Dakota County | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 44°41′N93°04′W / 44.68°N 93.06°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Minnesota |
Founded | October 27, 1849 [1] |
Named for | Dakota people |
Seat | Hastings |
Largest city | Lakeville |
Area | |
• Total | 587 sq mi (1,520 km2) |
• Land | 562 sq mi (1,460 km2) |
• Water | 25 sq mi (60 km2) 4.2% |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 439,882 |
• Estimate (2023) | 447,440 |
• Density | 750/sq mi (290/km2) |
Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
Congressional district | 2nd |
Website | www |
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. [2] The county seat is Hastings. [3] Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area. [4] The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. [5] 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.
The county was the site of historical events at Mendota that defined the state's future, including providing materials for the construction of Fort Snelling across the river and the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux which ceded land from the native Dakota nation for the Minnesota Territory. The county's history was initially tied to the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, both strategically important for United States expansion and as the convergence of the Dakota and Ojibwe nations who regarded the site as sacred. Influence shifted westward during the post-World War II settlement boom when Interstate 35 connected the western half of the county to Minneapolis and Saint Paul and bedroom communities grew. Most work outside the county but like many metro counties, Dakota County continues to absorb industry and jobs from the core cities. [4] [6]
In the 1600s, Mdewakanton Dakota fled their ancestral home of Mille Lacs Lake in northern Minnesota in response to westward expansion of the Ojibwe nation. [11] According to Dakota tradition, their ancestors pushed out the Iowa who were found settled at the mouth of the Minnesota River. [12] In 1680, the Mdewakanton Dakota were contacted by French explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, and the Mendota (mdo-TE) band of the Mdewakanton south of the Minnesota River were contacted by Joseph Nicollet in the 18th century. [13] While Taoyateduta (a.k.a. Little Crow) led the Mendota in northern Dakota County, upstream to the southwest, Chief Black Dog established his village of 600 people around 1750 at the isthmus between Black Dog Lake (which is named after him) and the Minnesota River, near the present site of the Black Dog Power Plant. [11] [14]
Following the published expeditions of explorers, in 1805, Zebulon Pike negotiated for military territory with the Mendota band which included land in Dakota County at the Mississippi River confluences with the Minnesota and St. Croix Rivers. [15] In 1819, on what is now Picnic Island on the south bank of the Minnesota River, Colonel Henry Leavenworth built a stockade fort called "St. Peter's Cantonment" or "New Hope," where materials were assembled for the construction of Fort Snelling to be built on the bluff on the north bank. [16] Permanent settlement on the island was impossible due to annual flooding. Alexis Bailey built some log buildings nearby to trade in furs in 1826. Henry Hastings Sibley later built the first stone house in Minnesota in 1836, overlooking Fort Snelling. Sibley was a partner in the American Fur Company, and considerable fur trade occurred at Mendota due to the accessibility of the confluence.
Ongoing United States expansion into the then "Northwest Territory" led to government purchase of land from the Dakota people (the Mdewakanton, Wahpekute, Wahpeton, and Sisseton bands) via the Treaty of St. Peters, the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, [17] [18] and the Treaty of Mendota in 1851. [19] After the Minnesota Territory was established in 1849, Dakotah County (later Dakota County) spanned from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River. [20] By the time Minnesota achieved statehood in 1858, power and influence had shifted from Mendota, across the rivers to Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
By 1900, the hub of activity in the county was in Hastings, the county seat, and a focal point of transportation, communication, and commerce. St. Peter's, now Mendota, had lost out to Fort Snelling. Hastings is located on the Mississippi River at the confluence of the St. Croix River and on the Vermillion River, which provided ample water power. Lumber, milling, and railroads provided good incomes. During this time, the stockyards and meat-packing plants in South St. Paul, Minnesota became the world's largest stockyards. [21] Ranchers in the west shipped their livestock to St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans. [22] These plants were worked by immigrants from Romania, Serbia, and other Eastern European countries. [23] The rest of the county remained agricultural during the boom of milling activity north of the Minnesota River due to lack of bridge connections. Rail access came in 1866 via the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Railroad which shipped grain to millers. [24] The Minneapolis St. Paul Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company line in 1905 (now the Dan Patch Corridor), was primary for passengers going to resorts in Burnsville and Lakeville. [25]
By the 1950s, population growth shifted to western Dakota County, which had been predominantly Irish and Scottish extending southward toward the Scandinavians of Southern Minnesota. [26] [27] As population pressures expanded south from Minneapolis and Bloomington, the completion of Interstate 35W and 35E brought about major construction in the post-World War II period, turning villages into cities within 20 years. Burnsville, Apple Valley, Eagan, and Lakeville brought over 200,000 people into the county by the end of the century. The Western and Northern Service Centers were constructed in the early 1990s each with an additional courthouse location. License centers were subsequently set up in Burnsville and Lakeville. Though pressure remained since the postwar boom to move the county seat to a larger community, the Dakota County Board maintained the seat in Hastings, while providing government services across the county. [28]
The Registered Historic Places in the county include the settlement at Mendota, the homes of well-heeled residents of Hastings, the ethnic gathering places in South Saint Paul, and other sites related to life on the prairie.
