Woodbury, MN

Water moving beneath Woodbury created a rare wetland inside the modern city. The 169-acre Tamarack Nature Preserve protects a groundwater-fed rich fen formed as glaciers retreated more than 10,000 years ago. It also contains a remnant of Minnesota's southernmost tamarack swamp. Water from the preserve flows to Battle Creek Lake and eventually the Mississippi River. Paths and boardwalks let residents encounter that hydrology at ground level, amid tamaracks and wetland habitat. The preserve is especially revealing beside contemporary streets and neighborhoods: the glacial landscape survives within the city and keeps Woodbury connected to a watershed extending well beyond its municipal boundary.

Groundwater also shapes a practical municipal issue for homeowners. PFAS contamination was identified in Woodbury's supply in the mid-2000s and traced to former disposal sites associated with 3M manufacturing. As of May 2024, Minnesota health advisories covered nine of the city's 20 wells. All nine are now treated to current PFAS regulatory standards: six through a temporary treatment facility and three through interim well buildings. Construction began in late 2024; by April 2026, the permanent plant was more than 32 percent complete after crews installed 61,467 feet of pipeline during 2025. Operation is scheduled for 2028. About 93 percent of the plant and associated pipeline costs are expected to come from the 2018 settlement between 3M and Minnesota. The city uses a single pressure zone and rotates wells, so one neighborhood is not assigned one particular well. Interim treatment is operating now, while the permanent plant remains an active construction project.

Settlers first arrived in 1844, and the township was organized in 1858 as Red Rock. Officials found another Minnesota township with that name and renamed it for Judge Levi Woodbury in 1859. Voters approved village incorporation in 1967, when fewer than 5,000 people lived there. By 2020, the population had reached 75,102. Health care and education now account for the largest share of local jobs, with M Health Fairview and HealthPartners among the major employers. Trade, transportation, and utilities form another large sector. Woodbury's connections and civic spaces have also changed recently. METRO Gold Line bus rapid transit opened in 2025, providing all-day, bidirectional service along the Interstate 94 corridor to Oakdale, Maplewood, Landfall, and St. Paul.

Three stations and a park-and-ride serve northwestern Woodbury; the station areas lie near Tamarack Road, Woodbury Theatre, and Woodlane Drive. Following a 2024–2025 renovation, Central Park now operates as a year-round indoor park and event site on Central Park Place. It shares the complex with Lookout Ridge Indoor Playground and the R.H. Stafford branch of Washington County Library; recreation programs and rentals keep the building in use beyond library visits. Woodbury Days is scheduled for August 28–30, 2026, at Ojibway Park, with a parade, business fair, carnival, and live music. At Central Park, library visits, indoor play, recreation programs, rentals, and events share the same building throughout every season of the year.