- Devils Lake, North Dakota
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For other things named Devils Lake, see Devils Lake (disambiguation).
Devils Lake, North Dakota — City — Downtown Devils Lake
Location of Devils Lake, North Dakota
Coordinates: 48°7′N 98°52′W / 48.117°N 98.867°WCoordinates: 48°7′N 98°52′W / 48.117°N 98.867°W 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
History
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]
Geography
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]
Demographics
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% U.S. Decennial Census 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.
Education
K-12
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.
Higher education
Sports
- Devils Lake Storm of North Dakota American League Baseball
- Devils Lake Firebirds
Media
Print
Television
- 8 WDAZ (8.1 ABC, 8.2 The CW, 8.3 Weather) - digital only - licensed to Devils Lake, but based in Grand Forks
- 25 KMDE (25.1 & 25.2 PBS/Prairie Public Television, 25.3 Minnesota Channel) - digital only
Radio
- FM
- 89.9 KDVI American Family Radio (Christian)
- 90.7 KABU (Tribal radio - Spirit Lake Indian Reservation)
- 91.5 K218AV Prairie Public/NPR broadcast translator of KUND-FM of Grand Forks, ND (Public/Classical/Jazz)
- 95.3 CP new station, owned by De La Hunt Broadcasting
- 96.7 KQZZ "The Mix" (Hot Adult Contemporary)
- 97.5 K248AZ "Life 97.9" broadcast translator of KFNW-FM of Fargo, ND (contemporary Christian music)
- 102.5 KDVL "Cruiser 102" (Oldies)
- 103.5 KZZY "Double Z Country" (Country)
- 104.5 K283AM broadcast translator of KHRT-FM of Minot, ND (contemporary Christian music)
- AM
- 1240 KDLR (Classic country)
Transportation
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.
Sites of interest
- Devils Lake Town and Country Club
- Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board http://www.dlbasin.com
Notable people
- Sandra Bellezza, Brown University alumni and Physician: Interventional Vascular Neurologist. grew up in Devils Lake, and family still maintains a home in Devils Lake. Pioneered research in Dissociative Identity Disorder while working with a research grant in Paris, France.
- Rick Helling, former pitcher with several Major League Baseball teams.
- Phyllis Frelich, Tony Award winning deaf actress: Children of A Lesser God
See also
References
- ^ a b "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST13&prodType=table. Retrieved 2 May 2011.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ a b Ramsey County History
- ^ Buechel, Eugene. (1970) Lakota-English Dictionary. Pine Ridge, SD: Red Cloud Indian School.
- ^ a b Williams, Mary Ann (Barnes) (1966). Origins of North Dakota place names. Bismarck, North Dakota: Bismarck Tribune, 1966. pp. 20; 236. OCLC 431626.
- ^ Wick, Douglas A. (1988). North Dakota Place Names. Bismarck, N.D.: Hedemarken Collectibles. pp. 48. ISBN 0-9620968-0-6. OCLC 191277027.
- ^ Dave Kolpack, "North Dakota lake swallows land and buildings", Denver Post, September 22, 2010.
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000, Summary File 1. GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 by place, "North Dakota". American FactFinder. <http://factfinder.census.gov>. http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_CO1&-tree_id=4001&-geo_id=04000US38&-format=ST-7&-_lang=en GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000 by place,. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- City of Devils Lake official website
- Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce
Municipalities and communities of Ramsey County, North Dakota County seat: Devils LakeCities Brocket | Churchs Ferry | Crary | Devils Lake | Edmore | Hampden | Lawton | Starkweather
Townships Bartlett | Cato | Chain Lakes | Coulee | Creel | De Groat | Dry Lake | Fancher | Freshwater | Grand Harbor | Hammer | Harding | Highland Center | Hope | Klingstrup | Lawton | Lillehoff | Minnewaukan | Morris | Newbre | Newland | Noonan | North Creel | Northfield | Odessa | Ontario | Overland | Pelican | Poplar Grove | Prospect | Royal | South Minnewaukan | Stevens | Sullivan | Triumph | Webster
Unincorporated
communitiesCategories:- Cities in North Dakota
- Populated places in Ramsey County, North Dakota
- County seats in North Dakota
- Populated places established in 1882
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