Living in Mahtomedi, MN: White Bear Lake, Parks & Daily Life

Mahtomedi is a small Washington County city on the east shore of White Bear Lake. Its history as a summer retreat, its compact park and trail system, and several city projects now in planning — including a reconstruction of Mahtomedi Avenue and a new City Hall and fire station — shape much of what people ask about it.

This guide covers those topics using city, county, state-historical and Census sources, plus a dated MLS snapshot. Because Mahtomedi is small, its market figures rest on a limited number of sales, and the snapshot section explains why that matters. The guide does not rank neighborhoods, schools or businesses. For the property-oriented resource, use the Mahtomedi neighborhood page; this article supplements that page rather than replacing it.

Mahtomedi at a glance

Measure	Figure and source date
Population estimate	8,189; July 1, 2025 (Census V2025)
Decennial population count	8,138; April 1, 2020 Census
Land area	3.46 square miles; 2020 (Census)
Owner-occupied housing unit rate	82.6%; ACS 2020–2024
Mean travel time to work	23.6 minutes; ACS 2020–2024
MLS median sales price, All Property Types	$477,000; trailing 12 months through Oct 2026

Census figures are from QuickFacts. The city's own About Our City page lists an area of 5 square miles, with 3.6 square miles of land and 1.4 square miles of water, and a population of 8,039; that page is undated. The city and Census figures are quoted separately rather than reconciled.

From Chautauqua grounds to a lake community

The city's About Our City page says Mahtomedi was founded as a Chautauqua community around 1900, when visitors came to the east shore of White Bear Lake for recreation, lectures, music and reflection. Summer homes and cottages followed as the area became a resort destination.

The best-known chapter is Wildwood Amusement Park. According to MNopedia, the Minnesota Historical Society's encyclopedia:

• The park was first built in 1889 by the St. Paul and White Bear Railroad to draw riders to its new line.
• The Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company acquired the line in 1898 and expanded the park, which offered a dance pavilion, swimming, boating, picnic grounds, rides and carnival games. Admission was free; visitors paid the streetcar fare.
• In 1927, the park debuted the first Tilt-A-Whirl, designed and built by Herbert Sellner of Faribault.
• The amusement park closed in 1932; the dance pavilion stayed open until 1937, and the following year the park was torn down and the land sold to developers.

The city notes that some of today's trails retrace the old streetcar line. The city's site also links to a history of Mahtomedi and a historic tour brochure, and to the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society.

White Bear Lake, parks and trails

The city calls White Bear Lake its single greatest recreational amenity (About Our City). Its Parks, Trails & Facilities page features six parks — Chautauqua Park, Katherine Abbott Park, Mahtomedi Beach, Southwest Park, Wedgewood Park and Wildwood Park — and the city's facility directory lists addresses:

• Katherine Abbott Park, 1000 Lincolntown Avenue — a 76-acre community park in south-central Mahtomedi, with pines and ponds, three miles of trails for cross-country skiing and hiking, and an accessible park center with a kitchen and fireplace that groups can reserve (Katherine Abbott Park).
• Wedgewood Park, 211 Wedgewood Drive — an 11.25-acre community park in southwestern Mahtomedi with ball fields, pickleball courts, a sport court, trails and a multipurpose building (Wedgewood Park).
• Mahtomedi Beach, 1045 Park Avenue — on White Bear Lake, with benches, parking and a canoe storage rack (facilities).
• Chautauqua Park, 75½ Quail Street — benches, picnic areas and a canoe storage rack.
• Southwest Park, 29 Long Lake Road — ball fields and parking.

The city also runs a canoe storage rack rental program and a park reservation process through City Hall.

Trails and the Streetcar Park

The city says its trail system connects to the county and regional network, with the Gateway Trail immediately south and east of the city (Parks, Trails & Facilities). The city posts a 2023 Lake Links Trail map (Lake Links Trail), and the Lake Links Association has published digital walk, bike and roll maps (August 2024) for the free Avenza app.

The Streetcar Park Improvement Project page describes a volunteer-supported effort that includes invasive-species pulls, new plantings, wildflower gardens and natural play features such as an embankment slide.

