Eden Prairie is a city southwest of downtown

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

. Set in the Twin Cities' outer suburbs, Eden Prairie is part of the southwest portion of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with approximately 3.7 million residents. The community was designed as a mixed-income city model, and is home to 7,213 commercial firms, including the headquarters of SuperValu, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Winnebago Industries, Starkey Hearing Technologies, Lifetouch Inc., SABIS, and MTS Systems Corporation. It contains the

Eden Prairie Center The Eden Prairie Center is a mall located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It has been managed by Jones Lang LaSalle as of 2020. It is anchored by JCPenney, Kohl's, Target, Von Maur and Scheels Sporting Goods. History The 1970s and 1980s The mall ...

mall and is the hub of

SouthWest Transit SouthWest Transit is a public transportation agency that is based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The agency was formed in 1986 when the southwest Minneapolis suburbs of Chaska, Chanhassen, and Eden Prairie chose to opt out of the Metropolitan Transit ...

, providing public transportation to three adjacent suburbs. The television stations KMSP and WFTC are based in Eden Prairie. The nonprofit news organizatio
Eden Prairie Local News
(EPLN) also serves the community. The area features numerous municipal and regional parks, conservation areas, multi-purpose trails, and recreational facilities. There are more than of multi-use trails, of parks, and of open space. Popular recreational areas include Staring Lake, Lake Riley, Purgatory Creek, Miller Park, Round Lake, and the Minnesota River Bluffs Regional Trail. Eden Prairie has been featured as one of ''Money'' magazine's "Best Places to Live" in America several times since 2006. It earned first place in the 2010 survey and second place in 2016.

History

For most of its existence, Eden Prairie was a slow-growing, pastoral village on the far southwest fringes of the Twin Cities. Between 1880 and 1960, Eden Prairie's population only grew from about 739 to 2,000. Native Americans were the first to live in the area. Originally, the land was part of the Great Dakota Nation, but when the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

arrived from the Great Lakes region, the tribes began to clash over the land. The Ojibwe were armed with knives and guns traded to them by white settlers and fur traders, and after years of bloody warfare the Ojibwe had forced the Dakota to give up all their land east of the Mississippi River, and north of the Crow Wing River, land that did not include what is now Eden Prairie. In 1853, John H. McKenzie and Minnesota Territory secretary Alexander Wilkins platted the town of Hennepin along the Minnesota River in what is now southeastern Eden Prairie. According to area historian Helen Holden Anderson, topographic disadvantages for the transport of agricultural goods caused Hennepin to be eclipsed by other towns in the region, and the town soon vanished from maps. On May 25, 1858, a battle was fought between the Dakota and the Ojibwe in the southern part of Eden Prairie, just north of the Minnesota River, an area known as Murphy's Ferry. The Ojibwe wished to "avenge the murder" of one of their people by the Dakota the previous fall. The Ojibwe had 200 warriors and the Dakota somewhere between 60 and 70, but the Dakota proved victorious, wounding the young Ojibwe chief. The tribes continued to fight over territory well into the 1860s, even after the " Sioux Uprising" of 1862, when most Dakota people were removed from Minnesota. Among the notable Native Americans who lived in the Eden Prairie area was Chief Shoto. Born into the band of Chief Wabash, he went on to be the chief of the Red Wing Dakota tribe for 15 years, leaving them and becoming Chief of the "Little Six" band of Dakota until the uprising in 1862, during which he became a scout for then Governor Sibley from 1862 to 1870, returning to the Little Six band in 1872. He died in 1899 at age 99 at his home in Eden Prairie. In 1851, a treaty opened land west of the

to settlement allowing pioneers to settle in what is now Eden Prairie. Many early farmhouses remain in the town and can be found on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. One of these early settlers was John Cummins, an Irish-born immigrant who built what is now known as the "Cummins-Phipps-Grill House" with his wife Mattie in 1880. Manuscripts indicate that Cummins was an avid and respected horticulturist, scientist, and farmer; he used his farmland to experiment with different strains of apples and grapes to try to find one that could withstand the harsh climate in Minnesota. The Cummins family sold this property to the Phipps family in 1908. Eden Prairie's town board held its first meeting in a log schoolhouse on May 11, 1858, the same day Minnesota became a state. Eden Prairie's farming community grew slowly over the years.

Flying Cloud Airport Flying Cloud Airport is a public airport located in the city of Eden Prairie in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, about 11 miles (18 km) southwest of the central business district (CBD) of Minneapolis. History The airport was ...

was the first sign of big development in 1946. The 1960s and 1970s were decades of growth for the city's parks and recreation system. In the mid-1970s, the community gained a higher profile with the addition of Interstate Highway 494 and the

mall. Eden Prairie became a village in 1962 and a statutory city in 1974. One of Eden Prairie's popular lakes, Staring Lake, is named for Jonas Platt Staring (1809–1894), who built the first house by the lake.

