Dakota County is the third-most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota, located in the east central portion of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 439,882. The population of Dakota County was estimated to be 447,440 in 2023. The county seat is Hastings. Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area. The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. Dakota County is included in the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.71 million residents. The largest city in Dakota County is the city of Lakeville, the ninth-largest city in Minnesota and fifth-largest Twin Cities suburb. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east.
Burnsville is a city 15 miles (24 km) south of downtown Minneapolis in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city is situated on a bluff overlooking the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. Burnsville and nearby suburbs form the southern portion of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.7 million residents. At the 2020 census the population was 64,317.
Metro Transit is the primary public transportation operator in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest operator in the state. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 44,977,200, or about 144,300 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
The Mall of America station is the busiest transit center in Minnesota, with bus and light rail service linking the Mall of America to many destinations in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metro. Public transit service is provided by Metro Transit and the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. The station is served by Metro Blue Line, Red Line, and D Line. The station previously hosted private shuttle services to hotels and Mystic Lake Casino until those services moved to a new charter bus terminal on the north side of the mall in 2015.
Lake Street is a major east-west thoroughfare between 29th and 31st streets in Minneapolis, Minnesota United States. From its western most end at the city's limits, Lake Street reaches the Chain of Lakes, passing over a small channel linking Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles, and at its eastern most end it reaches the Mississippi River. In May 2020, the Lake Street corridor suffered extensive damage during local unrest following the murder of George Floyd. In August of the same year, city officials designated East Lake Street as one of seven cultural districts to promote racial equity, preserve cultural identity, and promote economic growth.
Independent School District 196 is a K-12 public school district located in the south suburban Twin Cities, near both Minneapolis and St. Paul in Minnesota.
The Lake Conference a high school athletic conference with seven member high schools in the western and southwestern suburbs of the Twin Cities, Minnesota. It is affiliated with the Minnesota State High School League.
Minnesota's 2nd congressional district covers the south Twin Cities metro area and contains all of Scott, Dakota, and Le Sueur counties. It also contains part of northern and eastern Rice County including the city of Northfield, as well as southern Washington County including the city of Cottage Grove. Lakeville and Eagan are the largest cities in the district. Historically, for many decades in the mid 20th century the 2nd congressional district covered the southwest corner of the state, while the 1st congressional district covered most of this part of the state.
The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, also known by the acronym MVTA, is a public transportation agency that serves seven communities in the southern portion of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. The agency provides fixed-route and demand-responsive transit within the service area of the communities and to select destinations in the region.
SouthWest Transit is a public transportation agency that is based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The agency was formed in 1986 when the southwest Minneapolis suburbs of Chaska, Chanhassen, and Eden Prairie chose to opt out of the Metropolitan Transit Commission transit system in accordance with Minnesota State Statutes. Under a joint powers agreement between the three cities, they created their own transit system, SouthWest Metro Transit. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 446,400, or about 1,400 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024.
The Metro Red Line is a bus rapid transit line between the Twin Cities suburbs of Bloomington, Minnesota and Apple Valley, Minnesota. The Red Line travels primarily on Minnesota State Highway 77 and Cedar Avenue from the Apple Valley station in Apple Valley, north through Eagan, Minnesota, to the Mall of America station in Bloomington where it connects to the Metro Blue Line. The line has bus rapid transit elements including bus-only lanes, specially branded vehicles, transit signal priority, and dedicated stations.
Burnsville Transit Station is a transit facility located in the vicinity of downtown Burnsville, Minnesota, and is the flagship station of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA). The station is the busiest park and ride location in the Twin Cities region and offers approximately 1,400 parking spaces. It is also a major transfer hub for routes operating the south of the Minnesota River. The station has indoor climate-controlled waiting, restrooms, lost and found, drinking fountains, vending machines, Go-To card sales, newspaper racks, and transit information. Due to high park and ride demand, MVTA moved some service to the 370 space Heart of the City public ramp about a 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) south in 2018. The Metropolitan Council's 2021 park-and-ride system report found 267 cars parked at the station compared to 1,116 in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Metro Orange Line is a bus rapid transit line in the Twin Cities, Minnesota operated by Metro Transit. The line operates primarily along Interstate 35W from downtown Minneapolis through Richfield and Bloomington before terminating in Burnsville, Minnesota. The Orange Line provides access to 198,000 jobs with roughly a quarter of them outside downtown Minneapolis. The route serves a mix of stations located in the center of the highway, stations near highway exits, and on-street stations. The line has features typical of bus rapid transit systems with off-board fare payment, articulated buses with extra doors, stations with improved passenger amenities, and transit-only bus lanes on portions of the route.
The Eagan Transit Station is a transit facility located in Eagan, Minnesota. Riders also hail from the nearby communities of Mendota Heights and Northern Rosemount. The Park & Ride lot has 750 parking spaces for bus passengers and retail employees.
The Cedar Grove Transit Station is a transit facility in Eagan, Minnesota. It serves the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority bus system and the Metro Red Line bus rapid transit system. It opened March 20, 2010, in the Cedar Grove community.
The Kenrick Avenue Park and Ride is a 750-space parking ramp in Lakeville, Minnesota providing interchange for bus passengers.
I-35W & 46th Street station is a Metro Orange Line bus rapid transit station located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to the BRT service, the station is also served by Metro route 578. The station was constructed as part of the I-35W/Minnesota State Highway 62 Crosstown Commons reconstruction project and opened in 2010. Consisting of two levels, one on East 46th Street, and the other in the median of Interstate 35W, the station was the first of its kind in Minnesota. The station allows for transit routes operating on I-35W to stop for riders without leaving the region's high occupancy toll lane system. The station was designed in anticipation of full bus rapid transit service along I-35W to downtown Minneapolis, a vision that was realized in 2021 with the opening of the Metro Orange Line. The station cost $4.5 million to build.
I-35W & Lake Street station is a bus rapid transit station along the Metro Orange Line and planned B Line bus rapid transit (BRT) routes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to the BRT services, the station is also served by Metro route 578, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority routes 460, 465, 467, 470, 472, 475 and 477, along with SouthWest Transit routes 600 and 695.
Metro is a transit network in Minnesota serving the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. It also provides service to some suburban areas. As of 2022, the system consists of two light rail lines and five bus rapid transit (BRT) lines all of which are operated by the local public transit company: Metro Transit. The five lines connect Downtown Minneapolis and St Paul with Bloomington, Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, Roseville, Richfield, Burnsville and Brooklyn Center.
Burnsville Heart of the City is a bus rapid transit station along the Metro Orange Line and its southern terminal. The station is located at the corner of Minnesota State Highway 13 in the downtown of Burnsville, Minnesota. The station is located between Minnesota Valley Transit Authority's (MVTA) Burnsville Transit Station and Heart of the City Park and Ride, providing bus connections and park and ride capacity.
