Lakeville /ˈleɪkvɪl/ is an exurb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the largest city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul^[5] along Interstate Highway 35. Starting as a flourishing milling center, its agriculture industry and other major industries are still in operation. Lakeville is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Twin Cities area.^[6] The population was 69,490 at the 2020 census.^[3] making it Minnesota's tenth most populous city.

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Lakeville, Minnesota
City
Lakeville City Hall
Location within Dakota County, Minnesota
Location of Lakeville City Hall within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area
Coordinates: 44°38′59″N 93°14′33″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Dakota
Founded	1855
Established	1858
Incorporated	1967
Founded by	J. J. Brackett
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	Luke Hellier
Area [1]
• City	38.35 sq mi (99.33 km2)
• Land	36.59 sq mi (94.78 km2)
• Water	1.76 sq mi (4.55 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,086 ft (331 m)
Population  (2020)[3]
• City	69,490
• Estimate  (2022)[4]	74,553
• Rank	US: 498th MN: 9th
• Density	1,898.95/sq mi (733.19/km2)
• Metro	3,693,729 (US: 16th)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	55044
Area code	952
FIPS code	27-35180
GNIS feature ID	2395614[2]
Website	lakevillemn.gov

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Lakeville first became notable in 1910 when Marion Savage built the Dan Patch Railroad Line to service his Antlers Amusement Park.^[7] While many of Lakeville's workers commute northward to Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and more central suburbs like Bloomington, Lakeville has had major industry since the 1960s—including the Airlake Industrial Park, which is served by Airlake Airport, a regional reliever airport.

A military road was constructed between Fort Snelling and forts to the south.^[which?] In 1855, J. J. Brackett, a Saint Paul lumber baron and mail carrier using the road, decided to plant a site halfway between Saint Paul and Saint Peter on a lake he named Prairie Lake. The village was established as Lakeville Township in 1858.^[8] Notoriety came when Colonel Marion Savage expanded his entertainment business by constructing Antlers Amusement Park in 1910. Riding on fame from his success with the Dan Patch racing horse and the park's popularity, the lake was renamed Lake Marion, and the rail line servicing the park named the Dan Patch Railroad Line.^[9]

With the mostly rural landscape, early settlers were farmers. A high percentage were Scandinavian. Other ethnic groups included Irish, Scots, and English, each of whom had spread out from Hamilton Landing and Burnsville. In Karen Miller's diary from 1840 to 1895, Danes reportedly outnumbered Norwegians; travel to Minneapolis was not uncommon for the rural township.^[10] Enggren's Grocery was a downtown staple since 1900 until it closed in 2006.^[11]

Lakeville's development later in the 20th century followed the typical pattern for the outer-ring suburban Twin Cities. The town was officially incorporated as the City of Lakeville in 1967. It remained primarily agricultural, as postwar development did not immediately absorb Lakeville (as well as Interstate 35's later completion date). In the early 21st century, housing and population increases were due to rising land costs in the metropolitan area, causing Lakeville to become a boomtown.^{[citation needed]}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.83 square miles (97.98 km²), of which 36.06 square miles (93.39 km²) is land and 1.77 square miles (4.58 km²) is water.^[12] Lakeville includes the Argonne Farms post-World War I settlement project which failed in the early 20th century and was redeveloped in the 21st century into typical suburban retail. Since it was a semi-autonomous village within Lakeville Township before the city's incorporation, it continues to appear today on maps as Argonne.^[13]

A branch of the Vermillion River flows through Lakeville. Its headwaters are just west of the city limits in Credit River Township, and it flows eastward across Dakota County until it empties into the Mississippi River at the Wisconsin border. Much of Lakeville drains into the Vermillion River watershed. North Creek, a major tributary of the Vermillion, begins its flow in northern Lakeville and flows eastward to meet the Vermillion near downtown Farmington just east of Lakeville. The Vermillion River has been designated as a trout stream by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Airlake Industrial Park, developed by Maynard Johnson with colleagues at Bloomington-based Hitchcock Industries, is home to as many as 200 companies and an estimated 4,500 employees. The 1,500-acre park, one of the state's largest contiguous industrial parks, has attracted companies ranging from start-ups to large corporations.^[17]

Airlake Industrial Park was a contrived name – “air” represented the airport that Hitchcock Industries built on the grounds and “lake” signified nearby Lake Marion.^[18]

Lakeville is served by the Airlake Airport, which has a single runway with an ILS approach. The airport is managed by the Metropolitan Airports Commission as a reliever facility to draw general aviation traffic. The FAA operates the Minneapolis ARTCC (air route traffic control center) in Farmington, several miles away from the airport. This center provides traffic control services for Minnesota and surrounding states.

