12. Rosemount, Minn.
| AT A GLANCE | |
| Population | 22,787 |
| Median Income | $83,964 |
| Job Growth | 6% |
| Median Home Price | $222,315 |
| Property Tax | $2,930 |
About 30 minutes outside of the Twin Cities, Rosemount boasts affordable homes and a small-town vibe. The volunteer-driven Leprechaun Days is an annual 10-day summertime festival with events ranging from outdoor concerts to the more eclectic bathtub races. Community gardens in five of the town’s 27 parks are highlights, as is the year-old sports field complex that draws crowds for kids’ matches.
Rosemount’s downtown sprang up around a 19th-century grain elevator, still operational today. A handful of local shops and restaurants call downtown home, including Morning Glory’s Bakery Café, and the town’s library, recreation center, and popular splash pad, which opened just last year, are right nearby.
While there aren’t lots of jobs within the town’s limits, Sweet Harvest Foods moved its headquarters to town this year, and Thompson Reuters has a 7,000-employee campus in neighboring Eagan. The commuter bus line also expanded its express service to Minneapolis last year.—Veronica Crews