Tonka Bay is a city in

Hennepin County Hennepin County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,281,565, and was estimated to be 1,273,334 in 2024, making it the List of counties in ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. It is on

Lake Minnetonka Lake Minnetonka (Dakota language, Dakota: ''Mní iá Tháŋka'') is a lake located about west-southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lake Minnetonka has about 23 named bays and areas. The lake lies within Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin and ...

between the upper and lower lakes. It gained some popularity in the 1880s and 1890s as a summer lake resort. The population was 1,475 at the 2010 census.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water. Manitou Road serves as a main route.

History

Circa 10,000 B.C. – Tonka Bay forms during the recession of the last glaciation – the Wisconsin. Upper and Lower Lake Minnetonka and the peninsula and bays that now make up Tonka Bay forms as the ice sheet retreats. 1852 – Signing of

Treaty of Traverse des Sioux The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux () was signed on July 23, 1851, at Traverse des Sioux in Minnesota Territory between the United States government and the Dakota people, Upper Dakota Sioux bands. In this land cession treaty, the Sisseton and Wahpe ...

that opens up the

area to white settlement. 1852 –Territorial Governor

Alexander Ramsey Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 April 22, 1903) was an American politician, who became the first Minnesota Territorial Governor and later became a U.S. Senator. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 18 ...

explores Lake Minnetonka and officially names it “Minne” (Sioux for water) and “Tonka” (Sioux for big or strong). 1853 – Reverend Stephen Hull comes to the area. He creates the first narrows, “Hull’s Narrows,” located nearby present-day County Road 19 north of West Point Road. The Narrows allows boats to pass between Upper and Lower Lake Minnetonka. 1864 -

Horticulturist Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

Peter Gideon claimed in what would become Tonka Bay. Here he propagated the "

Wealthy Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an ...

" apple, which can survive the harsh Minnesota winters, named for his wife Wealthy Hull. 1879 – The Lake Park Hotel is built as part of the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

movement. 1887 – Old Orchard House is built by John Finley Wilcox. He plants hundreds of acres of orchards that once stood alongside County Road 19. 1890 – Fred B. Snyder buys the 28-acre Clay Cliffe Estate for $56. 1901 – Tonka Bay incorporates in response to the need to provide services for its increasingly stable population. Wilcox becomes Tonka Bay’s first mayor. 1904 –Tonka Bay elementary school is built. 1908 – The Twin City Rapid Transit Company purchases the Lake Park Hotel and changes its name to the Tonka Bay Hotel. It closes in 1911. 1911 – The first bridge over the narrows is built in Tonka Bay. 1913 –Tonka Bay Marine is founded by the Westman Family. 1953 –Tonka Bay’s elementary school becomes Tonka Bay Village Hall. 1955 – Minnetonka Plaza constructed. Late 1980s to mid 1990s– New developments are built on the grounds of great estates of the past, such as the Clay Cliffe Estate, Arbor Shores, and the W.O. Winston Estate, now known as the subdivision of Gideon’s Point. 2002 - Police/Fire Campus constructed. 2003 to 2004 – Plaza renamed Tonka Village Shopping Center, Liquor Store sold to County for demolition to make way for County Road 19 reconstruction. 2011 - 12 boat slips were added to the City Marina. 2016 - City Monument installed at southern town border. 2017 – City Monument at northern town border. Formerly part of Excelsior Township, Tonka Bay was incorporated as an independent village in 1901.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 1,475 people, 586 households, and 458 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 657 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.6%

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

, 0.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 586 households, of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 21.8% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 47.8 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 15.2% were from 25 to 44; 41.8% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 51.4% male and 48.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,547 people, 614 households, and 456 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 651 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.64%

, 0.13%

, 0.06% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.52% from other races, and 0.26% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population. There were 614 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were

living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.90. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 33.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $84,879, and the median income for a family was $90,783. Males had a median income of $69,375 versus $41,328 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $50,825. About 1.9% of families and 2.2% 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 2.1% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Sports

As of 2017, the latest champion of the

USA Rink Bandy League Bandy in the United States is played mostly in Minnesota, but has started to grow in Nevada as well. The national team regularly plays in Division A of the Bandy World Championships. In terms of licensed athletes, it is the second biggest winte ...

is Tonka Bay Bombers.USA Rink Bandy League
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References

External links

City of Tonka Bay
{{authority control Cities in Hennepin County, Minnesota Cities in Minnesota