Etymology

The city was originally named "Eden" in 1853 by one Mrs. Ellet, who chose the name because of her admiration of the "beautiful prairie" that occupies the southern part of town.

Geography

Eden Prairie is about southwest of

along the northern side of the Minnesota River. Interstate 494, U.S. Highways 169 and 212, and

Minnesota State Highway 5 Minnesota State Highway 5 (MN 5) is a highway in Minnesota, which runs from its intersection with MN 19 and MN 22 in Gaylord and continues east and northeast to its eastern terminus at its intersection with MN 120 in Maplewood ...

are four of the city's main routes. Eden Prairie's land consists of rolling hills and bluffs overlooking the Minnesota River, with zones of prairie and mixed (primarily

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

) forests. Eden Prairie has parks, such as Staring Lake Park and Bryant Lakes Regional Park, with trails for running and biking. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 60,797 people, 23,930 households, and 16,517 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 25,075 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 81.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 5.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 9.2% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population. There were 23,930 households, of which 36.3% had children under age 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age in the city was 37.6. 26.4% of residents were under 18; 6.5% were between 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.6% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 54,901 people, 20,457 households, and 14,579 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 21,026 housing units at an average density of 649.2 per square mile (250.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.7%

, 2.3%

, 0.2% Native American, 4.8% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.50% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population. There were 20,457 households, of which 42.6% had children under age 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.20. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under age 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 92.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $54,328, and the median income for a family was $105,177. Males had a median income of $59,303 versus $37,196 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $38,854. About 2.8% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.9% of those under 18 and 6.3% of those 65 or older.

Economy

Eden Prairie is home to more than 2,800 businesses, including many that specialize in logistics/distribution, retail and wholesale trade, health care, industrial equipment, communications, and information technology.

Top employers

According to the city's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, its top employers were: Video game retailer

FuncoLand FuncoLand was an American video game retailer based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, that specialized in selling new and used video game software. It is considered the first major video game retailer to allow consumers to sell and trade used video gam ...

, which operated in over 400 locations nationwide before its acquisition and merger, was headquartered in Eden Prairie.

Arts and culture

Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial

In 2008, Eden Prairie raised over $400,000 from the community to build a veterans memorial. The memorial has two components, service to country and world peace. It was constructed in Purgatory Creek Park near the intersection of Technology Drive and Prairie Center Drive. Sculptor Neil Brodin designed and constructed two bronze sculptures. The service-to-country sculpture represents a wounded airman carried over the shoulders of a soldier in the battlefield. The world-peace sculpture depicts a woman service member touching a globe, honoring women who have served. Community members could purchase a place on the memorial for the names of loved ones who served in any branch of the U.S. service in any war or conflict. Minnesota-based Cold Spring Granite provided Mesabi black granite for the memorial's walls.

Sports

The 2017

USA Rink Bandy League Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota. Bandy is a team sport played on ice. The United States national bandy team has taken part in the Bandy World Championships since the 1985 tournament. It also plays friendlies against Can ...

Cannon Cup Playoffs took place at the Eden Prairie Rinks.

Government

Eden Prairie is in

Minnesota's 3rd congressional district Minnesota's 3rd congressional district encompasses the suburbs of Hennepin, Carver, and Anoka counties to the west, south, and north of Minneapolis. The district, which is mostly suburban in character, includes a few farming communities on ...

, represented by Dean Phillips, a Democrat. City council officials include Mayor Ron Case and council members Brad Aho, Mark Freiberg, Kathy Nelson and PG Naraynan. The city manager is Rick Getschow.

Law enforcement

The Eden Prairie Police Department employs about 60 sworn law-enforcement officers and 30 support staff. The department was established on the first day of 1973. It has three divisions: Patrol, Investigations and Support. The Patrol Division includes

SWAT In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

and police dog elements. The department has a chief, a deputy chief, three lieutenants, 12 sergeants, 37 police officers, 13 investigative officers (Investigators), and roughly 24 support civilian staff.

Education

Public schools

The first school in Eden Prairie was Anderson School, a schoolhouse near a farm. At the time of its construction, it was in the center of the city. The former Eden Prairie Consolidated School, built in 1924, is now the school district Administration Building and is next to Central Middle School. Eden Prairie operates eight K-12 schools, six elementary (PreK-5) schools (including one Spanish immersion), one middle school (6-8), and one high school (9-12). Eden Prairie High School is Minnesota's second-largest high school, with about 3,300 students, and is near the grounds of Round Lake Park and the Eden Prairie Community Center.

List of schools

*Oak Point Elementary *Prairie View Elementary *Cedar Ridge Elementary *Forest Hills Elementary *Eden Lake Elementary *Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion *Central Middle School * Eden Prairie High School The district has a record of success, with 11 Eden Prairie High School juniors scoring perfect ACT scores in 2017. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.

