Our Community
Moose Lake is a rural community with a population of 2,300 people. Many of our residents are employed at our state prison, local hospital and nursing home. These services have been an important source of economic value and pride for our community members as the majority of small towns do not have such vital industries. Our public library, movie theatre, shops and services line the block length street known as the old part of town while our grocery store, car dealerships and gas stations line the main corridor which runs past the river and hockey arena through the center of town. For a town of our size, local industries have continued to sustain themselves through the current recession.
Our People
Moose Lake’s largest demographic group is adults ages 20-54, representing 60% of the population. Youth represent about 15%, while people 55 and older make up nearly 25% of the population. Most residents are of a German, Norwegian, Swedish, of Finnish ancestry. The median household income for the City of Moose Lake is $27,130, and is lower than nearly all of the surrounding rural townships. Over one-third of our school aged children utilize the Free and Reduced Price Lunches, but we suspect the number of families who qualify but do not apply to use the Free/Reduced lunch program is great.
Our Strengths
Our community is well-educated, giving, friendly, entrepreneurial, hard working and we genuinely care about one another. We have strong employment opportunities with the hospital, clinic, nursing home and the state prison. Our Park system has expanded and has new updates and playground equipment. Volunteer opportunities are plentiful and help our community stay connected, from Meals on Wheels to volunteering in the school. Families noted our community is a good place to raise children, the quality of the educational system in Moose Lake is excellent and the school staff is caring and interested in the lives of young people. Parents, the school, businesses and churches in Moose Lake take responsibility for providing a support network for the children and youth. The natural environment also lends itself to lots of family activities such as the bike trail, the beach, the river and our State and City Parks.
Our Challenges
Some of the challenges facing the Moose Lake from the viewpoint of young people, families and older adults are:
· Youth people would like to see the availability of a more youth activities, including improvements to Hockey Arena facility and a skate park. They would also like a new school.
· Families would also like to have a better school facility and a community gathering place by converting the Hockey Arena into a multigenerational center. They would also like to see a more cohesive and connected community.
· Older Adults also would like to improve community connectedness. They would like to see beatification of the Hockey Arena and the Moose Horn River and neighboring park.
The community has tried for the past six years to pass a new school referendum. Unfortunately all three attempts to pass a referendum have failed. The last referendum, three years ago, was voted down by a mere 15 votes. This issue has been a major concern for the school district as more and more areas of the school are required to either be blocked off from student access or updated at a substantial cost. The failed referendum was blamed on the retirement community and as a consequence, a noticeable division in community dynamics developed. Many students and parents were openly blaming the retired community for the failed referendum.
Our Community for All Ages
Moose Lake’s team continues to grow. Currently there are 37 members actively engaged in our efforts. The Moose Lake Communities for All Ages/AGE to age effort is focused on improving its unused river frontage and unattractive hockey arena which is situated at two major crossroads which serve as the gateway to the community. The underutilized river frontage provoked ideas for picnic areas, walkways and river access to fish or launch a canoe. The unsightly and worn down hockey arena inspired ideas for new paint and siding plus a covered porch around the building to house the Farmer’s Market participants. The group is currently working on their strategic action plan which will outline ways in which they can make Moose Lake an even better place for growing up and growing old.
