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Ham Lake Minnesota Community Guide

Ham Lake is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota. Minnesota State Highway 65 serves as a main arterial route in the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.71 square miles (92.49 km2), of which, 34.39 square miles (89.07 km2) is land and 1.32 square miles (3.42 km2) is water. The elevation is 899 ft (274 m) above sea level.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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The earliest record of settlers in this area goes back to 1855, and in 1856 the group started a town. This was just south and west of a lake shaped like a ham. They platted and sold lots for a town they named, "Glen Carey," a Scottish name meaning "Beautiful Valley." The place was widely advertised as a future city. However, in 1857 all of the houses were destroyed by a prairie fire. Some of the inhabitants barely escaped with their lives saving only a very few household goods. They soon left the area as they had nowhere to live. There was no more settlement until 1866 when a Norwegian man settled in the area. He was soon followed by other Scandinavians. The Scandinavian settlers found it difficult to pronounce the Scottish name of Glen Carey. Since no name had been chosen by the people, the commissioners named it "Ham Lake," after the lake which had acquired that name on account of its shape.

The early settlers found the soil well suited to farming as it wasn't as rocky as they had been accustomed to in Scandinavia. Through the years, dairying became an important industry. The pioneer farmers soon found the soil well suited to growing potatoes and this became an important commodity for both cash sales and trading. From the early 1900s through the 1930s potato farming was at its peak in Ham Lake Township. The only farms remaining today are the sod farms in the southeastern part of the city, where the ground is low and the soil black and heavy making it well suited to this crop.

In 1894 when the population was over 400 people a group of farmers joined together to form a cooperative and built a creamery. Several general stores were built there shortly afterwards. What became the main store in town, Soderquist's, was built on land sold to the Soderquist family by the Olson family, who had extensive landholdings along what would become Highway 65. Like many small American towns, over time all the "old" families became related through marriage. Although many of the establishing families have since moved away from Ham Lake due to increasing property taxes and crowding, these familial connections remain firm and many members of the families are still in close contact.

In 1922 a garage was opened in the northern part of the town.

A Fire Department was established 1969 with Eldon Hentges as the first Fire Chief. Ham Lake officially became a city on Jan. 8, 1974, with Eldon Hentges serving as the first mayor.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

	Ham Lake (Images of America)
	"Ham Lake is a six-mile-by-six-mile township as prescribed in the Northwest Territories Act of 1787. One of the areas major lakes looks exactly like a slice of ham, with an island as the ham bone, thus the name. In 1856, a town named Glen Carey, Scottish for Beautiful Valley, was formed southwest of the lake. Seven or eight homes were built, but a prairie fire burned them out. In 1866, Mads Gilbertson, a native of Norway, was the first permanent settler; other Scandinavians followed. Early settlers found the soil well suited for farming and developed churches, schools, and commercial centers. Farmers raised pigs, turkeys, cattle, and horses, along with corn, wheat, potatoes, and other vegetables and fruit. Ham Lake became the sod-producing capital of Minnesota. Eventually, the town subdivided those farms and grew housing developments--the most profitable crop yet"--Page 4 of cover.
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HAM LAKE Township, settled in 1857, was attached to Grow Township until 1871 when it was separately organized. It had been previously called Glengarry, a name from Scotland, which its Swedish settlers found difficult to pronounce. The county commissioners therefore named the new township Ham Lake from its lake in sections 16 and 17, which had acquired this name on account of its form. HAM LAKE, a city in Ham Lake Township, was incorporated November 13, 1973.

Courtesy Minnesota Historical Society

Ham Lake City Hall 15544 Central Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 434-9555 Fax: (763) 434-9599 Regular Business Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7:00 am to 4:30 pm Friday, 7:00 am to Noon City Council Meetings: 1st and 3rd Monday of the month at 6:00 pm
Title	Term Expires	Name and Address		Phone
Mayor	12/31/2022	Mike Van Kirk 4505 Crosstown Blvd. Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304		(763) 434-6176
City Administrator	appointed	Denise Webster 15544 Central Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304		(763) 235-1680
Council Member	12/31/2022	Jim Doyle 2233 144th Lane NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304		(612) 850-1698
Council Member	12/31/2022	Brian Kirkham 2941 174th Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304		(612) 978-2764
Council Member	12/31/2020	Jesse Wilken 2543 162nd Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304		(763) 458-4608
Council Member	12/31/2020	Gary W. Kirkeide 2152 158th Lane NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304		(763) 434-9762

US Post Office 15219 Bluebird Street NW Andover, MN 55304-3554 Phone: (763) 413-7396 Toll Free: (800) ASK-USPS Fax: (763) 434-2130 Hours: Monday - Friday   7:15 am - 4:30 pm Saturday               7:15 am - 3:30- pm

Minnesota State Highway Map of the Ham Lake Minnesota area

City of Ham Lake Official Street Map

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Lake Name	Size (acres)	Lake info	Lake Map	Rec Map	Topo Map
Coon	1,481
Ham	155
Netta	162
South Coon	45

