Woodbury is a city in Washington County, Minnesota and is a suburb of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It is situated east of Saint Paul along Interstate 94. The population was 46,463 at the 2000 census.

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.2 km² (35.6 mi²). 90.6 km² (35.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (1.74%) is water. The city is bounded on the northern side by I-94, the south by 60th St., the west by Century Avenue, and the east by Manning Road. The adjoining cities in these directions are, respectively, Oakdale and Lake Elmo, Cottage Grove, Maplewood, and Afton.

Woodbury is composed of upland between the valleys of the Mississippi River and St. Croix River. When founded, the land was mostly timber but was converted to farm land. Recently, the farm land has given way to developments and shopping malls.

Much of Woodbury lies within the watershed of Valley Creek, one of the few remaining trout streams in the Twin Cities area. Valley Creek flows eastwards to the St. Croix River at Afton, Minnesota. The city also contains several small lakes, including Powers, Wilmes, Colby, Carver, and Battle Creek. Battle Creek lake is the source of Battle Creek, which flows westwards to the Mississippi in Saint Paul. There are several other large lakes in Woodbury, including Powers Lake and Colby Lake.

Economy

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The five largest employers located in Woodbury are The Hartford, Woodwinds Health Campus, School District 833, EcoWater Systems, and Assurant. Other important employers include eFunds, Long Term Care Group, Dean Foods/Land O'Lakes, and the Target Corporation. State Farm Insurance was previously a large-scale employer in the city, but the multi-department facility was relocated to Lincoln, NE while retaining a smaller work force at another site in Mendota Heights. There are also many smaller employers, such as the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology and offices for financial corporations. Many Woodbury residents are employed at 3M, whose headquarters are located a few miles west in Maplewood.

A large portion of the economy is retail. The two largest retail centers are Tamarack, near the intersection of Radio Drive and I-94, and Valley Creek, near the intersection of Valley Creek Road and I-494. Woodbury Lakes, an upscale retail development with an open-air mall layout, was completed in 2006.

Education

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Most of Woodbury lies within the South Washington County School District, with students attending Woodbury High School. However, small portions of the city attend Tartan High School in Oakdale and Stillwater High School in Stillwater.

In November 2006, School District 833 selected an 80-acre site for a third high school. The proposed site lies between two City-owned properties south of Bailey Road and east of Radio Drive: the 80-acre Bielenberg Sports Center and the Danner gravel pit. The City also owns an additional 80 acres south of The Sports Center to allow for expansion.

Recreation

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Woodbury contains many parks, three of which encircle Colby,...