4 Minneapolis Suburbs Set to Take Off in 2026: Lakeville, Maple Grove, Blaine and Woodbury

While buyers pile into Edina and Wayzata, four outer suburbs are pulling in major investment and projected growth of around 25% to 30% by 2050. Here’s what’s happening in each, including one where you can still buy in the mid-$300,000s while a downtown gets built around you.

Figures are as of my video above (February 2026).

1. Lakeville: the south metro’s growth engine

Burnsville and Apple Valley filled up years ago. Lakeville didn’t, and that’s the story. It led the Twin Cities in population growth from 2020 to 2023 and has about 78,000 people, the ninth-largest city in Minnesota, with land still available to build on.

That’s why you see hundreds of millions in building permits, with commercial, industrial and residential projects all moving at once:

• A 40,000-square-foot public safety training center
• A new Dakota Electric energy center
• A 292,000-square-foot cold storage facility in Airlake
• Single-family, townhome and mixed-use projects, including downtown

Homes are mostly in the mid-$400,000s to low $500,000s, with newer and larger homes in the mid to high $500,000s: modern layouts and bigger lots without Edina or Wayzata prices. Trade-off: about 30 minutes to downtown Minneapolis on I-35, and living near active construction. (Lakeville has since paused new plat applications for up to a year; approved lots are still being built.)

2. Maple Grove: polished and nearly built out

A different growth story. Maple Grove has more than 73,000 people and is projected to reach about 90,000 by 2050, close to 30% growth, even though it’s about 85% built out. Growth now comes from infill, redevelopment and higher-quality projects.

• The second-highest retail concentration in the Twin Cities after the Mall of America, centered on The Shops at Arbor Lakes, with L.L.Bean (17,000 square feet, summer 2026), Duluth Trading, a new Northern Tap House and Culver’s.
• About 155 new townhomes coming online, a Boston Scientific campus expansion, and a renovated community center with a new ice rink.
• Host of Hockey Day Minnesota in 2028.

Homes are mostly mid-$400,000s to low $500,000s, with newer builds in the upper $500,000s. You pay more than Lakeville for a suburb that already feels finished: less dust and more polish.

3. Blaine: the biggest transformation, still the most affordable

About 4 million people a year come to Blaine for the National Sports Center (about 600 acres, more than 50 soccer fields and eight ice rinks) and TPC Twin Cities, but until now they left after their games. That’s about to flip:

• A roughly $750 million sports and entertainment district on about 60 acres next to the Sports Center, with a 5,000-seat stadium for concerts, events and minor league baseball, plus hotels, apartments, walking paths and public spaces.
• A 250,000-square-foot Scheels, opening in 2028 with 500-plus jobs, a Ferris wheel and a huge aquarium.
• The 2026 Special Olympics USA Games, putting Blaine on the national map.

Blaine has more than 74,000 people (the largest city in Anoka County), projected to reach about 90,000 by 2050. Homes are in the low $300,000s to low $400,000s, the most affordable of these four by far. More in Blaine is building a $750 million downtown.

4. Woodbury: controlled, planned growth

Woodbury has about 80,000 people (Minnesota’s eighth-largest city) and is projected to reach just under 95,000 by 2050. Its growth is intentional.

• The METRO Gold Line opened in 2025: a $505 million bus rapid transit line to Saint Paul with 16 stations and buses about every 10 minutes, with more than $1 billion in development tracked along the corridor.
• Topgolf opened in October 2025, Main Event (bowling, arcade and food) arrives in 2026, and the Slick City indoor action park adds about 50,000 square feet.
• Central Park finished a $42 million upgrade with an amphitheater, and a 238,000-square-foot indoor sports complex was approved.

Homes are mostly mid-$400,000s to mid-$500,000s, the priciest of the four. You’re paying for certainty: transit, entertainment and parks that already exist.

What these four have in common

Each is investing in infrastructure first and letting demand catch up, and suburbs that build before demand hits usually come out ahead. All four sit where the Metropolitan Council projects roughly 25% to 30% growth, they still have some room to grow, and 2026 is when much of the groundwork becomes visible.

They’re growing at similar speeds but priced very differently, and that gap is the opportunity. Want to see what’s available in your price range? Email our team. Also see 7 suburbs that will look different by 2050.