Oakdale is a city in Washington 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. It is a suburb of Saint Paul and is on the eastern side of the Twin Cities Metropolitan area. The population was 28,303 at the 2020 census. Oakdale is the 36th largest city in Minnesota by population. Oakdale lies entirely within the North St. Paul–Maplewood–Oakdale school district, ISD 622, and the city's students are split into two high schools within the district. Tartan Senior High School is within the city's boundaries, and serves the southern half of Oakdale. The city's northern residents are served by North High School in North St. Paul. The 45th Parallel runs directly through the city of Oakdale, bisecting the city generally along Upper 35th Street North. This marks the halfway point between the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

and the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

. At Tilsen Park, the 45th Parallel runs directly through the baseball field's home plate. Imation (now known as Glassbridge) World Headquarters was in Oakdale. Nearby 3M headquarters employs many residents of the city.

Etymology

Oakdale was named for a grove of oak trees near the original town site. Oakdale Township was organized in 1858. The city of Oakdale is the result of a consolidation of Oakdale and Northdale Townships in the 1970s, and continued to annex land well into the 1990s. Arthur Stephen suggested the name "OakDale" at the first town meeting on November 1, 1858. Stephen was born on March 30, 1830, in Scotland. He was the son of Robert and Elizabeth (Grant) Stephen. In 1839, when Arthur was nine years old, the Stephen family came to America and settled in Knox County, Illinois. His father was a schoolteacher and young Arthur learned the trade of bricklayer.

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 a total area of ; is land and is water. Oakdale is bound between Minnesota State Highway 120 on its west, Washington County Road 13 on its east, Interstate 694 on its north, and Interstate 94 on its south. Other main routes in the community include Minnesota State Highway 36, and ''Hadley Avenue North'' which Oakdale designates its "signature street" since it is the primary street running the length of the city.

Demographics

2020 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 2020, there were 28,300 people and 11,357 households 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 11,648 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 67.6%

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 ...

, 10.3% Black or African America, 0.5% American Indian or Alaska Native, 12.4% Asian or Pacific Islander, 2.8% from other races, and 6.5% 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 6.2% of the population. There were 11,357 households, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.4% 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, 29.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.3% had a male householder with no wife present. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 41.0 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.4% were from 25 to 44; 29.0% were from 45 to 64; and 17.0% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 27,378 people, 10,948 households, and 7,152 families living in the city. The

was . There were 11,388 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.4%

, 6.0%

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, 8.2% Asian, 1.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 4.3% of the population. There were 10,948 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were

living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.7% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age in the city was 37.9 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 27.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 26,653 people, 10,243 households, and 7,129 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 10,394 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.21%

, 2.29%

, 0.36% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 0.77% from other races, and 1.91% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population. There were 10,243 households, out of which 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.14. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 34.6% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $56,299, and the median income for a family was $66,680. Males had a median income of $42,371 versus $32,343 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 $24,107. About 2.9% of families and 3.6% 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 4.1% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Superfund site and environmental damage

The Oakdale Dump is listed as an Environmental Protection Agency

Superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the United States Environmental Pro ...

site due to the contamination of residential drinking water wells with

volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature. They are common and exist in a variety of settings and products, not limited to Indoor mold, house mold, Upholstery, upholstered furnitur ...

s (VOCs) and

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. After extensive cleanup, the area was converted into a city park.

Notable people

* Jerome J. Belisle, member of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

Derek Chauvin Derek Michael Chauvin ( ; born 1976) is an American former police officer who Murder of George Floyd, murdered George Floyd, a 46-year-old African Americans, African American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On May 25, 2020, Floyd was arrest ...

, former Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd * Patricia Mueller, member of the

* Bill Young, comedian (died 2014)

References

{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Washington County, Minnesota