U.S. Highway 212 (US 212) within the state of Minnesota travels from the South Dakota state line in the west, crosses the southwestern part of the state, to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in the east and end at its interchange with US 169 and State Highway 62 (MN 62) in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina. US 212 in Minnesota has an official length of . It is an urban freeway within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area and is mostly a two-lane rural road elsewhere in the state.
Prior to the establishment of the United States Numbered Highway System, most of the US 212 corridor in Minnesota was part the transcontinental auto trail known as the Yellowstone Trail, which was established in 1917. US 212 was established in 1926 but originally terminated at US 12 in the city of Willmar from 1926 to 1934. US 212 was shifted to its current alignment around 1934, continuing slightly east of its current terminus to end at then US 12 in Saint Paul until 1982, when US 212 was truncated to Edina. In 2008, the Twin Cities portion of US 212 was relocated to a new freeway (formerly designated as State Highway 312 from 2003 to 2008).
US 212 in Minnesota did not terminate at its eastern point at MN 62 in Edina. It continued easterly through St. Paul, through Lake Elmo and terminated in Stillwater near the Wisconsin state line.
Route description
US 212 in Minnesota passes through seven counties in the southern part of the state, from the South Dakota state line to the Twin Cities area. It runs in straight east–west course from the South Dakota line across prairie land to the city of Montevideo. From there the route follows the valley of the Minnesota River to Granite Falls. It then leaves the Minnesota River valley to pass through farming areas until Glencoe, where the terrain gradually becomes more hilly as the road continues east. As the route approaches the Twin Cities, the road becomes a freeway running parallel to, but not within, the Minnesota River valley. US 212 ends at the junction of US 169 and MN 62 in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina.
The entire length of US 212 in Minnesota is officially designated the Minnesota Veterans Memorial Highway. Legally, the Minnesota section of US 212 is defined as Legislative Routes 155, 12, 187, and 260 in the Minnesota Statutes. The route is not marked with those numbers.
South Dakota to Granite Falls
US 212 crosses into Minnesota from South Dakota, traveling through flat, open terrain. About from the state line, it intersects US 75, then enters the small city of Dawson several miles later. US 212 continues past Dawson through more fertile prairie land, eventually being joined by US 59. The overlapped routes pass by the entrance to Camp Release State Park, a park where the former Sioux village of Chief Red Iron was located, and which also contains a granite monument commemorating the release of 269 prisoners from Sioux captivity. US 212 and US 59 split in the western edge of the city of Montevideo in the valley of the Minnesota River; US 59 heads northwest, and US 212 heads southeast. US 212 follows the Minnesota valley for about to the city of Granite Falls. In the center of the city, MN 23 joins US 212 briefly as they cross the Minnesota River; the two routes split soon after leaving the eastern city limits.
Granite Falls to Glencoe
East of Granite Falls, US 212 leaves the Minnesota River valley, heading due east across a variety of farming areas in the south central portion of the state. For the next , US 212 passes through a series of small cities in this area: Sacred Heart, Renville, Danube, and Olivia. In Olivia, the county seat of Renville County, US 212 meets US 71. US 212 continues due east through more farmland, again passing through a series of small cities that developed along the route. Through the next of the road, US 212 goes through Bird Island, Hector (intersecting MN 4), Buffalo Lake, Stewart and Brownton (intersecting MN 15). Brownton, which is located on Buffalo Creek, is the site of the Sioux Uprising, one of the earliest massacres of white settlers in the region. Several miles later, US 212 is joined by MN 22; US 212 becomes a four-lane divided highway heading east into the city of Glencoe closely following Buffalo Creek. MN 22 splits off to the north in downtown Glencoe, while US 212 heads east out of the city.