The park plan

The city's park plan page says Mahtomedi is "almost fully developed" and that opportunities to acquire more parkland are limited. The 2017 plan is described as a long-range vision through 2025, with policies for parks, open space and trails. It is a general plan, not a detailed design for individual parks.

City projects in planning

Mahtomedi Avenue (Highway 244)

The city's Road Construction Projects page describes proposed improvements to Mahtomedi Avenue (Trunk Highway 244) from the western edge of Veterans Memorial Park to the north city limits at Tamarack Street, with construction tentatively planned for 2026–2027. The city's March 2026 list of strategic priorities describes the work as the Highway 244 turnback project. The page also links to Washington County's reconstruction project on Highway 120 (Century Avenue). Timelines can change; check the city and county pages for current schedules and detours.

New City Hall and fire station

The city's New City Hall/Fire Station Facility page describes a combined facility that will serve as the Fire Department's operational hub and the administrative center for city government. The page says fire operations must continue on the site during construction. The city listed the project as its top strategic priority for 2026–2027 (priorities). Other listed priorities include a 2050 Comprehensive Plan and water sourcing and quality management, including participation in the White Bear Lake Area Comprehensive Water Plan workgroup.

Getting around and services

The city's site links to Washington County's GoWashington transportation resources (city site map); confirm current transit options and schedules with Metro Transit and the county.

Wildwood Library, part of the Washington County Library system, is at 763 Stillwater Road (Wildwood Library). City Hall is at 600 Stillwater Road (city home page). Policing is provided by the Washington County Sheriff's Office, according to the city's site map.

Housing forms and Census context

The supplied MLS snapshot reports Single-Family and Townhouse-Condo sales separately; in Mahtomedi the Townhouse-Condo count is small. Lake-area properties can involve shoreland rules, docks and lake access questions, while association-governed homes involve documents, budgets and maintenance obligations. Ask the city about any shoreland or zoning rules that apply to a specific parcel.

Census QuickFacts reports a $476,000 median value of owner-occupied housing units for 2020–2024. That Census measure concerns the owner-occupied housing stock over a multiyear survey period. It is not the median MLS sales price, an appraisal or a current asking price. Keep it separate from the transaction-based snapshot below. Source: Census QuickFacts.

A dated market snapshot, with the filters visible

Mahtomedi market snapshot — trailing 12 months through October 2026

InfoSparks area: Mahtomedi (CITY). With All Property Types selected, the median sales price was $477,000 (+2.6% year over year), with 121 closed sales (+7.1%). Median days on market were 22 (-12.0%); months supply was 2.0 (-4.8%), as displayed in InfoSparks' October 2026, 12 Months view.

Separately reported closed-sale categories were Single-Family: 97 (+1.0%) and Townhouse-Condo: 22 (+29.4%). These are reported categories, not shares of all sales; they should not be assumed to exhaust or reconcile to the total.

NorthstarMLS Matrix showed 17 active-only listings as of Nov 6, 2026 for the municipality. This count uses the Single Family search class, which includes multiple residential styles; it excludes Coming Soon, Pending and other statuses, as well as Lots/Land, Multi-Family, Commercial, Farm and Rental classes. It is not InfoSparks' “Homes for Sale” measure.

These figures summarize recorded activity for Mahtomedi as a whole; they are not a prediction of future prices or a guarantee of how quickly a particular property will sell. Small-sample caution: with only 121 closed sales, 22 Townhouse-Condo sales and 17 active-only listings, a handful of transactions can move these numbers noticeably. The 29.4% Townhouse-Condo change reflects a few sales on a base of 22, and the 12.0% drop in median days on market is about three days; neither should be read as a trend. Use comparable properties for an individual address.