Dakota County is governed by the Board of Commissioners. The members of the Board as of May 7, 2023, are:
Dakota County has an elected Sheriff (Joe Leko) and an elected County Attorney (Kathryn M. Keena). There are appointed boards for the library system, community development agency, and several advisory boards. Dakota County is served by an elected board of the Soil and Water Conservation District.
Dakota County voters tend to vote Democratic. Since 1960, the county has selected the Democratic Party candidate in 71% of national elections (as of 2020).
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2024 | 109,995 | 42.34% | 143,267 | 55.14% | 6,543 | 2.52% |
2020 | 109,638 | 41.81% | 146,155 | 55.73% | 6,466 | 2.47% |
2016 | 99,864 | 43.07% | 110,592 | 47.70% | 21,404 | 9.23% |
2012 | 109,516 | 47.45% | 116,255 | 50.37% | 5,050 | 2.19% |
2008 | 104,364 | 46.29% | 116,778 | 51.79% | 4,330 | 1.92% |
2004 | 108,959 | 50.48% | 104,635 | 48.48% | 2,252 | 1.04% |
2000 | 87,250 | 47.87% | 85,446 | 46.88% | 9,553 | 5.24% |
1996 | 57,244 | 37.11% | 77,297 | 50.11% | 19,725 | 12.79% |
1992 | 52,312 | 33.30% | 63,660 | 40.53% | 41,108 | 26.17% |
1988 | 61,606 | 49.45% | 61,942 | 49.72% | 1,032 | 0.83% |
1984 | 55,119 | 52.54% | 49,125 | 46.83% | 667 | 0.64% |
1980 | 40,708 | 42.96% | 43,433 | 45.84% | 10,614 | 11.20% |
1976 | 37,542 | 44.65% | 44,253 | 52.63% | 2,285 | 2.72% |
1972 | 34,967 | 53.96% | 28,479 | 43.95% | 1,350 | 2.08% |
1968 | 19,290 | 38.65% | 28,416 | 56.94% | 2,202 | 4.41% |
1964 | 13,856 | 32.73% | 28,391 | 67.07% | 81 | 0.19% |
1960 | 15,032 | 42.62% | 20,150 | 57.13% | 91 | 0.26% |
1956 | 13,112 | 50.74% | 12,672 | 49.04% | 55 | 0.21% |
1952 | 11,871 | 49.71% | 11,890 | 49.79% | 118 | 0.49% |
1948 | 6,819 | 34.75% | 12,487 | 63.63% | 317 | 1.62% |
1944 | 7,731 | 47.13% | 8,562 | 52.20% | 110 | 0.67% |
1940 | 8,339 | 47.00% | 9,327 | 52.57% | 77 | 0.43% |
1936 | 4,043 | 26.26% | 8,890 | 57.73% | 2,465 | 16.01% |
1932 | 4,439 | 32.56% | 8,958 | 65.70% | 238 | 1.75% |
1928 | 6,019 | 45.18% | 7,215 | 54.15% | 89 | 0.67% |
1924 | 3,931 | 42.34% | 929 | 10.01% | 4,424 | 47.65% |
1920 | 5,373 | 66.45% | 2,190 | 27.08% | 523 | 6.47% |
1916 | 1,881 | 41.73% | 2,373 | 52.64% | 254 | 5.63% |
1912 | 609 | 14.20% | 1,777 | 41.42% | 1,904 | 44.38% |
1908 | 2,481 | 55.07% | 1,778 | 39.47% | 246 | 5.46% |
1904 | 2,685 | 68.69% | 1,078 | 27.58% | 146 | 3.73% |
1900 | 1,904 | 47.64% | 1,878 | 46.99% | 215 | 5.38% |
1896 | 2,147 | 46.41% | 2,310 | 49.94% | 169 | 3.65% |
1892 | 1,481 | 37.95% | 1,989 | 50.97% | 432 | 11.07% |
The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, sloping to the river valleys. Its highest point is at Buck Hill in Burnsville, at 1,168 feet above sea level. [31] [32] The county has a total area of 587 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 562 square miles (1,460 km2) is land and 25 square miles (65 km2) (4.2%) is water. [33]
The northern and eastern boundaries of Dakota County are marked by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Management and jurisdiction of the rivers falls into multiple local, State and Federal agencies. Most of the Minnesota River bank is under the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge with fish, wildlife, and parkland managed collectively by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District assists the county's six watershed management organizations (WMO) which include the Black Dog WMO, Gun Club Lake WMO, Lower Minnesota River Watershed District, Lower Mississippi WMO, North Cannon River WMO, and the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization. [34] [35] [36]
Eagan
Eureka Township
Hastings
Lakeville
Lilydale
Randolph Township
Ravenna Township
Rosemount
West Saint Paul
South St. Paul
Apple Valley
The following protected areas are within or partially within Dakota County: [31]
The following parks are located within Dakota County: [31]
