Яблочная Долина, Миннесота: История и Особенности Города

City in Minnesota, United States

Apple Valley is a city in northwestern Dakota County in the State of Minnesota, and a suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 56,374 at the 2020 census, making it the 17th most populous city in Minnesota.

The area that became Apple Valley was first established in 1859 as Lebanon Township, and remained a farming community for nearly a century. In the mid 1950s, residential developments started replacing farmland. Orrin Thompson, a real estate developer, was responsible for the city's early development. He contracted a company to determine where the next growth in the Twin Cities would be. It was 0.5 mile (1 km) from County Road 42 and Cedar Avenue. Thompson bought the first houses and streets from the Brobacks, who built the city's first four houses. The firm that selected this area was in Apple Valley, California, so Thompson took that name for the development. An alternate explanation for the name change exists, however. According to local developer Henry Broback, Lebanon Township was renamed Apple Valley because " when you drive east on (County Road) 42 and turn to enter Lebanon, it reminded them of Apple Valley, California, which was a nice community." Voters in the township voted to incorporate in the 1968 general election. They also selected the name Apple Valley over the name Lebanon Valley by a vote of 1376 to 757.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 17.57 square miles (46 km2), of which 16.86 square miles (44 km2) is land and 0.71 square miles (2 km2) is water. The city's geography is rolling, with elevation from the lowest to the highest points in the city varying by 100 feet (30 m) or more. The downtown area and its adjacent residential district (which formed the original core of the city when it was incorporated) are in a shallow valley.

Apple Valley hosts an annual July 4 festival called "Apple Valley Freedom Days". Festivities include one of the area's largest parades that features local marching bands, service organizations, and many local businesses. There is also a carnival and a fireworks display during the event. In February, the city hosts the Apple Valley Winter Carnival. Events include ice skating, a medallion hunt, contests and children events.

Apple Valley is home to the Minnesota Zoo, a nationally recognized zoological garden that houses hundreds of animals from several distinct climatological zones. Collections include an indoor Tropics Trail featuring animals from the worlds rain forests and tropical habitats, the Minnesota Trail with native animals from Minnesota including black bears, wolves, wolverines and beaver pond. The Northern Trail features large animals from the worlds cold climates. Highlights of this trail are Asian wild horses, Takins from China and animals from remote east coast including brown bears, amur leopards, and wild boars. The zoo also features an aquarium, an exhibit of penguins from South Africa and the popular Japanese snow monkeys,

There are six elementary, three middle and three high schools in the city, all operated by Independent School District 196. In addition to the two comprehensive high schools, Apple Valley is home to a magnet school open to 11th and 12th graders, the School of Environmental Studies (SES). In fall 2007, Independent School District 196 opened three elementary level magnet schools: Cedar Park Elementary, which will become a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) magnet; Diamond Path Elementary, which will have an International Studies theme, and Glacier Hills Elementary, with an Arts and Science theme. In 2017, Independent School District 196 opened a new Elementary school in neighboring Lakeville, Minnesota. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.

Interstate Highway 35E, Cedar Avenue, and County Road 42 are three of the main routes in Apple Valley. Highway 77 briefly enters the northern part of Apple Valley and becomes County Road 23 / Cedar Avenue. Minnesota Valley Transit Authority operates many weekday commuter buses to and from Downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The recently built Red Line operates as a dedicated bus line with service to and from the Mall of America.