Located in Washington County
Mere miles east of Saint Paul is Lake Elmo, a city that, while pastoral and spread out, has outdoor activities, great schools and lovely homes to spare. “You get that special rural charm and all the urban convenience here,” says Kristina Handt, who previously worked as the Lake Elmo City Administrator for seven years.
Lake Elmo comprises about 24 square miles of mostly farmland. Settlers first arrived in the city in the mid-1800s, with the population having since grown to around 13,000. Some current residents live in farmhouses from Lake Elmo’s earliest years, while the few blocks south of downtown heavily feature bungalows and Craftsman constructions from the early 20th century. Elsewhere, there are plenty of midcentury homes, including a large selection of ranches. The city has also been a hotbed for recent real estate development, with townhomes, midsize Prairie-style homes and a cluster of mini-mansions having popped up over the last two decades or so. The largest of these properties, with up to five bedrooms and over 5,000 square feet, can sell for over $1.5 million. However, homebuyers can find an older, detached house with plenty of living space or a newer townhome for between $300,000 to $600,000. Lake Elmo gets a crime score of 1/10 according to the CAP Index, well below the national average of 4/10.
Stillwater Area Public Schools serve the neighborhood’s students with a collection of well-rated schools. Kids may start at Lake Elmo Elementary, which gets a B from Niche, before transitioning to Oak-Land Middle with a B-plus. Students may then attend Stillwater Area High, which earns an A-minus and offers unique athletics programs like Nordic skiing in the winter and clay target shooting in the spring.
Residents are just a few blocks away from large public parks where they can enjoy the outdoors with their families after a long day in the classroom. For the former, it’s the Lake Elmo Park Preserve, a 2,165-acre expanse filled with wildlife from cardinals and cottontail rabbits to weasels and woodpeckers. Here, residents can hone their bow-and-arrow skills on the archery range, hit the trails on a mountain bike or cross-country skis or take a relaxing kayak ride on the lake after which the city is named. Directly adjacent is the smaller yet no less beautiful Sunfish Lake Park, which features 9 miles of trails, many of which overlook the water. Just north, Royal Golf Club welcomes the public to enjoy 18 holes of well-landscaped golf — the Star Tribune voted it “Minnesota’s Best” golf course in 2021.
Most of the city’s shops and restaurants are concentrated in the small downtown area just north of Lake Elmo itself. Among the most historic of these is Hagberg’s, a country market owned by the local Hagberg family for 85 years and counting. While the market itself has expanded and evolved over the years, Hagberg’s proudest product has always been its meat, with a jam-packed counter featuring everything from sausage and brats to jerky and dog treats. Another local mainstay is the Lake Elmo Inn, whose head chef, John Schiltz, got his start at the restaurant as a 16-year-old dishwasher. He’s now owned the joint for 40 years, in which time Travel + Leisure has voted it America’s second-best brunch spot — its eggs benedict is particularly popular. Meanwhile, some newer businesses have emerged in downtown Lake Elmo, including Sunshine Coffee Co., which serves original coffee blends and delicate latte art beneath a bright, boho-inspired setting.
Despite its heavily rural nature, Lake Elmo is hardly a far cry from city life. “People take the interstate for an easy commute to work in the city,” says Handt. Saint Paul commuters can take Interstate 94 and typically get to the city in 20 minutes or less, while Minneapolis is about 10 minutes farther.
Lake Elmo is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in the area, and the city has been forced to allocate more water usage for the community. However, concerns have been raised about the quality of the water, with reports showing contamination of PFAS by 3M Company chemicals that leaked into underground aquifers. To meet the increased water demand, the city in 2023 said it must use the contaminated water but blended with clean water from other nearby sources.
Interested in learning more about homes in this area? Reach out to , an experienced agent in this area.
Krista Wolter
Coldwell Banker Realty
(612) 712-5896
514 Total Sales
8 in Lake Elmo
$540K - $1.5M Price Range
Graham Smith Team
Keller Williams Integrity Realty
(763) 342-5386
352 Total Sales
1 in Lake Elmo
$700,000 Price
Jamie Jones
RE/MAX Advantage Plus
(952) 800-3913
34 Total Sales
1 in Lake Elmo
$435,000 Price
Jenifer Hamilton
RE/MAX Results
(763) 272-7898
73 Total Sales
1 in Lake Elmo
$550,000 Price
Venkata Goli
Real Broker, LLC
(612) 979-1260
326 Total Sales
3 in Lake Elmo
$468K - $755K Price Range
Sarah Hartstein
Coldwell Banker Realty
(866) 502-5606
99 Total Sales
1 in Lake Elmo
$1,453,815 Price
On average, homes in Lake Elmo, MN sell after 44 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in Lake Elmo, MN over the last 12 months is $649,666, down 4% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
$3,195 - $3,995 per month
$2,995 - $3,670 per month
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