Schools:

Anoka Hennepin Schools Independent School District #11 2727 N Ferry Street Anoka, MN 55303 Phone: (763) 506-1000   The Anoka-Hennepin School District serves approximately 40,000 students and 248,000 residents living in 13 suburban communities north of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The largest school district in Minnesota, Anoka-Hennepin operates 24 elementary schools, six middle schools (grades six through eight), five high schools, and alternative middle and high school programs.
Andover High School 2115 Andover Blvd. NW, Andover, MN 55304-3407 Phone: (763) 506-8400 Fax: (763) 506-8403 Grades:  9-12 Students:  1,750
Blaine High School 12555 University Avenue NE Blaine, MN 55434-2108 Phone: (763) 506-6500 Fax: (763) 506-6503 Grades:  9-12 Students:  3,000
Roosevelt Middle School 650 125th Avenue NE Blaine, MN 55434-3134 Phone: (763) 506-5800 Fax: (763) 506-5803 Grades:  6-8 Students:  1,300
Oak View Middle School 15400 Hanson Blvd. NW Andover, MN 55304-2648 Phone: (763) 506-5600 Fax: (763) 506-5603 Grades:  6-8 Students:  1,200
Andover Elementary School 14950 Hanson Blvd. NW Andover, MN 55304-3455 Phone: (763) 506-1700 Fax: (763) 506-1703 Grades:  K-5 Students:  1,300
McKinley Elementary School 1740 Constance Blvd NE Ham Lake, MN 55304 Phone: (763) 506-3400 Fax: (763) 506-3403 Grades:  K-5 Students:  735
Rum River Elementary School 16950 Verdin Street NW Andover, MN 55304-2027 Phone: (763) 506-8200 Fax: (763) 506-8203 Grades:  K-5 Students:  1,000
Sunrise Elementary School 12576 Lever Street NE Blaine, MN 55449 Phone: (763) 433-5000 Fax: (763) 433-5003 Grades:  K-5 Students:  950

Cedar United Methodist Church 17541 Jefferson Blvd. NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 434-7463 Pastor:  Judy Ganz Sunday Services:  10:00 am
Church of St. Paul 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 757-6910 Pastor:  Fr Jim Livingston Sunday Services:  8:30 am, 10:30 am
Family of Christ Lutheran Church 16345 Polk Street NE Andover, MN, 55304 Phone: (763) 434-7337 Pastor:  Keith Grimm Sunday Worship:  7:00 am, 10:15 am
Glen Cary Lutheran Church - ELCA 15531 Central Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 434-5695 Pastor:  Rev. Gary Guptill Sunday Services:  8:30 am, 9:45 am, 10:45 am
Horizons Church 1503 157th Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 413-7210 Pastor:  Jimmy Jones Sunday Services:  9:00, 10:30 am
Jehovah’s Witnesses Ham Lake Congregation 16154 Central Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 434-5322 Pastor:  n/a Sunday Services:  n/a
Oak Haven Church 1555 Constance Blvd. NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 434-6013 Pastor:  Andy Kumpel Sunday Services:  10:30 am
Open Range Cowboy Church 17525 Central Avenue NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 434-5596 Pastor:  Joe Penrose Sunday Services:  10:00 am
Radisson Road Baptist Church 13627 Radisson Road NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 754-7722 Pastor:  Ted Clarke III Sunday Services:  10:30 am, 6:00 pm
Slavic Pentecostal Church 13850 Lincoln Street NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 458-2382 Pastor:  Leonid Butov Sunday Services:  11:00 am, 6:00 pm
Spirit of Christ Lutheran Church - LCMS 2749 Bunker Lake Blvd. NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (763) 755-7234 Pastor:  Jason Neel Sunday Services:  9:00 am
Victory Life Church 13720 Lincoln Street NE Ham Lake, Minnesota 55304 Phone: (612) 889-7427 Pastor:  Mark A. Smith Sunday Services:  9:30 am

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Media:

Local
Anoka County Union Herald 4095 Coon Rapids Blvd. Coon Rapids, MN 55421 Phone: (763) 412-2400
Metro
see the Twin Cities Media Guide page for Twin Cities metro area newspapers, radio and TV

AmericInn Lodge & Suites of Ham Lake 13440 Highway 65 NE Ham Lake, MN 55304 Phone: (763) 755-2100   Join us at AmericInn Lodge & Suites Ham Lake, located just minutes from the National Sports Center in Blaine, several major golf courses, and downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Conveniently situated off Highway 65, our hotel is also close to several corporate offices and hundreds of scenic lakes, making us an ideal home base for business and leisure travelers alike. Come see all that eastern Minnesota and the Twin Cities have to offer with a relaxing stay in Ham Lake.

Ham Lake Resort Campground 2400 Constance Boulevard NE Ham Lake, MN 55304 Phone: (763) 434-0587

Topographic map is courtesy of the Minnesota DNR - click map to zoom or enlarge

 
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