Clear Lake is a city in Cerro Gordo County,

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, United States. The population was 7,687 at the 2020 census. The city is named for the large lake on which it is located. It is the home of a number of marinas, state parks and tourism-related businesses. Clear Lake is also a major stop on

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican borde ...

with many restaurants, hotels and truck stops.

History

The region around the lake that would later be called Clear Lake was a summer home to the Dakota and Winnebago American Indians. During a land survey of northern Iowa done in 1832 by Nathan Boone, the son of the famous explorer

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

, a map was made showing the lake and other bodies of water in the area. In 1851, Joseph Hewitt and James Dickirson brought their families to camp on the east side of Clear Lake, soon building a cabin, and began a friendship with the Winnebago natives. By 1853, many more white settlers had also came to settle in the area. By the year 1855, the first Clear Lake school was built as well as the first steam saw mill. In that year a hotel was built by James Crow. By 1870, the town had 775 residents and by 1871 the streets were graded and sidewalks were made of raised boards, sure signs of a thriving new city. The city of Clear Lake was incorporated on May 26, 1871. The first bandstand in Clear Lake was built in 1877 at the City Park. The town continued to grow and built its first library in 1889. In 1909, Bayside Amusement park opened for the first time. The first North Iowa Band Festival was organized by John Kopecky, among others, in 1932. In 1933, the Surf Ballroom opened up on the site of the old Tom Tom ballroom that had been destroyed by fire. The opening dance night saw approximately 700 couples attend. In 1947, the Surf Ballroom burned down; a new Surf Ballroom was built across the street the following year. The Bayside Amusement park closed down in 1958.

The Day the Music Died

In the early hours of February 3, 1959, a

Beechcraft Bonanza The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. The six-seater, single-engined aircraft is still being produced by Beechcraft and has been in continuous pro ...

aircraft carrying

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed ...

, and

The Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include " Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of w ...

, who had been performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, took off from the local runway in nearby Mason City, on its way to the next show in

Moorhead, Minnesota Moorhead () is a city in and county seat of Clay County, Minnesota, United States, on the banks of the Red River of the North. Located in the Red River Valley, an extremely fertile and active agricultural region, Moorhead is also home to several ...

. The plane crashed soon after take off, killing everyone onboard. The event was later eulogized by folk singer

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

in his 1971 song " American Pie", which led to the crash being nicknamed "The Day the Music Died". In June 1988, around 600 people gathered to witness the dedication of the monument to the three musicians. Clear Lake also renamed Second Place North to "Buddy Holly Place".

Geography

Clear Lake is located at (43.136479, −93.379927). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Clear Lake, Iowa has a hot/warm summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(Dfa).

Demographics

Clear Lake is part of the Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,777 people, 3,507 households, and 2,087 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,423 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population. There were 3,507 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.5% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.78. The median age in the city was 46.3 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.2% were from 25 to 44; 31.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,161 people, 3,461 households, and 2,239 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,156 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.99%

, 0.27%

, 0.13% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.75% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.86% of the population. There were 3,461 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.86. Age spread:23.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,097, and the median income for a family was $45,589. Males had a median income of $30,266 versus $21,356 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,213. About 5.0% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over. Clear Lake Fire Museum

Arts and culture

* Surf Ballroom: Site of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper's last concert, the Surf Ballroom continues to host concerts and can be reserved as a convention hall or reception site. It is also a tourist attraction and holds a tribute to the three

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

singers each February. * Lady of the Lake: A sternwheeler ferry boat which takes passengers on a scenic cruise around Clear Lake. It has an enclosed lower level and an open upper level. * Clear Lake Fire Museum: Designed to resemble an early fire station, this museum's highlights include a 1924 Ahrens-Fox pumper truck, the city's 1883 hand-pulled hose cart, and the original fire bell used by the department. A memorial is dedicated to honor firefighters who have served Clear Lake.Attractions
* Guardian Angel Roadside Chapel: Built by Jack Kennedy, the Guardian Angel Chapel overlooks Interstate 35 and is open to the public daily. * Clear Lake Arts Center: This non-profit organization displays local and regional artists' work along with a sales gallery and art classes open to the public. * PM Park: Site of the Patriarchs Militant camp (a subgroup of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

). Established in 1914, turned into a historical eating and lodging venue. * Central Gardens of North Iowa, Inc. has over 20 themed gardens on nearly 3 acres of land and is the only free public garden within 90 miles of Clear Lake. It is open daily, dawn to dusk, May 1 through October 31 and offers over 50 free activities, events, and programs each year. * Lake Theatre: Historic single screen movie theatre showing current titles. Originally an Opera House, converted to movie theatre in 1935. https://www.clearlaketheatre.com Clear Lake Rowhouses

Education

There are three schools in the local

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, w ...

