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Minnetonka
Minnetonka
City
	Minnetonka Community Center
	Location of Minnetonka; within Hennepin County, Minnesota
	Coordinates: 44°54′48″N 93°30′12″W / 44.91333°N 93.50333°W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Hennepin
Founded	1852
Incorporated	1956
Government
• Mayor	Brad Wiersum
Area
• City	27.95 sq mi (72.39 km2)
• Land	26.91 sq mi (69.71 km2)
• Water	1.04 sq mi (2.69 km2)
Elevation	889 ft (271 m)
Population (2020)
• City	53,781
• Estimate (2022)	52,544
• Rank	US: 761st; MN: 18th
• Density	1,998.33/sq mi (771.55/km2)
• Metro	3,693,729 (US: 16th)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	55305, 55343, 55345, 55391
Area code	952
FIPS code	27-43252
GNIS feature ID	0647949
Website	minnetonkamn.gov

Minnetonka (/ˌmɪnəˈtɒŋkə/ MIN-ə-TONG-kə) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnetonka is located about 10 miles (16 km) west of Minneapolis. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 53,781.^[2]

Minnetonka is the home of Cargill, the country's largest privately owned company, and UnitedHealth Group, the state's largest publicly owned company. I-494 runs through the city while I-394/US 12 and US 169 are situated along the suburb's northern and eastern boundaries respectively.

History

Since the mid-19th century, Minnetonka has evolved from heavily wooded wilderness through extensive farming and industrialization to its present primarily residential suburban character. The Minnetonka area was home to the Dakota and Ojibwe Native American tribes before Euro-Americans arrived in the 1800s. They believed Lake Minnetonka (mni meaning water, and tanka meaning big, anglicized to Minnetonka) and the land around it to be sacred. The first recorded exploration of the area by Euro-Americans was in 1822, when a group from newly constructed Fort Snelling made its way up Minnehaha Creek (then known as Brown's Creek or Falls Creek) to the lake. In 1851, the Dakota sold the area including Minnetonka to the United States with the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. The first census, the Territorial Census of 1857, lists 41 households. Twenty-nine of the heads of households are listed as farmers. The occupations of the remaining twelve are associated with the operations of Minnetonka Mill and a nearby hotel.^[5]

In 1852, a claim was staked on Minnehaha Creek near McGinty Road. The sawmill that was constructed in the thick woods of maple, oak, elm, red cedar and basswood was the first privately operated mill in Minnesota west of the Mississippi River. Oak timbers from this mill were used to build the first suspension bridge across the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in 1853. The settlement of Minnetonka Mills that grew up around the mill was the first permanent European–American settlement west of Minneapolis in Hennepin County. In 1855, a two-story sawmill was constructed with a furniture factory on the second floor. A building for varnishing furniture was built on the south side of the creek, at the present Bridge Street. Production consisted mainly of chairs and bedsteads.

The Cargill Lake Office, occupying a former mansion, formerly housed the company's top executives.

In 1860, after only 8 years of operation, the sawmill closed. In 1869, a flour and grist mill were constructed and operated until the late 1880s. In 1874, Charles H. Burwell came to manage the Minnetonka Mill Company, and he built a Victorian home on the north bank of Minnehaha Creek (Minnetonka Boulevard at McGinty Road East) for his family. The Charles H. Burwell House is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the city. There were two other mills in Minnetonka: the St. Alban's Mill, which was less than 1 mile (2 km) downstream from Minnetonka Mills on Minnehaha Creek, operated as a flour mill from 1874 to 1881. A grist mill built on Purgatory Creek was washed out in a flood shortly after construction. Minnetonka Mills, with its post office and port for Lake Minnetonka, was the principal business and trading center for a large area until the 1870s.

Between 1883 and 1956, the area within the original 36-square-mile (93 km²) township grew smaller as Wayzata, Hopkins, Deephaven, Woodland and Saint Louis Park incorporated or annexed portions of then-Minnetonka Township.

