Oakdale, MN

Getting around is one of Oakdale's biggest strengths, especially with the METRO Gold Line linking the community directly to downtown Saint Paul and Woodbury. This bus rapid transit route runs all day, seven days a week along Interstate 94, stopping at Greenway Avenue and Helmo Avenue, where commuters can use a park-and-ride lot. For drivers, quick access to I-94, I-694, and Highway 36 puts major east-metro employers like the 3M campus and the rest of the Twin Cities within an easy commute.

ATTREóin / CC BY 4.0

The local housing market offers a solid mix of neighborhoods to choose from. Streets on the western side near Saint Paul and North St. Paul feature mature trees, quiet yards, and classic mid-century ramblers and split-levels. Head east toward I-694, and you will find newer subdivisions, modern townhomes, and apartment communities close to local shopping centers. As Oakdale has grown past 30,000 residents, ongoing residential construction continues to provide good variety for both first-time homebuyers and people looking for newer, low-maintenance living.

ATTRMcGhiever / CC BY-SA 4.0

When it is time to get outside, the 200-acre Oakdale Nature Preserve serves as the city's scenic centerpiece. Wrapped around a 28-acre lake, the preserve features miles of paved multi-use paths, wooden boardwalks, and quiet dirt trails winding through restored prairie and oak woods. Right in the middle sits the Oakdale Discovery Center, a popular community building with wildlife exhibits, local art, and winter snowshoe rentals. The surrounding grounds also offer playgrounds, sports courts, and picnic shelters that stay active through the warmer months.

ATTRTony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States / CC BY 2.0

Most city gatherings bounce between the preserve and Richard Walton Park near City Hall. Residents come together throughout the year for seasonal events, from winter candlelit walks to outdoor summer concerts and movies. The biggest celebration of the year is Oakdale Summerfest, which brings the town together for a 5K race, a community parade, food trucks, and fireworks. You also have everyday essentials close at hand, like the Washington County Library branch on Heron Avenue. As a fun piece of local trivia, youth ballplayers at Tilsen Park round the bases right across the 45th parallel, which runs straight over home plate halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.