Dakota County is 587 square miles in area and has a population of
approximately 400,000. Situated in the southeast corner of the Twin
Cities Metropolitan area, it is the third most populous county in the
state of Minnesota.
Dakota County maintains a land use mixture of 1/3 urban, 1/3
suburban, and 1/3 rural. This combination of land use and the confluence
of two major rivers (the Mississippi and Minnesota) that form the
county's northern and eastern borders makes Dakota County a unique
geographic area.
Founded in 1849, Dakota County was one of the
original nine counties created by the Minnesota Territory Legislature.
Thus, it was established before Minnesota was considered a state. The
County seat moved to Hastings in 1857, where it has remained.
Between
1990 and 2000, Dakota County's population grew by nearly 30 percent. In
recent years, second and third ring communities in Dakota County
(Burnsville, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Apple Valley, Farmington,
Lakeville and Rosemount) have dramatically increased in population as
development continues to move outwards from the urban core of
Minneapolis and St. Paul, into suburban municipalities.
Dakota County is 587 square miles in area and has a population of approximately 400,000. Situated in the southeast corner of the Twin Cities Metropolitan area, it is the third most populous county in the state of Minnesota. Dakota County…