Dundas ( ) is a city in Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,712 at the 2020 census. Dundas is bordered by the city of Northfield.
History
Dundas was platted in 1857 by the Archibalds: brothers John Sidney and Edward T., along with their cousin George Archibald, who built mills on both sides of the Cannon River. The brothers named the city after their home Dundas County, Ontario, Canada.
In 1857, the Archibalds founded the Archibald Mill, a flour mill, on the west bank of the Cannon River. The milling industry contributed greatly to Dundas' 19th-century success, and at one point the mills in Dundas were considered among the best in the world. The ruins of the Archibald Mill can still be seen today.
left|thumb|The Ault Store is the only remaining commercial building from Dundas' original business district.
The city's original central business district was located on Second Street, and by 1866 it included two general stores, a library, hotel, shoe store, restaurant, meeting hall and saloon. The neighborhood began to shift once the Minnesota Central Railway built its station on the west side of the river, resulting in the development of Railway Street and the platting of the Railway Addition in 1865. All that remains of the original commercial district is the Ault Store (built in 1866), which started as a general store and housed the town's first library on the second floor; the same building also served as the home of the Dundas News for its operation from 1876 to 1879 when it was bought and absorbed by the Northfield News.
The Archibald Mill, Ault Store, and Edward T. Archibald House are among the five local structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Today, the town is chiefly a bedroom community for nearby Northfield and the more distant Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The juxtaposition of Dundas and Northfield and their disparate zoning policies and attitudes toward development have led to some unusual growth patterns. Dundas is home to a number of businesses, such as an off-sale liquor store and two bars that would be unable to get licenses to operate in Northfield. Contrary to popular opinion and local lore, Dundas Technical University (Dundas Tech) only exists on T-shirts and jokes from Northfield and Faribault natives.
Dundas has the only public feed mill within about 40 miles. It is operated by Interstate Mills on the site of the original grain elevator. In 1999, the threat of a Target store being sited in Dundas—rather than Northfield—was instrumental in forcing changes to Northfield's zoning to allow such uses.
A Union Pacific freight railroad line passes through Dundas.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The Cannon River passes through the center of town. The latitude of Dundas is 44.429N. The longitude is 93.204W. Dundas' elevation is 932 feet above sea level.
Minnesota State Highway 3 and Rice County Road 1 are two of the main routes in the community. Interstate 35 is nearby.