Dakota County Minnesota Warrant Search

Dakota County, Minnesota Dakota County is the third most populous county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The county is bordered by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers on the north, and the state of Wisconsin on the east. Dakota County comprises the southeast portion of seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul, the thirteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States with about 3.2 million residents. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the population of Dakota County at 388,001 in 2006. The county seat is Hastings.The county is home to historical events at Mendota that defined the state's future which included providing materials for the construction of Fort Snelling across the river and the signing of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux which ceded land from native Dakota 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 Anishinaabe 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. Today, Dakota County has a population that rivals the city of Minneapolis. Most earn their living outside the county but like many metro counties is continuing to absorb more industry and jobs from the core cities.Dakota is named after the Dakota (or Sioux) Native Americans who were the previous predominant settlers of the area. The name is recorded Dahkotah in older U.S. Census records until 1851. History The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Iowa tribe of the Sioux people who migrated southwest from the Great Lakes area. The Mdewakanton Dakota fled their ancestral home of Mille Lacs Lake in northern Minnesota in response to westward expansion of the Ojibway nation. According to Dakota tradition, their ancestors pushed out the Iowa who were found settled at the mouth of the Minnesota River. Later, the Mdewakanton Dakota were contacted by French explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut in 1680 but the Mendota (mdo-TE) band of the Mdewakanton south of the Minnesota River were contacted later by Joseph Nicollet in the 18th century. While Taoyateduta (a.k.a. Little Crow) led the Mendota in northern Dakota County, upstream to the southwest, Chief Black Dog established his village of 600 people around 1750 at the isthmus between Black Dog Lake (from which is named after him) and the Minnesota River, near the present site of the Black Dog Power Plant.Following the published expeditions of explorers, in 1805, Zebulon Pike negotiated for military territory with the Mendota band which included land in Dakota County at the Mississippi River confluences with the Minnesota and St. Croix Rivers. In 1819, on what is now Picnic Island on the south bank of the Minnesota River, Colonel Henry Leavenworth built a stockade fort called 'St. Peter's Cantonment' or 'New Hope,' where materials were assembled for the construction of Fort Snelling to be built on the bluff on the north bank. Permanent settlement on the island was impossible due to annual flooding. Alexis Bailey built some log buildings nearby to trade in furs in 1826. Henry Hastings Sibley later built the first stone house in Minnesota in 1836, overlooking Fort Snelling. Sibley was a partner in the American Fur Company, and considerable fur trade occurred at Mendota due to the accessibility of the confluence.On-going United States expansion into the then 'Northwest Territory' led to government purchase of land from the Dakota people (the Mdewakanton, Wahpekute, Wahpeton, and Sisseton bands) via the Treaty of St. Peters and the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851. and the Treaty of Mendota. After the establishment of the Minnesota Territory in 1849, Dakotah County (later Dakota County) spanned from the Mississippi River to the Missouri River. By the time Minnesota achieved statehood in 1858, power and influence had shifted from Mendota, across the rivers to Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Hastings and South Saint Paul Continuing into the 20th century, the hub of activity in the county was in Hastings, the county seat, and a focal point of transportation, communication, and commerce. St. Peter's, now Mendota, had lost out to Fort Snelling. Hastings is critically located on the Mississippi River at the confluence of the St. Croix River and on the Vermillion River, which provided ample water power. Commercial interests built substantial wealth among the businessmen who dealt in lumber, milling, and railroads as the county residents depended on them to sell their agricultural products and to provide the goods needed for a growing economy and rising standard of living.During this time, the stockyards and meat-packing plants in South Saint Paul became historically significant as the largest stockyards in the world. Ranchers in the vast countryside to the west brought their livestock for shipping to the hungry populations of St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans, downstream. These plants were worked by new immigrants from Romania, Serbia, and other Eastern European countries. The rest of the county remained agricultural during the boom