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DHistory
History · Apple Valley

Apple Valley was first counted by the census in 1860

More historic than 15% of U.S. towns · #254 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it

Most of Apple Valley was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1990. Below: maps from 1957 on and the census since 1860.

1860first census
0on the National Register
1%homes built before 1940
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Appraiser at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Quick answers

How Apple Valley began

When was Apple Valley founded?

1860

Apple Valley first appears in the census in 1860.

First census: 160 in 18602020 census: 56,374166 years

How historic is Apple Valley?

D

More historic than 15% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first census.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Apple Valley’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Apple Valley is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #254 of 273 in Minnesota. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Apple Valley’s overall grade.
Founding era1860, from the first census: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19401.1% of homes (±0.5) · typical MN town 8.1% · U.S. 8.4%DNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical MN town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 15%
NewerOlder
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (273)Ahead of 7%

Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Apple Valley’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: the first census (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Apple Valley’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Apple Valley are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Famous sons and daughtersDan Sexton, Tre Jones and 6 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Apple Valley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Apple Valley’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people

8 famous people were born in Apple Valley

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Dan SextonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1987
Tre JonesAmerican basketball player · b. 2000
K
Kristina KoznickAmerican alpine skier · b. 1975
D
Daniel DaikawaAmerican ice hockey player and coach · b. 1971
J
Jill StewartAmerican soccer player · b. 1974
Karl GoehringAmerican ice hockey goaltender · b. 1978
The story

How Apple Valley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Apple Valley.

Read it all →

The area that became Apple Valley was first established in 1859 as Lebanon Township, and remained a farming community for nearly a century. In the mid-1950s, residential developments started replacing farmland. Orrin Thompson, a real estate developer, was responsible for the city's early development. He contracted a company to determine where the next growth in the Twin Cities would be. It was 0.5 miles (1 km) from County Road 42 and Cedar Avenue. Thompson bought the first houses and streets from the Brobacks, who built the city's first four houses. The firm that selected this area was in Apple Valley, California, so Thompson took that name for the development. An alternate explanation for the name change exists, however. According to local developer Henry Broback, Lebanon Township was renamed Apple Valley because "...when you drive east on (County Road) 42 and turn to enter Lebanon, i…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Apple Valley, 1957 to 2000

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1957On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1971Born hereDaniel Daikawa is born here
  4. 1975Born hereKristina Koznick is born here
  5. 1987Born hereDan Sexton is born here
  6. 21st century
  7. 2000Born hereTre Jones is born here
By decade

Apple Valley, decade by decade

Today28 recent
Dakota County Western Service Center2021Dakota County Western Service CenterSun Thisweek2020Sun ThisweekDairy Queen12020Dairy Queen1Apple Valley High School2020Apple Valley High SchoolSenator Tina Smith speaking at a campaign event for Angie Craig in2018Senator Tina Smith speaking at a campaign event for A…Angie Craig in2018Angie Craig inAngie Craig at a campaign event in2018Angie Craig at a campaign event inAngie Craig at a campaign event in Apple Valley, Minnesota (cropped)2018Angie Craig at a campaign event in Apple Valley, Minn…Lebanon Hills Regional Park Campground2017Lebanon Hills Regional Park CampgroundPlane window sunrise above the clouds (7200ft)2015Plane window sunrise above the clouds (7200ft)Tintah Park2012Tintah ParkSuper Target2012Super TargetMoeller Park2012Moeller ParkFalcon Ridge Baseball Diamonds2012Falcon Ridge Baseball DiamondsFaith Park2012Faith ParkInterstate 35 - Minnesota2011Interstate 35 - MinnesotaLebanon Hills2010Lebanon HillsDakota County Galaxie Library2010Dakota County Galaxie LibraryApple Valley neighborhood map22010Apple Valley neighborhood map2An outdoor classroom2010An outdoor classroomA Rainbow2010A RainbowEastview from the North2009Eastview from the NorthEastview West Doors2009Eastview West DoorsEastview Sign2009Eastview SignDCLGalaxie2008DCLGalaxieAppleValleyHighSchoolSide2007AppleValleyHighSchoolSideAppleValleyCityHall2006AppleValleyCityHallUntitled photo2006Untitled photo
On the map

Apple Valley on the map, 1957 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Apple Valley. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Apple Valley on the 1957 USGS mapApple Valley on the 1974 USGS mapApple Valley on the 1993 USGS map1957Farmington sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Apple Valley.

People over time

Apple Valley, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00019001950200056,374

Grew from 160 people in 1860 to 56,374 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Apple Valley’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Gone or out of use
Doyles Landing Stripairport
1cemetery inside Apple Valley
Lebanon

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

RosemountIts storyC−Burnsville1 historic placeCEagan2 historic placesCLakeville1 historic placeC

Questions about Apple Valley’s history

What year was Apple Valley founded?

The Apple Valley post office opened in 1860, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Apple Valley rank for history?

Apple Valley is more historic than 15% of U.S. towns, #254 of 273 in Minnesota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Apple Valley?

1% of Apple Valley’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1990.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (28), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.