Inver Grove Heights, MN

Several hundred feet beneath southern Inver Grove Heights lies the first meteorite-impact crater identified in Minnesota. Minnesota Geological Survey researchers announced the finding in 2021 after mapping overturned bedrock and shocked quartz across a disturbed area of roughly nine square miles. Above that buried feature, the city extends to the Mississippi River about ten minutes southeast of downtown Saint Paul. Irish and German immigrants began staking claims in 1852; the township formed in 1858, and a one-square-mile settlement beside the railroad incorporated separately as Inver Grove village in 1909. Village and township reunited as the City of Inver Grove Heights in 1965. The 2020 census recorded 35,801 residents. At Swing Bridge Park, visitors can walk 680 feet over the Mississippi on the former Rock Island bridge pier, see preserved railroad machinery, and join the Mississippi River Greenway from a trailhead with restrooms and bicycle repair stations.

Color-changing lights installed in 2025 now run brief shows on the bridge every night. Across the city, Parks and Recreation maintains 31 parks and about 40 miles of natural and paved trails. Heritage Village Park added an inclusive playground and splash pad in June 2026. The Veterans Memorial Community Center offers an indoor water park, an eight-lane lap pool and dive well, two ice arenas, a gymnasium, a fitness center, and an indoor track. Inver Glen Library supplies another year-round gathering space through meeting rooms, a monthly book group, children's programs, nature backpacks, and seven-day Minnesota state-park passes for eligible borrowers.