Lake Monona

Lake Monona
Lake with Monona Terrace and Madison skyline in the distance
Lake Monona
Location	Dane County, Wisconsin
Coordinates	43°4′9″N 89°21′34″W / 43.06917°N 89.35944°W / 43.06917; -89.35944
Primary inflows	Yahara River, Starkweather Creek, Murphy Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	3,274 acres (13 km2)
Average depth	27 ft (8.2 m)
Max. depth	74 ft (23 m)
Residence time	1.1 years
Surface elevation	845 ft (258 m)
Frozen	About 107 days a year
Settlements	Madison, Monona

Lake Monona (/mɪˈnoʊnə/ mih-NOH-nə) is a freshwater drainage lake in Dane County, Wisconsin, surrounded on three sides by the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and on the south east side by the city of Monona, Wisconsin.^[1] It is the second-largest of a chain of four lakes along the Yahara River (also including Mendota, Kegonsa, and Waubesa) in the area and forms the south shore of the isthmus that forms downtown Madison. The name 'Monona' is a word believed to mean 'beautiful', although the lake was originally named by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) 'Tchee-ho-bo-kee-xa-te-la' or 'Teepee Lake'.