Eagan is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, and is a thriving suburb of the Twin Cities
metropolitan area located approximately 15 miles southeast of downtown Minneapolis. As of the 2000 census, the city
had a total population of 63,557, and is the eighth most populous city in Minnesota. Eagan is home to the Northwest Airlines headquarters as well as Thomson
North American Legal unit, a legal information and publishing giant. The local institution for secondary education,
Eagan High School, has been twice named a "Nationally Recognized School of
Excellence". In 2006, it was rated the 12th best place to live in the United States by Money
Magazine.[1] The city of Eagan once offered free
land to anyone willing to build a church within the city limits,[citation needed] and, as a result, is now home to many congregations.
History
Eagan was named for Patrick Eagan who was the first chairman of the town board of supervisors. Patrick Eagan tamed a
220 acre parcel of land near the present-day town hall. Eagan (born 1811) and his wife Margaret Twohy (born 1816), emigrated
from Tipperary, Ireland to Troy, New York where they married in 1843. They arrived in Mendota around 1853-1854, before settling in the Eagan area.[2]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 86.6 km² (33.4 mi²). 83.7 km² (32.3 mi²) of it
is land and 2.9 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (3.38%) is water.
The Eagan Core Greenway is an ongoing-project to preserve Eagan's environmentally-sensitive green space, with particular
emphasis on Patrick Eagan Park and a two-mile greenway connecting the park with Lebanon Hills Regional Park.[3]
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were
63,557 people, 23,773 households, and 16,427 families residing in the city. The population
density was 759.3/km² (1,967.6/mi²). There were 24,390 housing units at an average density of 291.5/km² (755.1/mi²). The
racial makeup of the city was 88.03% White, 3.41%
African American, 0.26% Native American, 5.31% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.96% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.24% of the population.
There were 23,773 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were
non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.23.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.0% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 38.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from
45 to 64, and 4.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $67,388, and the median income for a family was $80,062. Males had a median
income of $52,029 versus $35,641 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$30,167. About 1.9% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Eagan's municipal government is a Type A Statutory City, which provides for a Council size of 5 members, one of whom is a
"weak" mayor. Eagan's Mayor is Mike Maguire. The Council Members are Paul Bakken, Peggy Carlson, Cyndee Fields, and Meg
Tilley.
Eagan is located in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district,
represented by John Kline, a Republican, scoring 2.8% progressive on a range
of issues[4] and 88% conservative based on 2006
House votes.[5]
Eagan is represented in the state legislature by Sandra "Sandy" Masin. She represents Minnesota Legislative District 38A which
includes the scenic northern and western sections of Eagan, and also includes an important section of Burnsville. After serving
on the Eagan City Council for almost a decade, her strongest desire was to give her community a strong position at the state
level.
Notability
Eagan has received national attention for various reasons. Among them are:
Notable natives
Education
Colleges and Universities
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Eagan is served by three school districts: Independent School District 191, Independent School District 196, & Independent School
District 197.
High schools
Middle schools
Elementary schools
- Deerwood Elementary School (196)
- Glacier Hills Elementary School (196)
- Northview Elementary School (196)
- Oak Ridge Elementary School (196)
- Pilot Knob Elementary School (197)
- Pinewood Elementary School (196)
- Rahn Elementary School (191)
- Red Pine Elementary School (196)
- Thomas Lake Elementary School (196)
- Woodland Elementary School (196)
† Denotes schools located outside of Eagan with attendance boundaries that cover part of the city.
Gallery of images
Modern City Hall Building
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Dakota County Library - Wescott Branch
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References
External links
Coordinates:
44.818871° N 93.167187°
W
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