Ramsey real estate.
Twenty-nine square miles between the Rum and the Mississippi, with a downtown built from scratch.
Ramsey covers about 29 square miles in northwestern Anoka County, wrapped by the Rum River on the east and the Mississippi on the south and west. It was Ramsey Township until November 12, 1974, and it still reads as a place that filled in fast: the 2020 census counted 27,646 residents, and the 2020-2024 ACS estimate is 28,421, about 985 people per square mile.
The downtown here was planned rather than inherited. The COR covers more than 300 acres around City Hall at 7550 Sunwood Drive NW, laid out as a walkable, mixed-use district built around the transit station. It is still filling in: an ALDI in 2024, the 98-room Home2 Suites in September 2025, Skyline on Sunwood's 133 apartments over ground-floor retail the same year, and Waterfront Park in 2026.
Two things catch buyers out. The Northstar commuter rail that The COR was designed around no longer exists — the last trains ran January 4, 2026, and Metro Transit replaced the line with buses the next day. And the school district line splits the city: an address can land in Anoka-Hennepin or in Elk River Area, and nothing about the neighborhood tells you which.
The housing
The 2020-2024 ACS counted 10,963 housing units in Ramsey, median owner-estimated value $359,600, median household income $116,415, and a median build year of 1996. Detached single-family is the bulk of the stock. Attached and rental product concentrates in The COR, where Skyline on Sunwood added 133 apartments over about 10,000 square feet of retail in 2025. Citywide density runs near 985 people per square mile, so open ground remains.
Schools
Two districts split Ramsey: Anoka-Hennepin (ISD 11) and Elk River Area (ISD 728), which lists Ramsey among the communities it serves. Anoka-Hennepin runs both district elementary schools in the city — Ramsey Elementary, 15000 Nowthen Blvd., and Brookside Elementary, 17003 Nowthen Blvd. NW — but no district middle or high school. PACT Charter School runs two Ramsey campuses: K-5 at 7250 East Ramsey Parkway NW, 6-12 at 7729 161st Ave. NW.
Getting around
U.S. 10 and U.S. 169 run co-signed through the city; Highway 47 and Armstrong Boulevard handle north-south. Northstar rail is gone — the last trains ran January 4, 2026. Metro Transit Route 888 replaced it the next day, serving the former Northstar stop in Ramsey plus Anoka and Coon Rapids, with buses every 30 minutes arriving downtown in the morning rush. Mean travel time to work is 28.2 minutes (2020-2024 ACS).
Parks & things to do
Two Anoka County regional parks have Ramsey entrances. Rum River Central, 17955 Roanoke St. NW, has a fishing pier, horseback trails and cross-country skiing; Mississippi West, 13900 Traprock St., has a boat launch and canoe-in campsites. Alpine Park has ball fields and an off-leash dog park; Central Park has two hockey rinks and a warming house. Waterfront Park in The COR opened in 2026 with a splash pad.
Neighborhoods in Ramsey
- The COR
- Alpine Park
- Nowthen Boulevard corridor
- Armstrong Boulevard corridor
- The Highway 10/169 corridor
- Mississippi riverfront
- Rum River corridor
Buying or selling in Ramsey.
Can I still take the train from Ramsey to Minneapolis?
No. Northstar commuter rail ran its last trains on January 4, 2026, and Metro Transit replaced the line with buses the next day. Route 888 now serves the former Northstar stop in Ramsey along with Anoka and Coon Rapids into downtown Minneapolis, every 30 minutes arriving downtown between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. and every 30 minutes leaving downtown between 3 and 5 p.m., plus weekend service. Route 827 covers Fridley, and Route 882 is a weekday pilot to Elk River and Big Lake. Metro Transit describes the change as roughly 40 weekly train trips becoming nearly 400 weekly bus trips. Some city and county pages still show Northstar as though it runs — as of July 2026, Anoka County's own commute page still lists 'taking the train.' It does not run.
Which school district will my Ramsey address be in?
Ramsey is split between two public districts, and the city says so on its own history page. Anoka-Hennepin (ISD 11) covers much of the city and operates the two district elementary schools inside it — Ramsey Elementary and Brookside Elementary, both on Nowthen Boulevard. Elk River Area (ISD 728) lists Ramsey among the communities it serves and covers part of the city. Neither boundary follows the city line. No district middle or high school sits in Ramsey, though PACT Charter School, a public charter, runs a 6-12 campus here. Confirm the specific parcel with the district before writing an offer.
What is The COR?
The COR is Ramsey's purpose-built downtown, more than 300 acres around City Hall at 7550 Sunwood Drive NW. The city planned it as a walkable, mixed-use, transit-oriented district anchored on the Northstar station, and kept building after the trains stopped. Recent additions include an ALDI in 2024, the 98-room Home2 Suites in September 2025, and Skyline on Sunwood's 133 apartments over ground-floor retail in 2025. Waterfront Park, built around a seven-acre pond with walking trails and a splash pad, is open — the city reported the splash pad in use in July 2026.
How much room does Ramsey still have to grow?
A fair amount. The city covers about 29 square miles of land at roughly 985 people per square mile in the 2020-2024 ACS, low enough that large tracts remain undeveloped. The city's economic development office markets well over 1,000 acres of developable greenfield land near the U.S. Highway 10 and Armstrong Boulevard interchange, and counts the roughly 1,000-acre Bunker Lake Industrial Business Park, shared with the city of Anoka. For scale within the county, Blaine is Anoka County's largest city.
Explore other communities.
Anoka
The county seat, with a historic downtown where the Rum River meets the Mississippi.Andover
Two markets in one city: sewered subdivisions south of the MUSA line, 2.5-acre lots north.Champlin
Hennepin County, not Anoka: 8.7 square miles where Elm Creek meets the Mississippi.Elk River
Where the Elk River meets the Mississippi: county offices, one school district, no Northstar.Thinking about Ramsey?
Whether you're buying or selling here, we'll pull the current numbers and put together a plan. No obligation.