Theodore Wirth Park is the regional
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
managed by the
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The park land is shared by
Minneapolis and the neighboring suburb of
Golden Valley. Formally named Theodore Wirth Regional Park, it includes two
golf courses (an 18-hole course and a 9-hole par 3 course),
Wirth Lake, Birch Pond, cross-country ski trails, mountain biking trails, snow tubing hills, and other amenities. It forms a significant portion of the
Grand Rounds Scenic Byway
The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway is a linked series of park areas in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, that takes a roughly circular path through the city. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board developed the system over many year ...
, linking the
Chain of Lakes area with the
Victory Memorial Parkway
Victory Memorial Parkway, or Victory Memorial Drive, is a section of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway that lies between Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States and Robbinsdale, Minnesota, United States. The parkway runs along the northwestern and nort ...
.
History
The park that became known as Theodore Wirth Park was established in 1889 with an initial acquisition of . The park currently occupies , which is 90% of the size of
New York City's
Central Park at . It was eventually named for
Theodore Wirth, who was superintendent of Minneapolis parks for 30 years from 1906 to 1936.
Features
A geographic marker at one corner of the park grounds, at Wirth Parkway and Golden Valley Road, marks the
45 degrees latitude line, exactly halfway between the
equator
The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...
and the
North Pole.
The 45th Parallel, Minneapolis, Minnesota
/ref> The badly weathered plaque was refurbished around 2006.
Gallery
45thParallelMinneapolis.jpg, 45th Parallel marker
TheodoreWirthParkway.jpg, A sign along the Parkway
External links
America's Byways: Theodore Wirth ParkMinneapolis Park & Recreation Board: Theodore Wirth Regional Park
References
Parks in Minneapolis
Regional parks in Minnesota
Protected areas of Hennepin County, Minnesota
{{HennepinCountyMN-geo-stub