Charter schools

As of the 2017–18 school year, Eden Prairie is home to one charter school, the Performing Institute of Minnesota Arts High School.

Private schools

Eden Prairie has one

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, The International School of Minnesota, which offers a private, non-denominational, college preparatory education for students from preschool through grade 12. The school, founded in 1985, features non-selective admissions and year-round open enrollment, daily world language education beginning in preschool, and 19 AP courses at the upper school level. The student body consists of 85% local residents and 15% international students.

Colleges

There is one technical college campus in Eden Prairie. Hennepin Technical College (whose main campus is in

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Brooklyn Park is a suburban city on the west bank of the Mississippi River, upstream from (north of) downtown Minneapolis in northern Hennepin County. It is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 86,478 at t ...

) has an enrollment of roughly 7,000 full- and part-time students. It offers day and night classes.

Infrastructure

The city has its own police department.

Notable people

* Andrew Alberts, ice hockey player for

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce ...

* Leith Anderson, president of U.S. National Association of Evangelicals *

Adam Bartley Adam Bartley (born January 28, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Sheriff's Deputy Archie "the Ferg" Ferguson on the television series '' Longmire''. Life and career Bartley was born in Minnesota, and is a 1997 graduate ...

, actor * David Baszucki, CEO and co-founder of Roblox * Michael Bland, former drummer for

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

and current drummer for Nick Jonas & the Administration * Rachel Bootsma, Olympic swimmer *

Jasper Brinkley Jasper Jerrell Brinkley (born July 12, 1985) is a former American football middle linebacker. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks football, University of South Carolina. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth ...

, football player for

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

* Laurie Coleman, actress and wife of former

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

Norm Coleman Norman Bertram Coleman Jr. (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist. From 2003 to 2009, he served as a United States Senator for Minnesota. From 1994 to 2002, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. First elec ...

* Todd Downing, offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans; born in Eden Prairie *

Chuck Foreman Walter Eugene "Chuck" Foreman (born October 26, 1950) is a former American football running back who played for the Minnesota Vikings and the New England Patriots in the National Football League. Considered one of the best passing-catching ba ...

, former

and New England Patriots football player * Jay Foreman,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

player; born in Eden Prairie * Dan Gladden, former MLB player for Minnesota Twins,

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

, Detroit Tigers, and Japanese

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They ...

; radio broadcaster for the Twins * Daerek Hart, professional gamer, particularly League of Legend * Ben Husaby, 1992 &

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

cross-country Olympic skier *

Dolal Idd Dolal Idd was a 23-year-old Somali-American man who was killed in an exchange of gunfire with Minneapolis police officers at approximately 6:15 p.m. CST on December 30, 2020, after he shot at them from inside the car he was driving. The f ...

, killed in a shootout with Minneapolis police in 2020 * Alla Ilushka, Miss USA 2007 contestant *

Jermaine Johnson II Jermaine Curtis Johnson II (born January 7, 1999) is an American football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Independence CC and Georgia before transferring to Florida St ...

, defensive end for the New York Jets *

Nick Leddy Nicholas Michael Leddy (born March 20, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 16th overall, by the Minnesota Wild in the 2009 NHL E ...

, defenseman for New York Islanders * Mark LeVoir,

player * Reynold Philipsek, jazz guitarist * Allison Pottinger, world champion curler *

Kyle Rau Kyle Rau (born October 24, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing with the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League (AHL). He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the 3rd round (91st overall) of the 20 ...

, Florida Panthers forward * Robert Remus, a.k.a. Sgt. Slaughter, wrestler *

Malik Sealy Malik Sealy (February 1, 1970 – May 20, 2000) was an American professional basketball player, active from 1992 until his death in an automobile accident at the age of 30. Sealy played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

, Minnesota Timberwolves guard * Nick Seeler, defenseman for the

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

* Sheila E., singer-songwriter, actress, percussionist * Kenny Stills, wide receiver for

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

; born in Eden Prairie * Charlie Vig, chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community since August 2012 * Ryan Wittman, basketball player * Ethan Wragge, basketball player with Gießen 46ers in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

In popular culture

The city's regional shopping mall, Eden Prairie Center, stood in for the Mall of America in the 1997 comic mockumentary ''Drop Dead Gorgeous''. Two years earlier, the mall served as the principal filming location of Kevin Smith's '' Mallrats''. The railroad overpass that lent its name to the 1990

album '' Graffiti Bridge'' passed over Valley View Road in the city's northwestern quadrant. It was torn down in 1991 to make way for an expansion of the road and has since been replaced with a bridge carrying the Minnesota River Bluffs LRT

rail-to-trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

recreational path. The cult television show '' Mystery Science Theater 3000'' was filmed out of an industrial park in Eden Prairie for much of its original run.

References

External links

*
Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Minnesota Cities in Hennepin County, Minnesota Populated places established in 1858 1858 establishments in Minnesota