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City of Gem Lake Comprehensive Plan Page 7 Lake which covers approximately 38 acres including its attendant wetlands. Much of the central portion of the City drains into this water body. The second largest area of standing water is a pond covering about six acres in the northeastern portion of the City. Most of the lands north of the Gem Lake Drainage Area and south of Goose Lake Road drain into this surface feature. There are many other smaller pockets of intermittent and permanent surface water storage areas scattered throughout the municipality. 3.6 Soils Most surface soils within Gem Lake are glacial tills. Consequently, the character of soils can vary significantly in a relatively small area. Gravel deposits displaying course soils are located in knobs in the northwestern portion of the City. In contrast, fine sediments are located in the Gem Lake and associated wetland area not far away. Overall, the soils might be characterized as medium to fine in all but the knob areas, and in the northeastern area of the City where coarser soils predominate. 3.7 Vegetation Much of the City is significantly wooded, especially in the central portion around Gem Lake. There are also extensive stands of trees in the northwestern portion of the City along Goose Lake Road. 3.8 Population Growth of Gem Lake and Vicinity Gem Lake is located in the northeast portion of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, which has experienced very rapid urbanization. This area reached the population ‘take-off’ stage during the 1950s, accelerated during the 1960s and has since stabilized. The populations of the cities of Gem Lake and White Bear Lake have witnessed a slight decrease in population from 1990 to 2000; while the City of Vadnais Heights and White Bear Township have increased substantially in the same time period (refer to Table 3-1). Table 3-1 – Population Trends and Projections for Gem Lake and Contiguous Governmental Units Govt. Unit 1990 pop. 2000 pop. % Change 1990-2000 2010 pop. 2020 est. 2030 est. % Change 2010-2030 Gem Lake 439 419 -4.7% 393 480 500 27.2% Vadnais Heights 11,041 13,069 18% 12,302 13,300 13,800 3.8% White Bear Lake 24,642 24,325 -1.3% 23,797 24,300 25,000 2.9% White Bear Township 9,424 11,293 20% 10,949 11,300 11,400 0.9% Source: Met Council, US Census Bureau Current and future population trends as estimated by the Met Council indicate that the populations of the Cities of Gem Lake and White Bear Lake will grow from the year 2010 to 2030. While Gem Lake’s percentage of growth is the most significant when viewed against its neighbors, the actual number of people added is low in comparison. To date, low density residential areas have been prevalent in the City. In addition, much of the City is already developed. Therefore, it is expected there will be added