Growing, but room for more. The population has doubled since 1990 to 30,207 (2006 figure). However, Andover is about 12 square miles larger than nearby Coon Rapids, and has less than half the number of residents.
A third-ring suburb about 25 miles north of Minneapolis and surrounded by Ramsey, Oak Grove, Ham Lake and Coon Rapids.
Lots of new construction. 25 new subdivisions with lots that range from standard suburban size in the south to 2 1/2-acre parcels in the more rural north. Prices range from $275,000 to $400,000 in Sophie's Manor to $275,000 to $800,000 in the upper-bracket Woodland Estates.
Because of demand, there's been an increase in the number of townhouses built since 2000 and senior housing. Most existing housing is from the building boom that started in the mid 1980s, priced from $200,000 to $300,000.
City and country living. In the north are homesteads with acreage, older farms and dirt roads. In the south are suburban subdivisions, a new YMCA Community Center and lots of stores.
Downtown is a work-in-progress. Andover Station is a 90-acre redevelopment with a growing mix of residences and stores that includes Target, Festival Foods, some locally owned businesses and a townhouse complex. In the past, many Andover residents would drive to Coon Rapids to shop.
Two parks. The 1,600-acre Bunker Hills Regional Park offers biking, golf, camping, cross-country skiing, horseback riding and riding the waves at Bunker Beach Water Park. The 136-acre Kelsey Round Lake Park has hiking and biking trails, cross-country skiing, a boat landing and nature areas.
"Train wreck" myth. A train supposedly tipped over in a swamp and an eyewitness said, "It went over and over." However, the name Andover first appeared in a newspaper article in 1899, before train tracks were built in the city.
