Living in Burnsville, MN: Lakes, Buck Hill and an Easy Commute

We get lots of questions about Burnsville, so I headed to Crystal Beach Park, with Crystal Lake in front of me and Buck Hill on the horizon, to share what living there is like.

Figures are from when I made the video above (October 2022). See our Burnsville community guide for current numbers.

Where Burnsville is

Burnsville sits directly south of Minneapolis, just south of the Minnesota River, about 20 to 30 minutes from downtown and the sports venues. The average commute was about 24 minutes. Neighbors include Bloomington to the north, Eagan and Apple Valley to the east, and Savage to the west.

Burnsville had about 64,000 people in about 24,000 households, and about 68% of homes were owner-occupied. The median home value was in the high $300,000s, still an affordable option in the metro.

Getting around

I-35W, I-35E and Cedar Avenue are all close by. The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority runs buses along I-35, and the METRO Orange Line bus rapid transit runs from Burnsville straight into downtown Minneapolis. Even after a foot of snow, you’re usually back up to speed on the freeway the next day.

Parks, lakes and a ski hill

Burnsville has 76 parks, with hiking, biking and cross-country ski trails, skating rinks, playgrounds, disc golf and athletic fields, plus around 300 bodies of water, from ponds to the Minnesota River.

• Crystal Lake, the biggest at about 700 acres, has a public boat launch, a swimming beach, a park and fishing piers, so you can fish without a boat.
• Sunset Pond has a walking trail just over a mile around, with lots of nature.
• Buck Hill has the biggest vertical drop of any ski hill in the Twin Cities. Lindsey Vonn got her start there, along with other Olympic downhill racers.

Food

There’s something for every palate: Jensen’s Cafe for breakfast and brunch, Porter Creek Hardwood Grill for craft cocktails and great smoked wings, Chianti Grill, the Greek Mediterranean Cruise Cafe, Cameron’s Bay and the Buffalo Tap.

Is Burnsville for you?

A central south metro location, easy freeway and transit access, lakes and a ski hill in town, at prices that are still within reach for many buyers. Reach out to our team if you’re thinking about Burnsville, and see the outer-ring suburbs where the metro is growing.