| Devils Lake, North Dakota | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Downtown Devils Lake | |
| Location of Devils Lake, North Dakota | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | North Dakota |
| County | Ramsey |
| Founded | 1882 |
| Incorporated (village) | 1884 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1887 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.3 sq mi (16.3 km2) |
| • Land | 6.3 sq mi (16.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,447 ft (441 m) |
| Population (2010)[1] | |
| • Total | 7,141 |
| • Density | 1,149.4/sq mi (443.8/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 58301 |
| Area code(s) | 701 |
| FIPS code | 38-19420[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1028672[3] |
| Highways | US 2, ND 19, ND 20 |
| Website | City of Devils Lake website |
Devils Lake is a city in Ramsey County, North Dakota, in the United States. It is the county seat of Ramsey County.[4] The population was 7,141 at the 2010 census.[1] It is named after the nearby body of water, Devils Lake. The first house in Devils Lake was built in 1882. It was surveyed in 1883 and named Creelsburg and later Creel City, after the surveyor, Heber M. Creel. In 1884 it was renamed Devils Lake.[5]
The local paper is the Devils Lake Journal. Devils Lake Municipal Airport serves the city. Devils Lake is home to Lake Region State College and the North Dakota School for the Deaf.
Contents |
The present site of Devils Lake was historically territory of the Sioux or Dakota. The Sioux were relocated to the Spirit Lake Reservation. The name "Devils Lake" is a calque of the Sioux phrase mni wak’áŋ (literally: spiritual water),[6] which is also reflected in the names of the Spirit Lake Tribe and the nearby town of Minnewaukan.
The Sioux called the lake mni wak’áŋ chante, which separately translate as mni (water), wak’áŋ (spirit), and chante (bad). Early European-American settlers thought this meant "Bad Spirit Lake", or "Devils Lake." The "bad" referred to the high salinity of the lake, making it unfit to drink, and "spirit" meant the mirages often seen across the water. The Christian concept of the devil was not present in the Sioux religion.[7]
The first post office was founded here November 15, 1882, and originally named Creelsburg.[5] It was founded by Lieutenant Heber M. Creel, a West Point graduate and topgraphical engineer stationed at nearby Fort Totten. After resigning from the U.S. Army, he surveyed and established the townsite.
The surrounding Creel Township is named for him. Its name was later changed to Creel City and expanded by the Great Northern Railway. When the village was incorporated in 1884, the name was changed to City of Devils Lake and then shortened to Devils Lake.[8][7]
A period of increased rain, beginning in the 1990s and unprecedented in the history of the state, caused the nearby lake, which has no natural outlet, to rise. The surface area has quadrupled, and the higher water has resulted in the moving or destruction of over 400 houses.[9]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.3 square miles (16 km2). 6.2 square miles (16 km2) of it is land and 0.16% is water.[10]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 846 |
|
|
| 1900 | 1,729 | 104.4% | |
| 1910 | 5,157 | 198.3% | |
| 1920 | 5,140 | −0.3% | |
| 1930 | 5,451 | 6.1% | |
| 1940 | 6,204 | 13.8% | |
| 1950 | 6,427 | 3.6% | |
| 1960 | 6,299 | −2.0% | |
| 1970 | 7,078 | 12.4% | |
| 1980 | 7,442 | 5.1% | |
| 1990 | 7,782 | 4.6% | |
| 2000 | 7,222 | −7.2% | |
| 2010 | 7,141 | −1.1% | |
|
|
|||
As of the 2000 Census,[2] there were 7,222 people, 3,127 households, and 1,773 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,149.4 inhabitants per square mile (443.8 /km2). There were 3,508 housing units at an average density of 558.3 per square mile (215.6 /km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.23% White, 0.22% African American, 7.84% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.
The top 6 ancestry groups in the city are German (43.9%), Norwegian (33.4%), Irish (7.6%), French (4.7%), Swedish (4.5%), English (2.7%).
There were 3,127 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.3% were non-families. 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,250, and the median income for a family was $39,541. Males had a median income of $27,972 versus $18,000 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,741. About 11.2% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
The city of Devils Lake is served by Devils Lake Public Schools. This system operates Sweetwater Elementary School, Prairie View Elementary School, Minnie H Elementary School, Central Middle School, and Devils Lake High School. A private school, St. Joseph's Catholic School, is also located in Devils Lake.
Amtrak, the U.S. national passenger rail system, serves Devils Lake, operating its Empire Builder daily in both directions between Chicago and Seattle and Portland, Oregon. Delta Air Lines also operates two flights daily to the Devils Lake Municipal Airport via its Delta Connection operator Mesaba.
|
|||||||||||||||||