Inver Grove Heights is a city in Dakota County,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. The population was 35,801 at the 2020 census. The city was formed on March 9, 1965, with the merger of the village of Inver Grove and Inver Grove Township. It is one of 186 cities and townships in the seven-county Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. Inver Grove Heights is southeast of

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

; nearby communities are South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Sunfish Lake,

Eagan Eagan may refer to: People * Charles Eagan (1921-2010), Canadian scientist * Daisy Eagan (born 1979), American actress * Dennis Eagan (1926–2012), British field hockey player * Eddie Eagan (1897–1967), American sportsman * Edmund Eagan, Canadia ...

, Newport, and Saint Paul Park (the last two across the Mississippi River).

History

After the signing of the

Treaty of Traverse des Sioux The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux () was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Dakota people, Upper Dakota Sioux bands. In this land cession treaty, the Sisseton and Wahpe ...

in 1851, settlers from

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

quickly staked claims in the rolling countryside west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. Those of Irish descent farmed the eastern part of the community, while Germans cleared the wooded land to the west for their farms. French and English settlers built their homes along the river. The township of Inver Grove Heights was named after the Irish fishing village of Inver and the German town of Grove. Records show that 240 farms, four churches, and four school districts were founded by 1880. On March 9, 1965, the village of Inver Grove and Inver Grove Township merged to form Inver Grove Heights. Historic sites in Inver Grove Heights include: * Chief Medicine Bottle's Village: formed in 1836, became Pine Bend village and post office * Mendota-Wabasha Road: a military road laid out by John S. Potter in 1853. Rich Valley Road now follows the old military road. * District 7 School: Dakota County's first public school, established in 1854 * Salem United Methodist Church, organized in 1854 * Old Emanuel Lutheran Church, site of first log church in 1854; services and church school were in German * Church of St. Patrick:

Catholic church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parish established on January 9, 1856 * Salem

Evangelical Church Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

: First congregation in Minnesota of the Evangelical Association of North America was organized here on March 2, 1857 * Josiah Burwell's House: where Inver Grove Township was first organized in 1858, at Rich Valley Road and 102nd Street * Reuben Freeman House of eight gables: built in 1876 to one-up the House of Seven Gables * Inver Grove Town Hall: first town hall building, built in 1878 * Inver Grove Village railway depot: built in 1886 * Rock Island Swing Bridge: Built in 1894, the double-decker

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...

spanned the

between Inver Grove Heights and St. Paul Park. Closed to rail traffic in 1980 and to road traffic in 1999, it opened as Swing Bridge park in 2011. * Duke's Restaurant: built in 1906 as Pierkarski's butcher shop; restaurant offered food to railway workers; later became Jersey's Bar *

B-52 The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Ai ...

Crash Site: on September 16, 1958, a U.S. Air force B-52D bomber crashed while on a Cold War training mission originating from Loring Air Force Base, Limestone, Maine. Seven crewmen gave their lives for their country; marker on Broderick near West Loop Court

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Interstate Highway 494 (a

beltway A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...

bypass of Minneapolis–Saint Paul), U.S. Highway 52, Minnesota Highway 55, and Minnesota Highway 3 are four of Inver Grove Heights's main routes. 80th Street East (numbered from downtown

) crosses the city in an east–west direction. In 2022, a meteoric impact crater was identified in the Pine Bend Bluffs Scientific and Natural Area in southern Inver Grove Heights. It has been informally named the "Pine Bend impact" and has been dated to 500 million years ago. It has a diameter of about four kilometers.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 33,880 people, 13,476 households, and 9,036 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 14,062 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.4% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 3.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 8.9% of the population. There were 13,476 households, of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.9% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 24.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 29.1% were from 45 to 64; and 11.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 29,751 people, 11,257 households, and 7,924 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 11,457 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.80%

, 2.10%

, 0.48% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 0.02%

, 1.73% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.22% of the population. There were 11,257 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% were

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $59,090, and the median income for a family was $68,629. Males had a median income of $45,369 versus $32,080 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $25,493. About 3.0% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

In 2007, the Metropolitan Council estimated the employment in Inver Grove Heights to be 11,158. The city hosts the headquarters of CHS, Inc., an agricultural cooperative ranked 12th in the 2007 ICA Global 300 list of mutuals and cooperatives, and 145th on the Fortune 500 list of U.S. corporations. Pine Bend Refinery, the largest oil refinery in Minnesota and fourteenth largest in the U.S., straddles the border with Rosemount. It is operated by Flint Hills Resources. Inver Grove Heights is also the home of Gertens Greenhouses, one of the largest garden center locations in the United States.

Top employers

According to Inver Grove Heights's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the city are:

Education

The Inver Grove Heights Community Schools district or Independent School District 199 operates five schools in the city: * Simley High School * Inver Grove Heights Middle School * Hilltop Elementary School * Pine Bend Elementary School * Salem Hills Elementary School There is one private school for preschool through eighth grade in Inver Grove Heights: Berea Lutheran Church. The western part of the city is served by Independent School District 196, with students attending Dakota Hills Middle School, Rosemount Middle School, Eagan High School, and Rosemount High School. Inver Grove Heights is also home to Inver Hills Community College.

Government and politics

Inver Grove Heights's municipal government provides for a council of five members, one of whom is the mayor. The mayor is Brenda Dietrich, who was elected in 2022. The other council members are: * Sue Gliva * John Murphy * Tony Scales * Mary T'Kach In general, city government is nonpartisan. Candidates need not be selected or endorsed by political parties, and by state law no such endorsement appears on the ballot. The mayor is elected every two years while council members are elected every four. Terms are staggered with two council members elected one election cycle and the two others two years later. The non-mayoral seats are elected in pairs, giving voters the chance to vote for up to two candidates. If necessary, races are narrowed down during a primary election. As a part of Dakota County, Inver Grove Heights's northern and central precincts (1, 8-10) join with regions northward to form the Second District on the County Commission. It has been represented by former South St. Paul Mayor Kathleen A. Gaylord since 2003. The southern, eastern, and far western portions of the city (precincts 2-7) are joined by regions south and west to form the Fourth District of the County Commission, which has been represented by former State Representative and former Inver Grove Heights Mayor Joe Atkins since 2017. County commissioners serve four-year terms. Inver Grove Heights is in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, represented by

Angie Craig Angela Dawn Craig (born February 14, 1972) is an American politician, retired journalist, and former businesswoman. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she has served as the U.S. representative from since 2019. The distri ...

since 2019. The city is in the state's 53rd legislative district, represented in the Minnesota Senate by Matt Klein. Most of the city is in Minnesota House district 53A, represented by Mary Frances Clardy; the northeast of the city is in House district 52B, represented by

Rick Hansen Richard Marvin Hansen (born August 26, 1957) is a Canadian track and field athlete (Paralympic Games and Olympic Games), activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities. When Rick was 15, he was riding in the back of a pickup truck ...

Election results

Sports and recreation

Facilities include Inver Wood Golf Course and Arbor Pointe Golf Club. There is also an 18-hole disc golf course called North Valley. The city also has a public community center with a waterpark, two sheets of ice and a full gym shared with the National Guard.

Gallery of images

External links

City of Inver Grove Heights – Official Website

Inver Hills Community College

References

{{Coord, 44, 50, 53, N, 93, 02, 34, W, type:city_region:US-MN, display=title Cities in Minnesota Cities in Dakota County, Minnesota Minnesota populated places on the Mississippi River