Carter Lake is a city in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. It is a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska. In 2010, 3,785 people lived there.
History
Carter Lake is an example of the border irregularities of the United States. It is the only city in Iowa that is west of the Missouri River. In March 1877, a flood changed the course of the river 1.25 mi (2 km) to the southeast. The parts of the old river course, called Saratoga Bend, became an oxbow lake. It is named Carter Lake. After the creation of the lake, the place became a recreational area. It included "a boathouse at the foot of Locust street, hotels and club houses were numerous and the lake was the scene of many a pleasant rowing and fishing party."
In 1892, after a lot of litigation between Iowa and Nebraska, the Supreme Court of the United States said that Carter Lake is part of Iowa in Nebraska v. Iowa, 143 U.S. 359 (1892). The general rule is that state borders follow small changes in the course of a river. However, the Court said that an there's an exception when a river avulses one of its bends. In 1972, the Supreme Court made another ruling about Carter Lake when it ruled on a border dispute between the two states in Nebraska v. Iowa, 406 U.S. 117 (1972).
Geography
Carter Lake is at (41.292647, -95.913989).
The city is surrounded on three sides by Omaha, Nebraska, and on the fourth by the Missouri River.
The United States Census Bureau says that the city has a total area of . Of that, is land and is water.
People
2010 census
The 2010 census says that there were 3,785 people, 1,388 households, and 997 families living in Carter Lake.
Politics
The current mayor of Carter Lake is Ron Cumberledge. He was elected on November 7th, 2017.