PLYMOUTH
COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2025
Medicine Lake: A destination, a home
To its near 380 residents, Medicine Lake is home. Spread across 936 acres and located on a large peninsula on one of the largest lakes in the Twin Cities, including Hennepin County’ s second largest lake, Medicine Lake is a shared name.. The five-member city council includes a mayor and four at-large city council members. To view a current list of Medicine Lake City Council members, visit the city website, cityofmedicinelake. com / city-council. The council meetings are open to the public and are scheduled for the first Monday of each month at 6 p. m. at the Medicine Lake City Hall at 10609 South Shore Drive.
Currently, the city is in the midst of developing a subdivision code, expected to be completed by the end of 2025. The code will regulate the subdivision of land by prescribing rules and regulations which govern subdivisions, platting of land and essential improvements. Subdivision regulations allow cities to ensure that new development or redevelopment meets the standards of the city for a safe, functional, enjoyable community, and protects and preserves the natural environment. Medicine Lake is choosing to do this because it does not currently have a subdivision code.
While small in size, the city operates its own fire department and planning commission. Medicine Lake is now connected to surrounding cities, including Plymouth. In its early days, the city was somewhat isolated. The main road leading to the peninsula was wooded on both sides and flooded in the spring. Central Avenue, now called Peninsula Road, ran down the middle of the peninsula and was rutted and muddy. Farmers who lived near the lake were responsible for road repairs.
In 1855, the U. S. government surveyed the peninsula that is now home to Medicine Lake, and in 1858, it was purchased from the government by Mr. Weyandt. The peninsula changed hands again in 1887 after the land was bought by Jacob Barge, who plotted it into lots and opened it to the public that July.
Though most residents of the peninsula only lived there during the summer, the area continued to develop. Some residents purchased telephones around 1910 and electricity became available to the town in 1926.
The town began to change in earnest in the spring of 1944 when peninsula residents’ desire for a self-governing village structure came to a head. Charles Brudigan, Ernest Ertl and Les Johantgen were among the people who headed the effort to separate from Plymouth Township.
The first referendum on the separation was recorded on April 24, 1944, and the city of Medicine Lake became independent. Medicine Lake City Hall 10609 South Shore Drive 763-542-9701
COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2025 | PLYMOUTH | 7