Clear Lake Community School District The Clear Lake Community School District is a rural public school district that serves the town of Clear Lake, Iowa and surrounding areas in Cerro Gordo County. The school's mascot is the Lion. Their colors are black and gold. Schools The di ...

. Clear Creek Elementary School hosts preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1–5; Clear Lake Middle School hosts grades 6–8; and Clear Lake High School hosts grades 9–12. Lakeside Alternative, an

alternative school An alternative school is an educational establishment with a curriculum and methods that are nontraditional. Such schools offer a wide range of philosophies and teaching methods; some have strong political, scholarly, or philosophical orientati ...

program, is run jointly with the

Garner–Hayfield–Ventura Community School District Garner–Hayfield–Ventura Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Garner, Iowa. In addition to the cities of Garner and Ventura, it also serves the unincorporated areas of Duncan, Hayfield, and Miller ...

in neighboring Ventura, Iowa. Clear Lake Classical, a preK–8

Classical Christian school Classical Christian education is an approach to learning rooted in the long story of Christian engagement with the classical tradition as exemplified first by figures such as the Cappadocian Fathers, Augustine and Jerome as well as the fullness of C ...

, is the only

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the city.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Clear Lake is located along

approximately halfway between the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in sta ...

and

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

U.S. Highway 18 U.S. Route 18 (US 18) is an east–west U.S. highway in the Midwestern United States. The western terminus is in Orin, Wyoming at an interchange with Interstate 25. Its eastern terminus is in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, US 18 runs ...

runs east–west through the northern side of the city until it meets Interstate 35; at this interchange,

Iowa Highway 122 Iowa Highway 122 (Iowa 122) is an east–west route in Cerro Gordo County which connects the county's two largest cities, Clear Lake and Mason City. The length of the highway is . Much of the route is constructed as a four-lane expressway ...

begins and continues to the east. U.S. 18 proper continues to the south, overlapping an approximately 3.5-mile stretch of Interstate 35 and Iowa Highway 27 (part of the Avenue of the Saints). Just south of the city, U.S. 18 and Iowa 27 break from Interstate 35 and continue to the east. The North Iowa Area Council of Governments operates Region 2 Transit, which provides city and regional demand responsive public bus transit. Jefferson Lines, a private intercity bus service, maintains a stop in Clear Lake with service to locations throughout the Midwest. Mason City Municipal Airport is located immediately to the east of Clear Lake. Two freight rail lines run through the city.

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...

operates a line parallel to U.S. 18, which stops at a minor grain facility;

trackage rights Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies. Operating Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may ...

are given to the Iowa Northern Railway.

Progressive Rail Progressive Rail Inc. is a shortline railroad and owner of several other shortlines. PGR is directly operating several separate branches in Minnesota including the Airlake Terminal Railway. Progressive Rail also acquired the Wisconsin Northern ...

maintains the

Iowa Traction Railway The Iowa Traction Railway Company , formerly the Iowa Traction Railroad Company, is a shortline railroad operating in the United States as a common carrier. It was originally founded in 1896 as the Mason City and Clear Lake Railway, a passenger c ...

, a shortline railroad which runs between Clear Lake and Mason City.

Utilities

The city's

electric power Electric power is the rate at which electrical energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt, one joule per second. Standard prefixes apply to watts as with other SI units: thousands, millions and billions ...

and

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...

utilities are provided by

Alliant Energy Alliant Energy is a public utility holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, providing power in Iowa and Wisconsin. History Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) expanded greatly in the late 1920s to include operations in Iowa, ...

. Since 2004, Alliant Energy has operated a natural gas—fired electricity generation plant southeast of the city.

