per capital income of $24,338, the residents are doing fairly well economically with only 3.3% of the families living below the poverty line.
Majority or 36.9% of its residents are into management and professional occupations while 29.6% are holding occupations as sales and office personnel. Only a meager 0.1% is into faming, fishing and forestry while 8.7% are into construction and maintenance.
History
White Bear Lake got the attention of literature lovers who suspected that F. Scott Fitzgerald inspiration in writing “Winter Dreams”, where he talked about living in Black Bear Lake, Minnesota, was in fact White Bear Lake. However, the suburb is more popular as a haven of gangsters from Chicago including Al Capone. But more than that, the novel “A Death Wish in White Bear Late” by Barry Siegel which narrated the gruesome murder by Lois Jurgens of her adopted three-year old kid named Dennis Jurgens in White Bear Lake, made the headlines for the suburb.
The city was ready for Commerce as early as 1871 with the buying of the first lot by Daniel Getty. Soon came the opening of a blacksmith shop a meat market and a boat building business. With a population of 435 and its incorporation as a village, White Bear Lake started to enact laws not only to regulate the residents but also to preserve the lake and its environs.
Thanks to its pristine lakes and clean environment, White Bear Lake became the favorite vacation destination in the area until such time when its real estate shifted to providing summer homes and lakeshore properties to both residents and wealthy visitors.
By 1950, White Bear Lake’s population grew to 3,646 which further ballooned to 12,849 in just ten years. It was recognized by the National Municipal League as well as Look Magazine in 1965 and was designated as an All-American City due to the progress of its citizens in solving the problems of their community.
The name White Bear Lake, which means abode of the Great Spirit, refers to both the city as well as one of the biggest lakes in Minnesota (2,416 acres). The lake got its name courtesy of a native legend that associates the lake with the appearance of a white bear.
This city, which is now considered one of the most attractive suburbs in the Twin Cities due to its proximity to St. Paul (only about 20 minutes), provides residents as well as visitors a refreshing mix of rural life (by providing easy access to fishing, swimming and boating activities) and city life (through a bustling business district).
Majority of White Bear Lake’s lands have been appropriated for public parks and open spaces (almost 59%) while the rest have been divided into single and multi-family use, commercial use (4.3%) and industrial (3.1%). The land used for public/semi-public and recreational purpose is around 18% of the total land area.
Population Profile
White Bear Lake is among the biggest cities in the Twin Towers, population-wise, with 24,325 people living in 9,813 housing units of the 2000 Census. It is interesting to note that 30.9% of the 9,618 households consist of non-families.
Majority of its residents are Whites (95.31%) followed by Hispanics and Latinos (1.75%) and Asians (1.54%).
The city’s population is quite young with a median age of 37 years with 24.8% of the population under the age of 18 and only 14.6% of the total population at the age of 65 years old and above.
With an average household income of $52,934 and a per capital income of $24,338, the residents are doing fairly well economically with only 3.3% of the families living below the poverty line.
Majority or 36.9% of its residents are into management and professional occupations while 29.6% are holding occupations as sales and office personnel. Only a meager 0.1% is into faming, fishing and forestry while 8.7% are into construction and maintenance.
History
White Bear Lake got the attention of literature lovers who suspected that F. Scott Fitzgerald inspiration in writing “Winter Dreams”, where he talked about living in Black Bear Lake, Minnesota, was in fact White Bear Lake. However, the suburb is more popular as a haven of gangsters from Chicago including Al Capone. But more than that, the novel “A Death Wish in White Bear Late” by Barry Siegel which narrated the gruesome murder by Lois Jurgens of her adopted three-year old kid named Dennis Jurgens in White Bear Lake, made the headlines for the suburb.
The city was ready for Commerce as early as 1871 with the buying of the first lot by Daniel Getty. Soon came the opening of a blacksmith shop a meat market and a boat building business. With a population of 435 and its incorporation as a village, White Bear Lake started to enact laws not only to regulate the residents but also to preserve the lake and its environs.
Thanks to its pristine lakes and clean environment, White Bear Lake became the favorite vacation destination in the area until such time when its real estate shifted to providing summer homes and lakeshore properties to both residents and wealthy visitors.
By 1950, White Bear Lake’s population grew to 3,646 which further ballooned to 12,849 in just ten years. It was recognized by the National Municipal League as well as Look Magazine in 1965 and was designated as an All-American City due to the progress of its citizens in solving the problems of their community.
