Cottage Grove /ˌkɒtɪdʒ ˈɡroʊv/ is a city located 10 miles south of Saint Paul in Washington County in the State of Minnesota. The city lies on the north bank of the Mississippi River, north of the confluence with the Saint Croix River. Cottage Grove and nearby suburbs form the southeast portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.52 million residents. The population of Cottage Grove was 34,589 at the 2010 census.The city is linked by U.S. Highways 10 and 61 and has a comfortable commute to both downtowns and the I-494 Strip in Bloomington. Once a rural township known for the state's first creameries and wheat production, the area was served by rail lines, river shipping, and grist mills. 3M has been operating a production facility in Cottage Grove since 1947.