North Oaks is an exurban city north of St. Paul in Ramsey County in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,272 at the 2020 census.
Formerly a gated community that now posts private access signage, all land is owned by homeowners with the North Oaks Home Owners Association maintaining all roads, plowing, parks, facilities, and recreation trails. Each homeowner's property extends halfway into the street. There is also a city government with a Mayor and City Council that administers basic services such as fire, police, planning, and licensing. The city owns no property.
History
Structured around Pleasant Lake, the area began as a water source for the Saint Paul municipal water system, which still maintains water access rights today. The land was later purchased by Saint Paul magnate James J. Hill in 1883 and expanded into a breeding and hobby farm.
Hill's son, Louis, later owned North Oaks Farm until his death in 1948. Ownership passed to Louis' children who decided to develop the land into a model residential community. They incorporated the North Oaks Company with a mission to build with respect for the natural environment, having witnessed metropolitan sprawl during this time. To ensure their mission would be fulfilled, land was subdivided and sold with a warranty deed that created the North Oaks Home Owners’ Association (NOHOA) to be responsible for roads and recreation. Each deed placed each home's property line halfway into the street, placing all roads into private ownership.
Remaining land in the city is owned by the North Oaks Company. The original farm buildings have been restored with informational displays. They are not open to the public, however, as North Oaks is private. Two of the remaining structures, the Blacksmith Shop and Machine Shop and Dairy Building, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In May 2008, NOHOA sent a letter to internet search company Google, stating that its Street View software contained images that violated their trespassing ordinance, and requested their removal. Google complied.
On 15 January 2026, YouTuber Chris Parr, publishing as Christheproducer, uploaded a collection of images to Street View mapping the North Oaks region. This was done in an attempt to make every city in the US have mapped streets on the service. However, the imagery has since been removed from the public map, save for a single image.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, North Oaks had a population of 5,272, with 1,972 households and 1,605 families. The median age was 49.8 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18, 4.8% were from 18 to 24, 15.9% were from 25 to 44, 26.1% were from 45 to 64, and 29.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males age 18 and over.
Of all households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 75.7% were married-couple households, 8.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 13.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The percent of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was estimated to be 52.0% of the population.
Income and poverty
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $210,370 (with a margin of error of +/- $33,217). The median family income was greater than $250,000. Males had a median income of $128,200 (+/- $42,542) versus $54,477 (+/- $23,596) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $80,795 (+/- $13,783). Approximately, 2.3% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under the age of 18 and 3.6% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 4,469 people, 1,746 households, and 1,378 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,868 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.0% White, 0.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 5.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.
There were 1,746 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.3% were married couples living together, 3.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 21.1% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.84.
The median age in the city was 53.1 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 11.7% were from 25 to 44; 37.7% were from 45 to 64; and 25.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.
2000 census
As of the census