of milling activity north of the Minnesota River due to lack of bridge connections. Rail access came in 1846 via the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, and Omaha Railroad which shipped grain to millers. The Minneapolis St. Paul Rochester and Dubuque Electric Traction Company line in 1905 (now the Dan Patch Corridor), was primary for passengers going to entertainment parks and resorts in Burnsville and Lakeville. Suburban growth Beginning in the 1950s, population and household growth shifted to the western portion of the county. This area of Dakota County had been predominantly Irish and Scottish extending southward toward the Scandinavians of Southern Minnesota. As population pressures expanded south from Minneapolis and Bloomington, the completion of Interstate 35W and 35E brought about major construction in the post-World War II period, turning villages into cities over the period of 20 years. Burnsville, Apple Valley, Eagan, and Lakeville brought over 200,000 people into the county by the end of the century. The Western and Northern Service Centers were constructed in the early 1990s each with an additional courthouse location. License centers were subsequently setup in Burnsville and Lakeville. Though pressure remained since the postwar boom to move the county seat to one of the larger communities in the county, the Dakota County Board maintained the seat in Hastings, while providing government services across the county. Historic sites The history of the county is well-illustrated by the Registered Historic Places in the county, including the settlement at Mendota, the homes of well-heeled residents of Hastings, the ethnic gathering places in South Saint Paul, and other sites related to life on the prairie, including religion, education, transportation, commerce, and farm life. Law and government Dakota County is governed by the Board of Commissioners. The members of the Board as of 2007 are:Joseph Harris, District 1 Kathleen Gaylord, District 2 Thomas Egan, District 3 Nancy Schouweiler, District 4 Michael Turner, District 5 Paul Krause, District 6 Willis Braning, District 7 Dakota County also has an elected Sheriff (Dave Bellows) and an elected County Attorney (James Backstrom). Additionally there are appointed boards for the library system, community development agency, and several advisory boards. Dakota County is also served by an elected board of their Soil and Water Conservation District.Principal employees of Dakota County include (but are not limited to) County Administrator Brandt Richardson, Community Services Director Dave Rooney, Parks Director Steve Sullivan, and Court Administrator Van Bostrom. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 586 square miles (1,517.7 km2), of which 570 square miles (1,476.3 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44.0 km2) (2.86%) is water. Lakes and rivers The northern and eastern border of Dakota County is marked by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers. Management and jurisdiction of the rivers falls into multiple local, State and Federal agencies. Most of the Minnesota River bank is under the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge with fish, wildlife, and parkland managed collectively by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District assists the county's six watershed management organizations (WMO) which include the Black Dog WMO, Gun Club Lake WMO, Lower Minnesota River Watershed District, Lower Mississippi WMO, North Cannon River WMO, and the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization. Mississippi River: Adjacent toMendota Heights,Lilydale,South St. Paul,Inver Grove Heights,Rosemount, and Hastings. Minnesota River: Adjacent toBurnsville,Eagan, Mendota Heights, andMendota. Vermillion River: FromFarmingtonthrough Eureka Township to Hastings. Adjacent counties Ramsey County(north) Washington County(northeast) Pierce County, Wisconsin(east, across theMississippi River) Goodhue County(southeast) Rice County(southwest) Scott County(west) Hennepin County(northwest) National protected areas Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge(part) Mississippi National River and Recreation Area(part) Economy Since the county grew as a bedroom community of Minneapolis and St. Paul, just over half of the residents (54%) work outside the county. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 355,904 people, 131,151 households, and 94,035 families residing in the county. The population density was 625 people per square mile (241/km²). There were 133,750 housing units at an average density of 235 per square mile (91/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.36% White, 2.27% Black or African American, 0.38% Native American, 2.89% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from other races, and 1.75% from two or more races. 2.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 32.0% were of German, 13.0% Norwegian, 9.7% Irish and 5.9% Swedish ancestry according to Census 2000. About two thirds of the county's residents live in a cluster of large suburbs in the northwestern corner of the county: Burnsville, Lakeville, Apple Valley, Rosemount and Eagan.There were 131,151 households out of which 40.