“Our Home Town" is a new series of articles where I will share with you some of the unique aspects of life in our small town of Jordan, Minnesota. If you are interested, you will be able to access each of the posts in this collection by clicking the "Our Home Town" link in the "Perpetual Posts" group on the sidebar.
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Jordan, Minnesota. It’s where we call home. We quite frankly “stumbled” into the area. We were looking to upgrade our house and were pretty much exclusively searching the Farmington / Lakeville areas for pre-existing homes. It was during the early stages of the housing boom and my brother-in-law was working for a home builder. On a whim we drove out to where he was building. That just so happened to be Jordan.
I’ll be honest. Initially the most intriguing aspect for me was seeing what we could get for our money building a new home in Jordan versus buying a pre-existing home in the Lakeville / Farmington area. We did a little checking on the schools (noticing they had a Catholic elementary school – a HUGE plus for us) and liked what we were seeing. After a little discussion (and “what-if’ing” on my part) we took the plunge. While our house was being built we took many opportunities to visit the construction site and spent time getting to know our new area.
We have been in Jordan for more than 12 years (at the time I am writing this post). I have come to know and love Jordan as “home” through that time. From early on it felt right. The more time I spend in Jordan, the more I love its charm and characteristics. Jordan like any other city or town is not without its challenges, and skeletons in it’s closets. While it may not be the perfect place, it feels like a good fit for me and my family! I have seen many changes throughout the years. Some for the better and some for the worse – but they all add up to give Jordan it’s unique flavor and character.
Before I delve into the unique flavors and characters of Jordan (i.e. future posts), I’ll educate you with some of the cold, hard, and raw facts.
The City of Jordan is made up of 2.6 square miles located 42 miles Southwest of St. Paul (the capitol of Minnesota). It is located along the hills and bluffs of western Scott County and is nestled between Spring Lake and St. Lawrence Townships. Jordan is just south of the Minnesota River (which is the natural boundary between Scott and Carver Counties).
According to the US Census in 2000 (one year after we moved here) there were 3833 residents living in Jordan. The 2010 US Census reported 5470 residents.
Highway 169 cuts through the middle of our town. It also meets up with Highway 9 / 282. Highway 282 also crosses Highway 21. There is almost a triangle of highways that cut through our town. We have two stoplights. One at 169 / 9 (282), and the other at the intersection of 282 / 21.
We have two rail lines that run through town. The Chicago-Northwestern on the northern edge of town that runs along highway 169 and Minnesota Prairie Line that runs through the heart of our downtown.
One thing is certain! We have a rich and colorful history, and a number of landmarks, destinations, shops, and amenities – both civically and privately owned. Too many to mention in this brief introduction.
Over the next several months – I hope to build on the “Our Home Town” series by highlighting one of the many unique and wonderful aspects of living or maybe highlighting a specific item of interest within Jordan.
The goal is build an extensive collection of posts that share what I love about living here!