thumb|Jonathan Carvers 1766 map shows the location of White Bear lake in the historic narrative as being adjacent to Red Lake. This White Bear Lake is located in Pope County, Minnesota and is known today as Lake Minnewaska in White Bear Lake Township, not to be confused with White Bear Township in Ramsey County.
White Bear Lake is a city in Ramsey County in the state of Minnesota, United States. A small portion of the city also extends into Washington County. The population was 24,883 at the 2020 census. The city is located on White Bear Lake, one of the largest lakes in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The lake is a large lake that is home to many different species of fish including largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, and a variety of other species.
Origin of name
The city is named after its largest lake, White Bear Lake. American writers have delivered differing versions of the legend that explains the origin of the name. In her book Indian Legends of Minnesota, Mrs. Carl T. Thayer writes that "It is said that a Sioux maiden fell in love with a Chippewa brave. She, the daughter of the Chief, on learning that her father planned war against the Chippewa, ran to her lover and warned him. The brave went alone into the Sioux village to ask for peace and the hand of the maiden. Before the Chief would agree, the Chippewa would have to do a brave deed."
In Mark Twain's memoir Life on the Mississippi, he offers a different ending, relaying that "… the warrior, with one plunge of the blade of his knife, opened the crimson sluices of death, and the dying bear relaxed his hold. "That night, there was no more sleep for the band or the lovers, and as the young and the old danced about the carcass of the dead monster, the gallant warrior was presented with another plume, and ere another moon had set he had a living treasure added to his heart. Their children for many years played upon the skin of the white bear – from which the lake derives its name, and the maiden and the brave remembered long the fearful scene and rescue that made them one, for Kis-se-me-pa and Ka-go-ga could never forget their fearful encounter with the huge monster that came so near sending them to the happy hunting ground."
History
right|thumb|The [[Charles P. Noyes Cottage dates back to the days when White Bear Lake was a resort town.]]
The railroad was the largest man-made happening in White Bear Lake. On September 10, 1868, the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad officially opened the extension to White Bear Lake. This was a gala occasion. Ten platform cars of 300 men and four passenger cars for 200 ladies made the trip from St. Paul.
By 1874, Mark Twain had included White Bear Lake as the resort in his "Life on the Mississippi." The "American Travelers Journal" 1881 proclaimed, "One of the most popular resorts in the magic northlands is White Bear Lake." Barnum's hotel became the Leip House, featuring a ballroom, billiard room, dancing pavilion, bowling alley, and boats. F.C. Williams opened the Williams House on the Murray property on Lake Avenue. James Waters opened the White Bear House at the depot. In 1879, the Ramaley Pavilion was opened and described as "perhaps the finest structure around the lake" (Breeze 1890). There was Lake Side Cottage on Lake north of 6th and "Château gay." Shady Side, Bachelor's Rest and Hotel Benson were three of the resorts at Bald Eagle Lake.
The Cottage Park summer residents built a club house in 1881 where they had their meals, entertainment and social life. In 1881, the Manitou Implement Co. developed the Island for cottages with the added important feature of water works. The "Fillebrown" house on Lake Avenue was built in 1879 by C.P. Noyes. It was purchased in 1881 by Judge George Young and in 1905 purchased by the J. Walter Fillebrown family who donated the house to the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society in the 1970s.
The City of White Bear Lake was incorporated on October 11, 1921.
In 1940, Nellie Geraldine Best painted a tempera mural, Early Voyageurs at Portage, as part of the WPA's nationwide mural project for the post office in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. The location of this mural is unknown. It may have been removed during a post office remodeling.
White Bear Lake High School and Mariner High School merged in 1983 to form White Bear Lake Area High School. There are still two buildings, the North Campus and South Campus, which are now White Bear Lake High School (North Campus building) and Mariner Middle School (South Campus building). North Campus (White Bear Lake High School) held classes for freshman and sophomores while South Campus (the former Mariner High School) held classes for juniors and seniors. The two buildings had a combined total of about 3,000 students.
The murder of three-year-old Dennis Jurgens in 1965 at the hands of his adoptive mother, Lois Jurgens, was arguably the biggest scandal to hit the town with her conviction in 1987. The story was recounted in Barry Siegel's true crime novel A Death in White Bear Lake.
In 1953, the Lakeshore Players Community Theater was organized. Lakeshore Players formerly operated out of a former church building constructed in 1889, at 4820 Stewart Avenue. In 2018 they moved to a new building in 2018 next to the White Bear Center for the Arts.
The White Bear Center for the Arts was officially organized on May 16, 1968 and moved to their new location at 4971 Long Avenue in the fall of 2013.
The White Bear Lake Area Historical Society was incorporated on September 25, 1970 and gathers, preserves and shares the stories of the five communities that touch the shore of White Bear Lake – Birchwood, Dellwood, Mahtomedi, White Bear Lake, and White Bear Township.[http://www.whitebearhistory.org]
In 2019, voters approved the largest school bond measure in the state to support the school district building a brand new high school in downtown White Bear Lake and renovate elementary and middle schools across the city. The new school opened for the 2024/2025 school year meaning all students in grades nine through twelve now attended the same campus in the heart of city. The new school campus also includes sports facilities to ensure school sponsored events help out the city center.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
U.S. Highway 61, Ramsey County Highway 96, Minnesota State Highway 96, Interstate 35E, and Interstate 694 are five of the main routes in the city.