Since the county grew as a bedroom community of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, over half of the residents (54%) work outside the county. [6]
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1850 | 584 | — | |
1860 | 9,093 | 1,457.0% | |
1870 | 16,312 | 79.4% | |
1880 | 17,391 | 6.6% | |
1890 | 20,240 | 16.4% | |
1900 | 21,733 | 7.4% | |
1910 | 25,171 | 15.8% | |
1920 | 28,967 | 15.1% | |
1930 | 34,592 | 19.4% | |
1940 | 39,660 | 14.7% | |
1950 | 49,019 | 23.6% | |
1960 | 78,303 | 59.7% | |
1970 | 139,808 | 78.5% | |
1980 | 194,279 | 39.0% | |
1990 | 275,227 | 41.7% | |
2000 | 355,904 | 29.3% | |
2010 | 398,552 | 12.0% | |
2020 | 439,882 | 10.4% | |
2023 (est.) | 447,440 | [37] | 1.7% |
U.S. Decennial Census [38] 1790-1960 [39] 1900-1990 [40] 1990-2000 [41] 2010-2020 [2] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2010 [42] | Pop 2020 [43] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH) | 327,962 | 323,629 | 82.29% | 73.57% |
Black or African American alone (NH) | 18,235 | 32,191 | 4.58% | 7.32% |
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 1,339 | 1,490 | 0.34% | 0.34% |
Asian alone (NH) | 17,350 | 23,932 | 4.35% | 5.44% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 199 | 184 | 0.05% | 0.04% |
Some Other Race alone (NH) | 647 | 2,144 | 0.16% | 0.49% |
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial (NH) | 8,854 | 20,007 | 2.22% | 4.55% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 23,966 | 36,305 | 6.01% | 8.25% |
Total | 398,552 | 439,882 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
As of the census of 2010, Dakota County had a population of 398,552, of which 195,661 (49.1%) were male and 202,891 (50.9%) were female. In terms of age, 76.7% of the population were 16 years and over, 73.6% were 18 years and over, 70.5% were 21 years and over, 12.8% were 62 years and over, and 10.0% were 65 years and over. The median age was 36.8 years. The median age for males was 35.7; the median age for females was 37.9.
In terms of race and ethnicity, the county was 85.2% White (82.3% Non-Hispanic White), 4.7% Black or African American, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 4.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.4% from some other race, and 2.9% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race made up 6.0% of the population.
In terms of households, 69.5% were family households and 30.5% were non-family households. Approximately 55.2% were husband-wife family households; 26% had children under 18 years of age. Approximately 36.6% of households had children under 18 years of age living in them; 18.6% had people over the age of 65 living in them. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12. In terms of housing occupancy, 95.3% of households were occupied and 4.7% were vacant. Of the vacant housing units, 2.0% were for rent, 0.1% were rented but not occupied, 1.2% were for sale only, 0.2% were sold but not occupied, 0.5% were for seasonal, recreational, or occasional use, and 0.8% were all other vacants. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.1%. Of all occupied housing units, 76.5% were owner-occupied and 23.5% were renter-occupied. The population in owner-occupied units was 314,833; the average household size was 2.71. The population in renter-occupied units was 80,866; the average household size was 2.26.
Dakota County is home to the state's largest school districts and some of the highest paid Superintendents. [44] Nationally recognized Independent School District 196 (Rosemount–Apple Valley–Eagan) houses 28,000 and is the fourth largest school district in the state. [45] [46] Other districts include Independent School District 191 (Burnsville–Eagan–Savage School District), Independent School District 194 (Lakeville–Elko–New Market), Independent School District 197 (West St. Paul–Mendota Heights–Eagan) and Independent School District 200 (Hastings).
