Cottage Grove, MN

Cottage Grove lies along the Mississippi River in Washington County. The 2020 census counted 38,839 residents across about 34 square miles of land. John P. Furber platted the original 40-acre village in 1871; his surviving house, one of the village’s first, entered the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Grey Cloud Lime Kiln, built in the 1850s to make quicklime for construction and farming, is another remnant of early local industry. A 3M manufacturing facility has operated in Cottage Grove since 1947. In July 2024, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency proposed permit conditions requiring advanced PFAS removal and expanded monitoring of groundwater, the Mississippi River, and aquatic life.