Until as late as the 1960s, many portions of Minnetonka were still rural in character, with horse pasture and farms. Those final areas have since been developed with the city now a fully developed suburban community.^[6]

The Minnetonka Town Hall, built in 1906, is on the National Register of Historic Places.^[7]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.22 square miles (73.09 km²), of which 26.93 square miles (69.75 km²) is land and 1.29 square miles (3.34 km²) is water.^[8] Part of the city includes the eastern tip of Lake Minnetonka, one of the largest lakes in Minnesota. The outlet of Lake Minnetonka is Minnehaha Creek, which winds through south Minneapolis and flows over Minnehaha Falls and into the Mississippi River. Minnetonka is located 8 miles (13 km) west of Minneapolis, in Hennepin County.

Economy

The headquarters of Carlson is in Minnetonka.^[9] The headquarters of Cargill are located in Minnetonka and are in the Wayzata Post Office area.^[10]^[11]^[12] Founded in 1865, Cargill is the largest privately held corporation in the U.S. in terms of revenue.^[13] Other companies based in Minnetonka include UnitedHealth Group, Digital River, Radisson Hotel Group, and the uniform companies AmeriPride Services and G&K Services.

Top employers

According to the city's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[14] the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	UnitedHealth Group	4,400
2	Cargill	3,400
3	Minnetonka Public Schools	1,883
4	Rosemount Engineering (Emerson)	1,600
5	Starkey Laboratories	1,300
6	St. Jude Medical	1,300
7	Medica Health Plans	1,300
8	SuperValu	1,265
9	MTS	800

Education

Public schools

The city of Minnetonka is covered by three independent school districts.^[15] The Hopkins School District, which encompasses the central and eastern part of Minnetonka; the Minnetonka School District, in the western part of city; and the Wayzata School District, which covers an area along the northern boundary of the city. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.^[16]

Public Schools in Minnetonka (Minnetonka School District)
Elementary School	Junior High School	Senior High School
Clear Springs Elementary	Minnetonka Middle School East	Minnetonka High School
Groveland Elementary
Scenic Heights Elementary

The Minnetonka School District also includes four schools outside of the city of Minnetonka: Deephaven Elementary School (Deephaven), Excelsior Elementary School (Excelsior), Minnewashta Elementary School (Shorewood), and Minnetonka Middle School West (Chanhassen).

Public Schools in Minnetonka (Hopkins School District)
Elementary Schools	Junior High School	Senior High School
Gatewood Elementary School	Hopkins West Junior High School	Hopkins High School
Glen Lake Elementary School	Hopkins North Junior High School
L. H. Tanglen Elementary School

The Hopkins School District comprises two-thirds of the city of Minnetonka, the entirety of Hopkins, and portions of the cities of Golden Valley, Edina, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, and Plymouth. In addition to schools located within Minnetonka, the Hopkins School District also includes four schools in the cities of Hopkins and Golden Valley: Eisenhower Elementary School/Xin Xing Academy (Hopkins), Alice Smith Elementary School (Hopkins), Meadowbrook Elementary School (Golden Valley), and Harley Hopkins Early Childhood/Family Center (Hopkins).

Private schools

There are three private and parochial schools within Minnetonka's city limits:

Accell Academy, an accredited private college preparatory school serving grades K-12
Notre Dame Academy, preschool through eighth grade
Minnetonka Christian Academy

Public libraries

The Hennepin County Library has its headquarters in the Ridgedale Library in Minnetonka.^[17] The system also operates the Minnetonka Library.^[18]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	203		—
1870	552		171.9%
1880	1,069		93.7%
1890	1,441		34.8%
1900	1,083		−24.8%
1910	1,538		42.0%
1920	2,298		49.4%
1930	4,601		100.2%
1940	6,466		40.5%
1950	11,896		84.0%
1960	25,037		110.5%
1970	35,776		42.9%
1980	38,683		8.1%
1990	48,370		25.0%
2000	51,301		6.1%
2010	49,734		−3.1%
2020	53,781		8.1%
2022 (est.)	52,544	^[3]	−2.3%
U.S. Decennial Census^[19] 2020 Census^[2]

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 49,734 people, 21,901 households, and 13,619 families living in the city. The population density was 1,846.8 inhabitants per square mile (713.1/km²). There were 23,294 housing units at an average density of 865.0 per square mile (334.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.0% White, 3.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.

