Dakota County, Minnesota
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About Dakota County
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 455,710 in 2025. The county seat is Hastings. Dakota County is named for the Dakota Sioux tribal bands who inhabited the area. The name is recorded as "Dahkotah" in the United States Census records until 1851. 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.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dakota County at a glance
- County seat
- Hastings
- Population
- 439,882 (2020)
- Land area
- 586 sq mi
- Founded
- 1849
Largest communities in Dakota County
- Lakeville69,490
- Eagan68,855
- Burnsville64,317
- Apple Valley56,374
- Inver Grove Heights35,801
History of Dakota County
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 Mendota 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.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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This is the Dakota County page of Minnesota Voter Check, a project of True the Vote, pointing Minnesota voters at the official tools that already exist — and at Scan Check Protect to verify your registration.
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