1. It is Minnesota's eighth largest city. Eagan covers 33 square miles and has 67,500 residents, compared with 47,400 in 1990.
2. It has a handy location. The second-ring suburb is south of the Minnesota River, is only seven minutes from the airport and almost equidistant from Minneapolis and St. Paul. .
3. Family-friendly attractions: Cool off at the Cascade Bay outdoor water park slides, lazy river float and mini-golf. Trapp Farm Park has a tubing hill and a fishing dock, walking paths, playfield and playground. The Holz farm, settled in the 1870s, is a living history farm and holds events all year.
4. Wide-open spaces: The city has ponds, lakes and 4,550 acres of open space.
5. Sports and leisure activities: Eagan has more than 50 city parks, 130 miles of walking trails, 30 soccer fields, 79 softball diamonds, BMX bike and skateboard parks and 350 lakes and ponds.
6. Range of home prices: Housing stock includes condos, townhouses and single-family homes (many built during the late 1980s housing boom). Condo prices start at $100,000, townhouses start in the low $100,000 range, 1950s and '60s ramblers range from $160,000 to $220,000 and two-story homes are priced from about $275,000. The most expensive home on the market today is a Toll Brothers $1.35 million model home in the Steeplechase development. The average sale price for a home in Eagan in 2008 was $241,531, with 681 closed homes.
7. Lots are still available. With the suburb 95 percent developed, most lots are in existing subdivisions in neighborhoods such as Steeplechase and near Red Pine Elementary.
8. Commuters care: Agent John Willy of the Edina Realty Eagan office said that because Eagan is closer to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul than its neighbors to the south, home prices tend to be slightly higher.
9. Shopping and dining is minutes away. The Cliff Road Commons and Eagan Promenade have supermarkets, restaurants, retailers and movie theaters.
10. A place to work and live. The city has 52,000 jobs. Major employers include Thomson Reuters and Blue Cross Blue Shield. It was No. 1 in Twin Cities job growth from 2000 to 2004.
11. Lots on the drawing board: The Cedar Grove redevelopment area, bounded by Hwy. 13, Cedar Avenue and Silver Bell Road, will have a mix of housing, offices, retail and a mass transit station. Progress is dependent on the housing and retail markets, said city planners.
12. Help for home buyers and owners. The Dakota County Community Development Agency offers home buyer education classes and pre-purchase counseling. Go to www.dakotacda.org/homebuyers.htm or call 651-675-4400. A free Foreclosure Information Workshop is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Farmington Library, 508 3rd St. For information, call 651-675-4555.
RECENT HOME SALES
SOLD $139,500
This two-bedroom, two-bathroom side-by-side townhouse was built in 1994.
SOLD $275,500
This 1985 split-entry house has five bedrooms, a brick wood-burning fireplace, built-ins and backs up to a pond.
SOLD $700,000
This one-level, 1970s four-bedroom house is on 3 acres.