Large farms are still in operation, producing most of their revenue in corn, soybeans, and dairy cattle.

Post Consumer Brands has its headquarters in Lakeville since 2015.

Lakeville has many recreational opportunities. As of 2020, Lakeville boasts 3,021 acres of parks, recreation and preserves.^[19] The Parks & Recreation Department maintains a total of 62 public properties, including neighborhood and community parks, athletic fields, playgrounds, greenways, trails, tennis courts, skating rinks, picnic areas, conservation areas, nature areas, several public fishing areas, swimming beaches, the City's Central Maintenance Facility, Senior Center, and the Lakeville Area Arts Center. Notable parks include Ritter Farm Park, North Park, Antlers Park, King Park, Valley Lake Park, and Aronson Park, which features a Veterans Memorial.

Antlers Park features a large swimming beach with volleyball courts, baseball diamonds, a playground area, water equipment, a picnic area, a fishing pier, and horseshoe pits. Orchard Lake Beach has a picnic area, shore fishing, playground equipment, and volleyball courts. Valley Lake Beach includes playground equipment, a picnic area, a walking trail around the lake, a fishing pier and seasonal restrooms.

The city of Lakeville is governed by a five-member city council, including a mayor, although a City Administrator runs day-to-day municipal operations. A professional police force and volunteer fire department protect the city's residents. The city operates a large parks department which includes a senior center, an entertainment center, dozens of various neighborhood and community parks, and many miles of multipurpose trails.

Luke Hellier is the mayor of Lakeville. The city is in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, represented since 2019 by Angie Craig. Lakeville is represented in the Minnesota Senate by District 57 Senator Zach Duckworth. In the Minnesota House, Lakeville is represented by District 57A Representative Jon Koznick, and District 57B Representative Jeff Witte.

The city is served by three different school districts, whose boundaries were determined while the community was largely agricultural. Today Independent School District 196 ("Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan") and Farmington School District 192 serve parts of northern and eastern Lakeville. Most Lakeville households are served by Lakeville Area School District 194. In the fall of 2005, the Lakeville School District opened its second high school, Lakeville South. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.^[35] Lakeville North was a Blue Ribbon school of excellence in 2009.^[36][37] Each high school has nearly 2,000 students.^[38] There are eight public elementary schools^[39] and three public middle schools. Century Middle School students go on to attend Lakeville North,^[40] McGuire Middle School students go on to attend Lakeville South,^[41] and Kenwood Middle School students attend either school, depending on their neighborhood of residence.^[42][43]

• Lakeville Sun Thisweek^[44]
• Farm Show newspaper has been published from Lakeville since 1976^[45]

• Elisabeth Bachman, Olympic volleyball player
• Rachel Banham, University of Minnesota basketball player and WNBA player for the Connecticut Sun
• Bradley Ellingboe, composer
• Robert C. Jensen, Minnesota state legislator and farmer
• Kevin Kaesviharn, pro football player
• John Kline, U.S. Representative
• Paul Krause, Pro Football Hall of Famer, played for Minnesota Vikings
• Chelsea Laden, ice hockey goaltender, and reality-TV star^[47]
• Charlie Lindgren, professional ice hockey goaltender for the Washington Capitals
• Matt Little, Minnesota state senator and attorney
• Bill Macklin, Minnesota state legislator, judge, and lawyer
• J.P. Macura, Charlotte Hornets basketball player
• Joey Miller, NASCAR driver
• Jake Oettinger, professional ice hockey goaltender for the Dallas Stars
• Janelle Pierzina, Big Brother contestant
• Ryan Poehling, professional ice hockey player for the Philadelphia Flyers
• Joseph Andrew Quinn, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer
• Jordan Schroeder, professional ice hockey player for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers of the National League
• Brady Skjei, professional ice hockey player for the Carolina Hurricanes
• Regan Smith, Olympic swimmer^[48]
• Steve Strachan, former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and former chief of the Lakeville Police Department