Home inspection in Apple Valley.

What we see in Apple Valley homes.

Apple Valley began as Lebanon Township farmland in 1859, and residential development took off in the mid-1950s under developer Orrin Thompson. The city was incorporated in 1969, when its population had climbed from 585 in 1960 to 8,502 by 1970. Growth continued through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s until buildable land ran short, reaching 56,374 in 2020 across 17.57 square miles. Interstate 35E, Cedar Avenue and County Road 42 are the main routes, and the terrain rolls by more than 100 feet, with Farquar Lake in the northeast.

The rolling land makes grading and drainage a priority here. Walkouts, lookouts and sloped lots can send water toward foundations if the grade or gutters fail. Houses from the 1980s and 1990s are at the age where roofs, furnaces, water heaters and window seals are being replaced, and their attic ventilation is worth a close look. The older Thompson-era houses bring sewer laterals and panels into play. Dakota County is EPA Radon Zone 1, and MDH recommends every Minnesota home be tested.

Local facts checked September 2026 against: Wikipedia, Minnesota Department of Health.