Sewage Sewage (or domestic sewage, domestic wastewater, municipal wastewater) is a type of wastewater that is produced by a community of people. It is typically transported through a sewer system. Sewage consists of wastewater discharged from reside ...

treatment is provided by the Clear Lake Sanitary District, a local government entity separate from the city government. Wastewater travels through pump stations within the city before being routed to a treatment plant to the south. There, it is filtered, processed through a sequencing batch reactor, and disinfected with ultraviolet light. Some of the resulting treated effluent is routed to the nearby Alliant Energy plant for cooling purposes.

Telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

, and

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, p ...

services are provided by local provider CL Tel and

Mediacom Mediacom Communications Corporation is the United States' fifth largest cable television provider based on the number of video subscribers, and among the leading cable operators focused on serving smaller cities and towns. The company has a s ...

Water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Th ...

services are provided by the city. The city's water is drawn from shallow wells in the

Cedar Valley Formation The Cedar Valley Formation is a geologic formation in Iowa. It preserves fossils dating back to the Devonian period. No type locality has ever been designated for this formation, but it is best known for limestone and dolomite exposures in a ...

Waste collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable ...

services are also provided by the city and operated by local company Absolute Waste Removal. Further processing is performed at the Landfill of North Iowa to the east.

Health care

MercyOne MercyOne (formerly Mercy Health Network) is a system of hospitals, clinics, and health care facilities in the U.S. states of Iowa, Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dak ...

Medical Center North Iowa in neighboring Mason City is the nearest hospital. Both MercyOne and Iowa Specialty Hospital operate clinics within the city. In September 2020, construction began on a wellness center near Clear Lake High School for joint use by Clear Lake Community School District and the community.

Notable people

* Carl S. Bates (1884–1956),

aviation pioneer Aviation pioneers are people directly and indirectly responsible for the advancement of flight, including people who worked to achieve manned flight before the invention of aircraft, as well as others who achieved significant "firsts" in aviation a ...

and inventor of the Bates Monoplane
Todd Blogett

American conservative Conservatism in the United States is a political and social philosophy based on a belief in limited government, individualism, traditionalism, republicanism, and limited federal governmental power in relation to U.S. states. Conser ...

Richie Hayward Richard "Richie" Hayward (February 6, 1946 – August 12, 2010) was an American drummer best known as a founding member and drummer in the band Little Feat. He performed with several bands and worked as a session player. Hayward also joined ...

(1946–2010), founding member for the rock band Little Feat *

Will Kirk Kaynor William Kirk Kaynor (November 29, 1884 – December 20, 1929) was a United States Representative from Massachusetts. Born in Sanborn, Iowa, Kaynor attended the common schools of Spencer and Clear Lake. In his early youth, he was employed as ...

(1884–1929),

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

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* Milo Knutson (1917–1981), mayor of La Crosse, Wisconsin and Wisconsin State Senator *

Max McGraw Max McGraw (1 February 1883 – 26 October 1964) was an American entrepreneur who founded McGraw-Edison and Centel. He financed marketing of the first domestic toaster, the Toastmaster. He was also a conservationist and hunter. Early years Ma ...

(1883–1964), founder of

McGraw-Edison McGraw-Edison was an American manufacturer of electrical equipment. It was created in 1957 through a merger of McGraw Electric and Thomas A. Edison, Inc., and was in turn acquired by Cooper Industries in 1985. Today, the McGraw-Edison brand is us ...

and

Centel Centel Corporation was an American telecommunications company, with primary interests in providing basic telephone service, cellular phone service and cable television service. Early history In 1900, Max McGraw took his savings from his newspa ...

Robert Allan Phillips Robert Allan Phillips MD (July 16, 1906 in Clear Lake, Iowa&nbsPaperity Retrieved 2014-11-19. – September 20, 1976) was a research scientist whose research contributed to a transformation in the treatment of cholera. Education Dr. Phi ...

(1906–1976),

Lasker Award The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1945 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, which was ...

-winning physician who developed intravenous

fluid replacement Fluid replacement or fluid resuscitation is the medical practice of replenishing bodily fluid lost through sweating, bleeding, fluid shifts or other pathologic processes. Fluids can be replaced with oral rehydration therapy (drinking), intravenous ...

treatment for cholera

References

External links

Official Clear Lake City

Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Clear Lake, Iowa
{{authority control Cities in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Cities in Iowa Mason City, Iowa micropolitan area