Dakota County is home to sites significant in the state's early history. At Mendota, the Treaty of Mendota was signed, opening Southern Minnesota to settlement, and prominent Saint Paul businessmen built their mansions there. Though linked with the state's capital for much of history via rail, Dakota County owes much of its current growth to the expansion of Minneapolis' population which accelerated during the post-World War II boom era of the 1960s. This demand for housing along with two major interstate highways linking Minneapolis (I-35W) and St. Paul (I-35E) to the county, concentrated major growth and demand along the northern end. Today, the cities of Burnsville, Eagan, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Rosemount, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, West St. Paul, and South St. Paul are synonymous with the Twin Cities, as being part of "the Cities." Both Burnsville and Eagan are nearly developed and have become more like independent cities attracting major development than mere residential bedroom suburbs. [47] [48]
In contrast, the southern part of Dakota County reflects the rural past with small towns such as Farmington, Coates, Vermillion, Hampton, Randolph, and Miesville where street grids and housing dating from the early 20th century can be found. Much of the county is self-contained except for two examples. The City of Hastings, the county seat, lies on both banks of the Mississippi River and was linked historically and physically by rail to the growing influence of the state's capital, Saint Paul. On the south border, the City of Northfield, technically in Rice County, has expanded north into Dakota however the city itself is allowed into the municipal sewer boundary.[ clarification needed ]
Though all of Dakota County is considered part of the metropolitan area and open to major development, the county government has steadily preserved farmland and continues to acquire new permanent natural lands in the southern townships. [49] This has further defined the boundaries between urbanized and rural which is starkly visible in the outskirts of the developed cities. While the center of population still lies north with more cosmopolitan residents, culturally Dakota County is a rural community and the Dakota County Fair is still a largely agricultural event, held annually in Farmington.
Most of northern Dakota County is referred to as "South of the River" for its location being south of the Minnesota River. [50] [51] [52] [53]
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.
Inver Grove Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 35,801 at the 2020 census. The city was formed on March 9, 1965, with the merger of the village of Inver Grove and Inver Grove Township.
Lakeville is an exurb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the largest city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is about 20 miles (32 km) south of both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul along Interstate 35. Lakeville was once a flourishing milling center; its agriculture industry and other major industries are still in operation. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Twin Cities area. The population was 69,490 at the 2020 census, making it Minnesota's tenth-most populous city.
Savage is a suburban city 15 miles (24 km) south-southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Scott County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city is on the south bank of the Minnesota River in a region commonly called South of the River, comprising the southern portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The population of Savage was 32,465 at the 2020 census.
Hastings is a city mostly in Dakota County, Minnesota, of which it is the county seat, with a portion in Washington County, Minnesota, United States. It is near the confluence of the Mississippi, Vermillion, and St. Croix Rivers. The population was 22,154 at the 2020 census. It is named for the first elected governor of Minnesota, Henry Hastings Sibley.
Minnesota State Highway 55 is a state highway that runs 221 miles (356 km) across the central part of state taking a diagonal route from its western most at the North Dakota state line near Tenney to its easternmost point at the intersection with U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) in Hastings. In Minneapolis and Golden Valley, portions of the route are also signed as Olson Memorial Highway.
County State-Aid Highway 42 (CSAH 42), usually called County Road 42 (CR 42), is a 33.347-mile-long (53.667 km) county highway in Dakota and Scott counties in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a primary arterial highway in the two counties. These two counties form the southernmost portion of the 13-county Twin Cities metropolitan area, although CSAH 42 travels across the northern reaches of the two counties.
Minnesota State Highway 13 is a 111.694-mile-long (179.754 km) highway in Minnesota that runs from its intersection with U.S. Highway 65 in Albert Lea to its northern terminus at its intersection with State Highway 149 at the West St. Paul / Saint Paul city boundary line.
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.
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.
Eagan is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota. It is south of Saint Paul and lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and the other nearby suburbs form the southern section of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. Eagan's population was 68,855 at the 2020 census. The city was home to the headquarters of Northwest Airlines.
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.
Minnesota Hockey is the statewide governing body of amateur hockey in Minnesota and an affiliate of USA Hockey. Since 1947, Minnesota Hockey has been providing volunteer services for the development and promotion of all youth hockey in Minnesota. Robert Ridder was the founding president of the MAHA, and affiliated the state group with the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States.
Independent School District 194 is a state and nationally recognized K-12 public school district located in Lakeville, Minnesota.
The Apple Valley Transit Station is a transit facility located in Apple Valley, Minnesota. It is owned by the City of Apple Valley and the MVTA. The transit station is near Cedar Avenue and Gaslight Drive. The station has capacity for 1,098 vehicles. It also serves the nearby communities of Lakeville and Farmington.
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.
Burnsville–Eagan–Savage is an independent school district in the U.S. state of Minnesota; it serves the city of Burnsville and parts of the neighboring cities of Savage and Eagan.
Dakota County Library is a public library in Dakota County, Minnesota, headquartered in the Wescott Library in Eagan. The system includes 10 locations.
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