Source: NorthstarMLS via InfoSparks, trailing 12 months through October 2026; active-only count from NorthstarMLS Matrix as of Nov 6, 2026. Data deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Local restaurants and everyday stops

The places below were checked today on their own websites with a Mahtomedi address, except where noted. Where a site did not show an address, or blocked access, the address comes from Google listing data, as noted in the source table. This is a sample, not a complete or ranked list:

• Red Luna Seasons, 114 Mahtomedi Avenue — a restaurant specializing in Mexican food, with some American dishes.
• The Wildwood Tavern, 80 Mahtomedi Avenue — a tavern with a menu, online pick-up ordering, and music and events listings.
• The Dugout Bar, 96 Mahtomedi Avenue — a bar and kitchen that hosts live music from local and regional artists.
• The Wild Bean Coffee, 88 Mahtomedi Avenue — a coffee shop.
• Carbone's Pizza, 960 Mahtomedi Avenue — the Mahtomedi location of Carbone's Pizza, offering delivery and takeout.
• QC Pizza, 3150 Century Avenue North — a Quad Cities–style pizza restaurant.
• Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, 850 Wildwood Road — the Mahtomedi location of the Dairy Queen Grill & Chill chain.

For groceries, ALDI has a store at 750 Wildwood Road. The Mahtomedi Area Farmers' Market, which the city lists among its community programs, has its own website. Businesses change; confirm before visiting.

Schools: verify by address

The city lists Mahtomedi School District and St. Jude of the Lake under its schools links. The Minnesota Department of Education's district record for Mahtomedi Public School District 832 and the Metropolitan Council's map of school districts affecting Mahtomedi are useful references. This guide does not compare or rank schools. Confirm the resident district and attendance area for the exact address with the district, because boundaries can change.

Questions to ask about a specific address

• Does the property have lake frontage or lake access, and which shoreland rules apply?
• Will the Mahtomedi Avenue or Century Avenue reconstruction affect access during construction?
• Is the property part of an association? What do the documents, budget and fees show?
• Which school district and attendance area apply, according to the district?
• For a home near a park, what does the city's reservation and event schedule mean for parking and activity nearby?
• Is the home served by city water and sewer, and has the city flagged any service-line work, such as its galvanized service line replacement program, for that street?

Frequently asked questions

How did Mahtomedi begin?

The city says Mahtomedi was founded as a Chautauqua community around 1900 on the east shore of White Bear Lake. Wildwood Amusement Park, served by the streetcar line, operated nearby until 1932, according to MNopedia. About Our City.

What parks are in Mahtomedi?

The city features Chautauqua Park, Katherine Abbott Park, Mahtomedi Beach, Southwest Park, Wedgewood Park and Wildwood Park. Katherine Abbott Park is 76 acres with three miles of trails. Parks, Trails & Facilities.

Is there a trail connection from Mahtomedi?

The city says its trails connect to the county and regional system, with the Gateway Trail immediately south and east of the city, and it posts Lake Links Trail maps. Parks, Trails & Facilities.

What is happening with Mahtomedi Avenue?

The city describes proposed reconstruction of Mahtomedi Avenue (Trunk Highway 244) from Veterans Memorial Park to Tamarack Street, with construction tentatively planned for 2026–2027. Check the city page for current timing. Road Construction Projects.

What are the Mahtomedi housing-market figures?

For the trailing 12 months through October 2026, All Property Types had a $477,000 median sales price (+2.6% year over year), 121 closed sales (+7.1%), 22 median days on market (-12.0%) and 2.0 months supply (-4.8%). Matrix showed 17 active-only listings as of Nov 6, 2026. These dated figures are not a forecast. See the snapshot above for filters and attribution. With 121 closed sales, the sample is small.

Is the Census housing value the same as the MLS median sale price?

No. Census reports a $476,000 median value of owner-occupied housing units for 2020–2024. That multiyear housing-stock measure is different from the trailing-period MLS sales median and is not an appraisal of an individual home. Census QuickFacts.

Which school district serves Mahtomedi?

The city links to Mahtomedi School District (ISD 832) and St. Jude of the Lake. Confirm the resident district for the exact address with the district; the Metropolitan Council also maps the districts affecting Mahtomedi. MDE district record.

Where is the library in Mahtomedi?

Wildwood Library, part of the Washington County Library system, is at 763 Stillwater Road. Wildwood Library.

Talk through an address-specific plan

Bryce Schuenke, REALTOR®, eXp Realty; MN Broker #41012271 | WI Salesperson #88518; (651) 302-4812; Info@RealtorBryce.com; 20731 Holyoke Ave Ste 103, Lakeville, MN 55044; www.RealtorBryce.com.