South St. Paul was established in 1887, having removed itself from West St. Paul when the stockyards was established. In the Twentieth Century it became the most ethnically diverse community with immigrants from the Balkans and Eastern Europe coming to work in the packing plants.

Inver Grove was established in 1858. The village of Inver Grove, established in 1909, became Inver Grove Heights and merged with the township in 1965. Inver Grove Heights retains many of its farms despite continuing development.

Eagan was carved out of Mendota Township in 1860 and named for Patrick Eagan. A site of early post-Second World War development, Eagan's 2000 population was the highest in Dakota County, largely in part due to the construction of Interstates 494 and 35E.

Burnsville, the second largest city in the County, was named after William Byrne, an early settler. Byrnesville was often misspelled as “Burns” which later prevailed in township records. Crystal Lake and Buck Hill are acclaimed natural features of the area.

Apple Valley -- When Orrin Thompson began building houses in Lebanon Township in the 1960s he named the original development "Apple Valley" after a town of the same name in California.

Lebanon, originally named for an Ohio town, was a quiet agricultural community until the 1960s. When Orrin Thompson began his series of subdivisions, the new residents of the township voted to change the name of the township to Apple Valley.

By the end of the Twentieth Century, this quiet farming community had been transformed into a bustling city of 45,527 residents.

Rosemount was named for Rosemount, Ireland by the early Irish settlers. During the Second World War, the Gopher Ordnance Works plant had a significant impact on the community, claiming 11,000 acres of prime farmland. After the war, the Gopher plant became the University of Minnesota Agricultural Research Center.

Hastings, the county seat since 1857, is the middle name of Henry Sibley, the first governor of the State of Minnesota and a resident of Mendota. The expanding community has annexed portions of Marshan and Nininger Townships.

Ravenna, also named for an Ohio town, was established in 1860 out of parts of Marshan and Hastings townships. The settlement at Etter was removed in the 1980s after being continually flooded by the Mississippi River.

Marshan was named for Michael Marsh, an early settler. The township is largely agricultural and is the home of Bailly’s Vineyard. Hastings has annexed portions of the northern part of the township.

Vermillion Township was named for the Vermillion River. The township and village were settled by immigrants from Germany and Luxembourg.

Empire, named for New York, the Empire State, was settled by Old Stock Americans. Portions of the township nearest to Farmington experienced rapid development at the end of the century.

Lakeville Township, organized in 1858 and Lakeville Village, organized in 1878, were named for their proximity to Prairie Lake, one of the largest lakes in Dakota County. Marion Savage changed the name of the lake to Lake Marion and established Antlers Park, a gathering place for county residents for much of the Twentieth Century.

Eureka was named, legend has it, for the exclamation "Eureka" when the earliest settlers arrived. Settled by migrants from Indiana and immigrants from Norway, its gentle landscape has been home to nurseries, including Bachman’s, since the 1960s.

Randolph is one of the County’s fastest growing communities and was originally named Richmond, but the name was changed since there was already a Richmond in Minnesota.

Sciota, named for Sciota, Ohio, is one of the southern-most townships in Dakota County. The Cannon River meanders through the township, which is largely agricultural.

Sunfish Lake, named for the lake of the same name in Inver Grove, was incorporated in 1958.