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About Prior Lake

Prior Lake is an exurban city 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Minneapolis seated next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city lies south of the Minnesota River in an area known as RiverSouth and establishes the urban fringe of the south-southwest portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States. The population was 27,617 at the 2020 census.Prior Lake was first incorporated as a village in 1891. Prior Lake is one of the oldest cities in the south metro area. The city's modern rapid growth is due in part to the ease of access for commuters to the rest of the region, via the upgraded State Highway 13. == Geography == According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.33 square miles (47.47 km2); 15.44 square miles (39.99 km2) is land and 2.89 square miles (7.49 km2) is water.Upper Prior Lake and Lower Prior Lake sit at the center of the city in an elongated shape towards the southwest to Spring Lake. Prior Lake as a whole is the largest lake in the southern metro area. === Lakes === The nearby Dakota people originally called Prior Lake Bdé Mayá Thó, meaning Lake of the Blue Banks.Prior Lake (renamed after Charles Prior, of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad) is made up of two sections, Upper Prior Lake and Lower Prior Lake.