Turtle Lake’s story
122 years in pictures
1 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1904Turtle Lake is settled
Turtle LakeND
A town of 500, settled in 1904.
Photo: In memoriam afiler · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
500
−6.7% since 2010
Median home value
$120K
Census ACS
Household income
$68K
median
Median age
50.3
years
Jobs based here
183
Balanced
Small town
500 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Turtle Lake’s report card
Now in Turtle Lake
Be the first to start the conversation.
Residents weigh in
Live in Turtle Lake? Is a B for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Turtle Lake’s Town Square.
Start a conversation
Weather
Forecast →54°
Showers And Thunderstorms Likely
H 66° · L 53°
Local news
All →- Shiloh Christian Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. TLMMC (CO-OP)maxpreps.com · Sep 27
- SRSHS (CO-OP) Boys Varsity Basketball @ TLMMC (CO-OP)maxpreps.com · Sep 26
- Underwood Boys Varsity Basketball @ TLMMC (CO-OP)maxpreps.com · Sep 26
Upcoming events
Nothing on the calendar.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Turtle Lake. Another town gets a different order.
Natural hazards
Low risk, with cold waves at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 23% of U.S. communities.
23risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Cold wavesInland floodingHail
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →
Climate
Snowy winters, pleasant summers
Turtle Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with very little rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 82°, a January night drops to 2°, and about 44 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
44″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter5–23°
Spring29–52°
Summer54–80°
Fall32–55°
Sep 26
typical first frost
May 14
typical last frost
+1.4°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →
Work & commute
Most working residents commute out of Turtle Lake
Most working residents leave Turtle Lake for work: only 8% work in town. The top destinations are Garrison (20%), Bismarck (9%) and Minot (7%). Half commute less than 43 miles.
8%work in town
Where working residents work
In Turtle Lake8%
Garrison20%
Bismarck9%
Minot7%
Fargo6%
43 mi
median commute distance
183
jobs based in Turtle Lake
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →
Health
How healthy Turtle Lake is
Turtle Lake beats the North Dakota average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8.
32 measures vs. North Dakota
8 better16 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Turtle Lake | ND |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.4% | 5.8% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7% | 8.9% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.9% | 6.1% |
Chi St. Alexius Health Turtle Lake
0.3 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →
Schools
Turtle Lake’s public schools outperform 55% of North Dakota districts
The public schools Turtle Lake’s kids attend outperform 55% of North Dakota’s districts on state tests. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
BSchool Grade
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turtle Lake-Mercer Elementary School | PK–6 | 97 | B+ |
| Turtle Lake-Mercer High School | 7–12 | 85 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within ND on state testsAll 2 schools →
Outdoors
0.3% of Turtle Lake is conserved land
0.4 miles of trails across 1 parks and preserves.
0.3%conserved
0.3%
conserved · 1 of 338 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.8 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Park in Turtle Lake | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →
About Turtle Lake
City in North Dakota, United States
Turtle Lake is a city in McLean County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 542 at the 2020 census. Turtle Lake was founded in 1905. A segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail is routed just to the north and east of Turtle Lake within the Brekken-Holmes Recreation Area. This trail segment can be hiked as a point-to-point hike or as a 9.2-mile loop hike from the ND Highway 41 trailhead parking area (map).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1904
- Population
- 542
- Area
- 0.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,890 ft
- ZIP code
- 58575
- Area code
- 701
More about Turtle Lake
Still missing for Turtle Lake:archive photosupcoming events