DAKOTA COUNTY, Minn. — The mayor and the city council of Minnesota’s newest city were sworn in Tuesday night, making Empire officially official.
The first mayor, Trent Larson, won handily in a special election in February.
Originally a township, Empire is known for its fields – from baseball to farm. Larson said what drove the push to become a city was the dramatic growth happening throughout Dakota County, including in Farmington and Apple Valley.
“What really drove it was the growth in the northern part of our community, right on the edge of our borders there,” said Larson. “So we became a city so we could solidify our borders and we can start building our infrastructure.”
Since the 1990s, parts of Dakota County have already annexed part of Empire’s property — about six square miles so far. This past June, a state judge signed off on Empire’s request to incorporate and prevent anyone acquiring its land again. Larson called it “protection.”
Before Empire, the state’s newest city was Credit River in Scott County, which incorporated two years ago. Before that, it was a place called Rice Lake in St. Louis County, which became a city back in 2015.
Larson says most of the townspeople in Empire agreed to make the change, but really, it isn’t much of one at all.
“Taxes aren’t going up; we still have the same services,” said Larson. “We have basically the same people in place.”
And now as winter turns to spring, Empire will no doubt grow. Larson says he’s planning to build a fire hall, sewer system and another water tower.
But for now, he says they're relishing in all the attention one small town, turned city, is receiving.
“I don’t know why it’s gaining the popularity that it is,” said Larson. “It’s kind of cool that it’s shining a light on our little community.”
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