RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Minnesota >> Dakota County  

Welcome to Dakota County ...

Time Zone: Dakota County lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Hastings is the Seat for Dakota County.

Dakota County is one of the original counties of Minnesota and was founded in 1849.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Dakota had a population of 429,021 people. This is an increase of 7.47% since the last Census (which gave a population of 399,211 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Dakota represented 7.53% of the total population of Minnesota.

Below are some of the communities located in Dakota County:

  • Apple Valley
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apple Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Valley
    • Apple Valley is located in Dakota County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,847 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apple Valley <3>
  • Burnsville
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnsville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
    • Burnsville is located in Dakota County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 62,170 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burnsville <3>
  • Coates
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coates have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coates
    • Coates is located in Dakota County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
  • Eagan
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagan
    • Eagan is located in Dakota County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 65,975 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagan <3>
  • Farmington
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Hampton
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Hastings
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hastings
    • Hastings is located in Dakota County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 22,889 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hastings <3>
  • Inver Grove Heights
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Inver Grove Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Inver Grove Heights
    • Inver Grove Heights is located in Dakota County (MN)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 35,776 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Inver Grove Heights <3>
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Lakeville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Lilydale
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lilydale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilydale
      • Lilydale is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
    • Mendota
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Mendota Heights
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mendota Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendota Heights
      • Mendota Heights is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,433 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mendota Heights <3>
    • Miesville
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Miesville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Miesville
      • Miesville is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Miesville <3>
    • New Trier
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Trier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Trier
      • New Trier is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 106 people
    • Randolph
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Randolph
      • Randolph is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 444 people
    • Rosemount
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosemount have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemount
      • Rosemount is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,798 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosemount <3>
    • South Saint Paul
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Sunfish Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sunfish Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sunfish Lake
      • Sunfish Lake is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 551 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sunfish Lake <3>
    • Vermillion
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vermillion have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vermillion
      • Vermillion is located in Dakota County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vermillion <3>
    • West Saint Paul
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
 

Copyright 2025
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 20 Mar 2025