Lakeville is a city located along Interstate 35 in Dakota County, Minnesota. It is one of the southernmost suburbs of Minneapolis, and is sometimes referred to as an "outer ring" suburb. Lakeville is one of the fastest growing cities in Minnesota. The population was 43,128 at the 2000 census, although the U.S. Census Bureau estimates the population to be 51,722 as of 2005. The population is expected to top 100,000 by 2025.

Lakeville has a rapidly growing business community with several new retail centers being opened in recent years. In addition to retail, the city is served by an industrial park known as Airlake which is served by a short line railroad and a regional reliever airport (see below).

The city is served by three different school districts whose boundaries were determined while the community was largely agricultural. Today Independent School District 196 ("Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan") and the Farmington School District #192 service portions of northern and eastern Lakeville. The majority of Lakeville households are served by the Lakeville Area School District #194. The Lakeville School District opened its second large high school in the autumn of 2005.

The City of Lakeville is governed by a five member City Council and Mayor, though a City Manager runs day to day municipal operations. A professional police force and volunteer fire department protect the city's residents. The city operates a large parks department which includes a senior center, an arts and entertainment center, dozens of various neighborhood and community parks, and many miles of multipurpose trails.

Lakeville still has several large farms in operation. Corn, soybeans, and dairy cattle are the leading revenue sources in these agricultural operations.

Aviation

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Lakeville is served by the Airlake Airport, which has a single runway with an ILS approach. The airport is managed by the Metropolitan Airports Commission as a reliever facility to draw general aviation traffic. The FAA operates the Minneapolis ARTCC (air route traffic control center) in Farmington, several miles away from the airport. This center provides traffic control services for Minnesota and surrounding states.

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 97.2 km² (37.5 mi²). 93.7 km² (36.2 mi²) of it is land and 3.5 km² (1.4 mi²) of it (3.65%) is water.

As its name implies, Lakeville contains several lakes as well as hundreds of smaller ponds and wetlands within its borders. The two largest lakes include Lake Marion and Orchard Lake which are heavily used recreational waters used for fishing, boating, and swimming. Smaller named natural lakes include Kingsley Lake and Lee Lake. Valley Lake is a small man-made lake in the northern part of the city.

A branch of the Vermillion River flows through Lakeville. Its headwaters are just west of the city limits in Credit River Township, and it flows eastward across Dakota County until it empties into the Mississippi River at the Wisconsin border. Much of Lakeville drains into the Vermillion River watershed. North Creek, a major tributary of the Vermillion, begins its flow...