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.30% were non-families. 21.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.19.In the county the population was spread out with 29.20% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 34.30% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.The median income for a household in the county was $61,863, and the median income for a family was $71,062 (these figures had risen to $72,393 and $86,063 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $46,827 versus $32,189 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,008. About 2.40% of families and 3.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.90% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns Dakota County is home to sites significant in the state's early history. At Mendota, the Treaty of Mendota was signed, opening much of Southern Minnesota to settlement, and there prominent Saint Paul businessmen built their grand mansions. Though linked with the state's capital for much of history via rail, Dakota County owes much of its current growth to the expansion of Minneapolis' population which accelerated during the post-World War II boom era of the 1960s. This demand for housing along with two major interstate highways linking Minneapolis (I-35W) and St. Paul (I-35E) to the county concentrated major growth and demand along the northern end. Today, the cities of Burnsville, Eagan, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Rosemount, Hastings, Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, West St. Paul, and South St. Paul are synonymous with the Twin Cities, as being part of 'the Cities.' Both Burnsville and Eagan are nearly developed and have become more like independent cities attracting major development than just residential bedroom suburbs.In contrast, the southern end of Dakota County reflects the rural past with small towns such as Farmington, Coates, Vermilion, Hampton, Rudolph, and Miesville where street grids and housing dating from the early 20th century can be found. Much of the county is self-contained except for two examples. The City of Hastings, the county seat, lies on both banks of the Mississippi River and was heavily linked historically and physically by rail to the early growing influence of the state's capital, Saint Paul. On the south border, the City of Northfield, technically in Rice County, has slightly expanded north into Dakota however the city itself is allowed into the municipal sewer boundary.Though all of Dakota County is considered part of the metropolitan area and open to major development, the county government has steadily preserved farmland and continues to acquire new permanent natural lands in the southern townships. This has further defined the boundaries between urbanized and rural which is starkly visible in the outskirts of the developed cities. While the center of population still lies north with more cosmopolitan residents, culturally Dakota County is a rural community and the Dakota County Fair is still a largely agricultural event and held in Farmington.Most of northern Dakota County is frequently referred to as 'South of the River' for its location being south of the Minnesota River.† Hastings is in Dakota County; a part of the city extends into Washington County. ‡ Northfield is mainly in Rice County; a part of the city extends into Dakota County. Education Dakota County is home to the state's largest school districts and some of the highest paid Superintendents. Nationally recognized Independent School District 196 (Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan) houses 28,000 and is the fourth largest school district in the state. Other districts include Independent School District 191 (Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District), Independent School District 194 (Lakeville-Elko-New Market), Independent School District 197 (West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan) and Independent School District 200 (Hastings). Colleges and universities Dakota County Technical College Inver Hills Community College Libraries Dakota County LibrariesBurnhaven LibraryinBurnsville Farmington LibraryinFarmington Galaxie LibraryinApple Valley Heritage LibraryinLakeville Inver Glen LibraryinInver Grove Heights Pleasant Hill LibraryinHastings Robert Trail LibraryinRosemount City of South St. Paul LibraryinSouth St. Paul Wentworth LibraryinWest St. Paul Wescott LibraryinEagan Parks Big Rivers Regional Trailin Mendota Heights Lake Byllesby Regional Parkin Cannon Falls Lebanon Hills Regional Parkin Eagan/Apple Valley Miesville Ravine Park Reservein Miesville Dakota Woods Dog Parkin Empire Township Spring Lake Park Reservein Hastings/Rosemount Thompson County Parkin West St. Paul Dakota County Bikeway System Notable people Pierce Butler, U.S. Supreme Court justice Harold Stassen(R), Former Governor of Minnesota, Aide to Adm.Bull Halsey, Aide to PresidentDwight Eisenhower, Participant/Drafter of theUnited NationsCharter Ignatius Donnelly, Politician Henry Hastings Sibley, Politician, Indian agent