There were 21,901 households, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.

The median age in the city was 45 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 51,301 people, 21,393 households, and 14,097 families living in the city. The population density was 1,893.0 persons per square mile (729.7/km²). There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of 818.9 per square mile (316.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.40% White, 1.50% African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population. 24.7% were of German, 13.8% Norwegian, 9.1% Irish, 8.2% Swedish and 6.7% English ancestry.

There were 21,393 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of single individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $83,437.

Government

Minnetonka Police Department and City Hall

The City Council of Minnetonka consists of the mayor and six council members. Of the six council members, two are elected at large and the remaining four are elected from wards. The council exercises the legislative power of the city and determines all matters of policy. It has the responsibility of basic decisions for the community, including appointment of the city manager. The city manager is responsible for putting council policies into effect and administering affairs of city government.^[20]

The United States Postal Service operates the Minnetonka Post Office and the Minnetonka Carrier Annex.^[21]^[22] In addition, Minnetonka is served by four zip codes: one representing Minnetonka (55345), two representing Hopkins and Minnetonka (55305, 55343) and one representing Wayzata (55391).

Politics

Minnetonka is located in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Dean Phillips.

Presidential election results 1956–2024

Precinct General Election Results^[23]
Year	Republican	Democratic	Third parties
2024	31.2% 11,301	66.4% 24,088	2.5% 894
2020	31.7% 11,851	66.3% 24,804	2.0% 752
2016	33.6% 11,378	57.7% 19,533	8.7% 3,057
2012	43.2% 14,819	55.1% 18,874	1.7% 579
2008	41.3% 13,814	57.3% 19,171	1.4% 499
2004	45.9% 15,347	53.5% 17,790	0.6% 294
2000	45.9% 14,359	48.9% 15,289	5.2% 1,702
1996	42.0% 11,861	48.7% 13,740	9.3% 2,612
1992	37.9% 11,921	39.3% 12,340	22.8% 7,177
1988	57.7% 15,468	42.3% 11,332	0.0% 0
1984	62.1% 15,056	37.9% 9,195	0.0% 0
1980	51.6% 11,209	34.0% 7,379	14.4% 3,082
1976	58.9% 11,334	39.0% 7,505	2.1% 394
1972	65.0% 10,902	33.6% 5,631	1.4% 235
1968	56.2% 7,946	40.7% 5,751	3.1% 439
1964	52.6% 6,805	47.1% 6,082	0.3% 40
1960	64.5% 7,442	35.3% 4,075	0.2% 25
1956	64.4% 4,835	35.5% 2,665	0.1% 7

Sports

The Minnetonka Dynamo, a bandy club, became national champions of bandy in 1994, 1998 and 2000.

The Minnetonka Millers, a Class A baseball club, became state champions in 2015, 2016, and 2017.^[24] The Millers play at Veterans Field, located on the campus of Minnetonka High School.

Notable people

Beau Allen – Defensive Tackle, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Alan Bersten - Professional ballroom dancer and choreographer
Douglas Ewald - Minnesota state legislator
Jake Gardiner – professional hockey player currently with the Carolina Hurricanes
Jack Hillen – retired professional ice hockey player
Kris Humphries – retired professional basketball player.
Gary Jacobson – professional golfer.^[25]
Ryan McCartan – Disney channel actor^[26]
Sidney Morin – professional ice hockey player currently with HV71
Tom Petters – former CEO of Petters Group Worldwide convicted of running a 3.65 billion dollar Ponzi scheme.
Al Quie – former Governor of Minnesota (1979–1983)^[27]
Gretchen Quie – artist and former First Lady of Minnesota (1979–1983)^[27]
Mike Ramsey – member of United States 1980 Olympic Gold Medal hockey team, the "Miracle Team"
Terrell Sinkfield – American football cornerback who is currently a free agent
Dave Snuggerud – professional ice hockey player drafted by the Buffalo Sabres
Wesley So – Chess Grandmaster^[28]
David Stenshoel — musician (Boiled in Lead)
Judy Traub – Minnesota state senator and community volunteer
Jill Trenary – professional figure skater
Will Leer – professional runner