Mountain Lake

Mountain Lake was initially populated mostly by 1,800 Low German (or more specifically, Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonites from Russia who settled there between 1873 and 1880. The city has become more diverse, with the more recent addition of immigrant groups including Lao, Hmong, and Hispanic people, but a significant proportion of its inhabitants still have Mennonite surnames.

• Low German

The population was 1,999 as of the 2020 census. Mountain Lake was initially populated mostly by 1,800 Low German (or more specifically, Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonites from Russia who settled there between 1873 and 1880. The city has become more diverse, with the more recent addition of immigrant groups including Lao, Hmong, and Hispanic people, but a significant proportion of its inhabitants still have Mennonite surnames. Unsaid gifts are made for that: keepsakes and art that mark a family's growth in Mountain Lake.