Pros and Cons of Living in Cottage Grove

Cottage Grove's core trade-off pairs a real, substantially favorable crime rate and a long-tenured anchor employer against a disclosed home-value spread and an above-county-average property tax rate.

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Pro: a real, substantially favorable crime rate

Cottage Grove's overall crime rate ran well below the national average this pass, safer than 81% of US cities nationally -- the most favorable crime profile among this four-city Minnesota batch.

Pro: 3M's own long-tenured riverfront campus

3M has operated its Cottage Grove chemical-manufacturing site since 1947, a real, named 1,700-plus-acre anchor employer distinct from every other market in this Minnesota batch.

Con: a real, disclosed home-value spread

Cottage Grove's home-value figures carried a real, disclosed cross-source spread this pass ($344,700-$382,969), complicating precise budgeting without confirming current pricing directly.

Con: an above-county-average property tax rate

Cottage Grove's 1.27% effective property tax rate runs above both Washington County's own 1.17% average and the national median.

Key takeaways

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.