Eagan ( EE-gən) is a suburban city in Dakota County, Minnesota. The city is south of Saint Paul and lies on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. Eagan and its nearby suburbs form the southernmost part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. Eagan's population was 68,855 at the time of the 2020 census. The city's influence in the region grew when Northwest Airlines (now Delta Air Lines) and West Publishing (now Thomson Reuters) established their headquarters there.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Gallery
Economy
- Top employers
Sports
Education
Notable people
See also

History

Eagan was named for Patrick Eagan who was the first chairman of the town board of supervisors. Patrick Eagan tamed a 220-acre (0.89 km²) 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.

Eagan was also infamously visited by the "20th hijacker" of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Zacarias Moussaoui, prior to the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Moussaoui attempted to complete flight training school, but was ultimately refused service by local resident Tim Nelson.

In 2012, Eagan was ranked as the fourteenth best place in the United States to live by Money Magazine.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.43 square miles (86.58 km²), of which 31.12 square miles (80.60 km²) is land and 2.31 square miles (5.98 km²) is water.

Interstate Highway 35E, Interstate Highway 494, Minnesota Highways 13, 55, 77, and 149 are six of the main routes in Eagan.

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 (3 km) greenway connecting the park with Lebanon Hills Regional Park.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1860	565	—
1870	670	18.6%
1880	645	−3.7%
1890	743	15.2%
1900	898	20.9%
1910	899	0.1%
1920	857	−4.7%
1930	852	−0.6%
1940	915	7.4%
1950	1,185	29.5%
1960	3,382	185.4%
1970	10,398	207.5%
1980	20,700	99.1%
1990	47,409	129.0%
2000	63,557	34.1%
2010	64,206	1.0%
2020	68,855	7.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 64,206 people, 25,249 households, and 16,884 families living in the city. The population density was 2,063.2 inhabitants per square mile (796.6/km²). There were 26,414 housing units at an average density of 848.8 per square mile (327.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.5% White, 5.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 7.9% Asian, 1.7% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 25,249 households, of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. Of all households 25.9% were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the city was 36.8 years. Of residents 25.5% were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.1% were from 25 to 44; 30.9% were from 45 to 64; and 7.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

Gallery

Modern City Hall Building
Cascade Bay
Civic Arena

Economy

Northwest Airlines headquarters in Eagan, now site of the Minnesota Vikings practice facilities

Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, home of the Minnesota Vikings practice facilities

Eagan is home to legal publisher West, part of Thomson Reuters (7,350 employees), Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota (3,900 employees), Scantron, and Coca-Cola's Midwest bottling facility (900 employees). The sparsely populated northern portions of the city, being convenient to freeways and MSP Airport, are also home to a number of warehouses and distribution centers, including Minnesota's largest UPS hub (1,400 employees).

Regional Elite Airline Services, Universal Cooperatives and Buffets, Inc. are also headquartered in Eagan.

Northwest Airlines had its headquarters in Eagan. After Northwest merged with Delta, the Northwest headquarters was disestablished. Todd Klingel, president of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, said that losing Northwest, a Fortune 500 company, would be "certainly a blow." He added, "But it's been expected for so long. Let's get on with it. The key is what can we do to minimize the loss to Minnesota." Mesaba Airlines employed around 1,830 people when it closed in 2011.

The Minnesota Vikings relocated their headquarters from Eden Prairie to Eagan, at the site of the former Northwest Airlines headquarters. The complex can be seen from Interstate 494. and is also home to the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, which serves as the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility. The facility is 277,000 square feet and includes an outdoor field that seats 6,500 fans. Fans can tour the facility or watch the daily activities on one of the six live action cameras around the stadium.

Top employers

According to Eagan's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, its top employers were:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Thomson Reuters (formerly West)	6,500
2	Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota	3,250
3	United States Postal Service	2,000 (estimated)
4	United Parcel Service	1,700
5	Ecolab	1,200
6	Coca-Cola Refreshments	875
7	Prime Therapeutics	800
8	Wells Fargo Home Mortgage	750
9	City of Eagan	582
10	Argosy University	380

Sports

The Minnesota Vikings built the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, a training facility for year-round use that opened in 2018. It features a stadium and six practice fields. The Vikings have announced a partnership with the Minnesota State High School League to host competitions at the venue.

Education

Colleges and universities

Rasmussen College

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Eagan is served by three school districts: Independent School District 191, Independent School District 196, and Independent School District 197. Some students choose to attend public schools in other school districts, as permitted under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.

High schools

Eagan High School (196)

Middle schools

Blackhawk Middle School (196)
Dakota Hills Middle School (196)

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 Community School (196)
Rahn Elementary School (191)
Red Pine Elementary School (196)
Sioux Trail Elementary School (191)
Woodland Elementary School (196)

Private schools

Faithful Shepherd Catholic School
Trinity Lone Oak Lutheran School
Trinity at River Ridge

• Denotes schools located outside of Eagan with attendance boundaries that cover part of the city.

Public libraries

Wescott Library

The Dakota County Library operates the Wescott Library in Eagan. The library houses the headquarters of Dakota County Library.

Notable people

Patricia Anderson, 17th Minnesota State Auditor and former mayor of Eagan
Tim Commers, Minnesota state legislator and realtor
Angie Craig, US representative for Minnesota's 2nd congressional district
Natalie Darwitz, three time Olympic hockey player
Nicholas David, American Soul singer and 3rd place finalist on NBC's The Voice
Doron Jensen, founder of Timber Lodge Steakhouse
Sona Mehring, businesswoman and the founder and CEO of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization CaringBridge
Laura Osnes, singer and actress
Mary Anderson Pawlenty, First Lady of Minnesota and Judge of the District Court of Minnesota
Tim Pawlenty, 39th Governor of Minnesota
Lori Swanson, former Attorney General of Minnesota
Mike Schneider, professional poker player
Doug Wardlow, Minnesota state legislator
Tim Vakoc, former associate pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church and first U.S. military chaplain to die from wounds received in the Iraq War
Zach Zenner, NFL running back for the Detroit Lions

Eagan, Minnesota facts for kids

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