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Dakota County, Minnesota
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dakota County, Minnesota | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Minnesota |
|
 Minnesota's location in the USA |
|
| Statistics | |
| Founded | October 27, 1849 [1] |
|---|---|
| Seat | Hastings |
| Largest City | Eagan |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
586 sq mi (1,519 km²) 570 sq mi (1,475 km²) 17 sq mi (43 km²), 2.86% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
355,904 625/sq mi (241/km²) |
| Time zone | Central : UTC-6/-5 |
| Website: www.dakotacounty.us | |
| Named for: Named after the Dakota people. | |
Dakota County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2000, the population was 355,904. Its county seat is Hastings6. It is part of the Seven County Metro Area of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Contents |
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,519 km² (586 mi²). 1,475 km² (570 mi²) of it is land and 43 km² (17 mi²) of it (2.86%) is water.
- Chub Lake: in Eureka Township
- Crystal Lake in Burnsville, Minnesota
- Lake Byllesby: northern half is in Randolph Township; southern half is in Goodhue County
- Lake Marion in Lakeville, Minnesota
- Mud Hen Lakes: in Ravenna Township
- Thomas Lake in Eagan, Minnesota
- Thompson Lake in West Saint Paul, Minnesota
Dakota County is governed by the Board of Commissioners. The members of the Board are:
- Joseph Harris, District 1
- Kathleen Gaylord, District 2
- Thomas Egan, District 3
- Nancy Schouweiler, District 4
- Michael Turner, District 5
- Paul Krause, District 6
- Willis Braning, District 7
Dakota County also has an elected Sheriff (Don Gudmundson) and an elected County Attorney (James Backstrom). Additionally there are appointed boards for the library system, community development agency, and several advisory boards. Dakota County is also served by an elected board of their Soil and Water Conservation District.
Principal employees of Dakota County include (but are not limited to) County Administrator Brandt Richardson, Community Services Director Dave Rooney, Parks Director Steve Sullivan, and Court Administrator Van Bostrom.
- Ramsey County (north)
- Washington County (northeast)
- Pierce County, Wisconsin (east, across the Mississippi River)
- Goodhue County (southeast)
- Rice County (southwest)
- Scott County (west)
- Hennepin County (northwest)
As of the census² of 2000, there were 355,904 people, 131,151 households, and 94,035 families residing in the county. The population density was 241/km² (625/mi²). There were 133,750 housing units at an average density of 91/km² (235/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.36% White, 2.27% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. 2.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. About two thirds of the county's residents live in a cluster of large suburbs in the northwestern corner of the county: Burnsville, Lakeville, Apple Valley, Rosemount and Eagan.
There were 131,151 households out of which 40.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the county the population was spread out with 29.20% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 34.30% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $61,863, and the median income for a family was $71,062. Males had a median income of $46,827 versus $32,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,008. About 2.40% of families and 3.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.90% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.
| Cities | Townships | ||
|---|---|---|---|
† Hastings is in Dakota County; a part of the city extends into Washington County.
‡ Northfield is mainly in Rice County; a part of the city extends into Dakota County.
- Burnhaven Library in Burnsville, Minnesota
- Farmington Library in Farmington, Minnesota
- Galaxie Library in Apple Valley, Minnesota
- Heritage Library in Lakeville, Minnesota
- Inver Glen Library in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
- Pleasant Hill Library in Hastings, Minnesota
- City of South St. Paul Library in South St. Paul, Minnesota
- Wentworth Library in West St. Paul, Minnesota
- Wescott Library in Eagan, Minnesota
- Big Rivers Regional Trail in Mendota Heights, Minnesota
- Lake Byllesby Regional Park in Cannon Falls, Minnesota
- Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, Minnesota/Apple Valley, Minnesota
- Miesville Ravine Park Reserve in Miesville, Minnesota
- Dakota Woods Dog Park in Empire Township, Minnesota
- Spring Lake Park Reserve in Hastings, Minnesota/Rosemount, Minnesota
- Thompson County Park in West St. Paul, Minnesota
- Dakota County Bikeway System
