Welcome to Balsam Lake ...
The village of Balsam Lake is located in Polk County<1> and is the County Seat for Polk County.
Google driving directions from your current location to Balsam Lake
The location of Balsam Lake has been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (the GNIS).<2>
While we don't have a date for the founding of Balsam Lake, you might consider that their post office opened in 1871.
A typical abbreviation for Balsam Lake: Balsam Lk.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Balsam Lake has a population of 980 people<3> (see below for details).
Balsam Lake is 1,140 feet [347 m] above sea level.<4>.
Time Zone: Balsam Lake lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Balsam Lake: 715 & 534<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Balsam Lake had an population of 980 people. This is a decrease of 2.87% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 3.16% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Balsam Lake had a population of 1,009 people. This makes Balsam Lake the county's 18th most populous community.
The population of Balsam Lake represents 0.02% of the population of Wisconsin (which has 5,686,986 people), making it the state's 866th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 1,009 people, the population of Balsam Lake increased 6.21% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 950 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Balsam Lake.
Communities near Balsam Lake ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Balsam Lake.
- Lindstrom
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lindstrom have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lindstrom
- Lindstrom is located in Chisago County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,731 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lindstrom <6>
- Amery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amery
- Amery is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,799 people
- Osceola
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Osceola
- Osceola is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,580 people
- Saint Croix Falls
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Croix Falls
- Saint Croix Falls is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,059 people
- Shafer
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shafer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shafer
- Shafer is located in Chisago County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,144 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shafer <6>
- Clear Lake
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
- Clear Lake is located in Polk County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,099 people
- Frederic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north) - Luck
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north) - Taylors Falls
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taylors Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taylors Falls
- Taylors Falls is located in Chisago County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,035 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taylors Falls <6>
- Turtle Lake
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Turtle Lake
- Turtle Lake is located in Barron County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 990 people
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Balsam Lake. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Balsam Lake.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Balsam Lake. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Balsam Lake.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Balsam Lake. See our Newspapers Page for Balsam Lake.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Balsam Lake ...
Looking for more information about Balsam Lake? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Balsam Lake, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Balsam Lake.
Adding Balsam Lake to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Balsam Lake in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Balsam Lake was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Balsam Lake post office opened in 1871.
We also found Balsam Lake in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Balsam Lake.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Balsam Lake. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Polk County: www.co.polk.wi.us/
The official website for State of Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsin.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Wisconsin's counties, including Polk, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Balsam Lake. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Balsam Lake - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 715 code has been Overlayed with the 534 area code. New phone numbers in the Balsam Lake area will be assigned with one of these codes: 715 or 534. As a result, placing a call in the Balsam Lake area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |