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Eden Prairie
City
Eden Prairie City Center
Nickname(s):  EP[1][2]
Motto(s):  Live, Work, Dream[3]
Location of Eden Prairie within Hennepin County, Minnesota
Coordinates: 44°51′17″N 93°28′15″W / 44.85472°N 93.47083°W / 44.85472; -93.47083Coordinates: 44°51′17″N 93°28′15″W / 44.85472°N 93.47083°W / 44.85472; -93.47083
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Hennepin
Founded	1858
Incorporated	October 22, 1962 [4]
Founded by	Robert Anderson
Government
• Mayor	Ron Case (DFL)
Area [5]
• City	35.26 sq mi (91.32 km2)
• Land	32.52 sq mi (84.24 km2)
• Water	2.73 sq mi (7.08 km2)
Elevation	886 ft (270 m)
Population (2010)[6]
• City	60,797
• Estimate  (2017)[7]	64,400
• Rank	US: 568th Minnesota: 12th
• Density	1,980.08/sq mi (764.50/km2)
• Urban	2,650,890 (US: 16th)
• Metro	3,524,583 (US: 16th)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (Central (CDT))
ZIP codes	55344, 55346, 55347
Area code(s)	952
FIPS code	27-18116
GNIS feature ID	643164[8]
Airport	Flying Cloud Airport (Public/Reliever)
Interstates
U.S. Routes
State Routes
County roads
Public transportation	Southwest Transit
Light Rail	Southwest LRT (Opening 2023)
Website	City of Eden Prairie

Eden Prairie is an edge city 12 miles (19 km) southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County, and the 12th-largest city in the State of Minnesota. It is the 7th-largest suburb in the Twin Cities, with a population of 60,797 at the 2010 census.^[9] The city is on the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River.

Eden Prairie is an affluent suburb with a mixed-income city model. It is home to 7,213 firms,^[10] municipal and regional parks, conservation areas, trails, and recreational facilities.^[11]

There are walking trails around Purgatory Creek and Staring Lake,^[12] and the Minnesota River Bluffs Regional Trail.^[13] The city has more than 170 miles (270 km) of multi-use trails, 2,250 acres (9 km²) of parks, and 1,300 acres (5 km²) of open space. It is home to the headquarters of SuperValu, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, SABIS, and MTS Systems Corporation. It contains the Eden Prairie Center and is the hub for SouthWest Transit, providing public transportation to three adjacent suburbs. KMSP and WFTC are also based in Eden Prairie.

Eden Prairie and nearby suburbs form the southwest portion of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the 15th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.6 million residents.

Eden Prairie has been one of Money magazine's "Best Places to Live" in America since 2006;^[14] the city earned first place in the 2010 survey^[15] and second place in 2016.^[16] In 2017, eleven Eden Prairie students scored perfect ACT test scores.^[17]

History

Cummins Cabin, pre-1860

Current photo of the Cummins-Phipps-Grill House

Flailing out beans at Cummins Farm

For most of its existence, Eden Prairie has been 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 Ojibwa arrived from the Great Lakes region, the tribes began to clash over the land. The Ojibwa were armed with knives and guns traded to them by white settlers and fur traders, and after years of bloody warfare the Ojibwa had forced the Dakota to give up all their land east of the Mississippi River, and north of the Crow Wing River, land which did not include what is now Eden Prairie.^[18]

On May 25, 1858, a battle was fought between the Dakota and the Ojibwa in the southern part of Eden Prairie, just north of the Minnesota River, an area referred to as Murphy's Ferry. The Ojibwa people wished to "avenge the murder" of one of their people committed the previous fall by the Dakota. The Ojibwa had 200 warriors, the Dakota somewhere between 60 and 70, but the Dakota proved victorious, wounding the young Chief of the Ojibwa tribe.^[18]

The tribes continued to fight over territory well into the 1860s, even after the "Sioux Uprising" of 1862, when most of the 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 the age of 99 at his home in Eden Prairie.^[18]

In 1851, a treaty opened land west of the Mississippi River to settlement allowing pioneers to settle in what is now Eden Prairie. Many early farmhouses are left in the town, and can be found on the National Register of Historic Places. One of these early settlers was John Cummins, an Irish-born immigrant who built what is now referred to as the "Cummins-Phipps-Grill House" with his wife Mattie in 1880.^[19] Manuscripts indicate that John 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.^[20] The Cummins family sold this property to the Phipps family 1908.^[18]

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 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 Eden Prairie Shopping Center. Eden Prairie became a village in 1962, and a statutory city in 1974. A popular lake in Eden Prairie is Staring Lake, named for Jonas Staring, who built the first house by the lake.

Etymology

Originally named "Eden" in 1853 by a Mrs. Elliot, she chose this name because of her admiration of the "beautiful prairie" that occupies the southern portion of the town.^[21]

Geography

Bryant Lake, in Eden Prairie, originally named Bryant's Lake or one of many "Long Lake" lakes in Minnesota.^[22]

Eden Prairie is approximately 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Minneapolis along the northern side of the Minnesota River.

Interstate 494, U.S. Highways 169 and 212, and Minnesota State Highway 5 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) forests. Eden Prairie has great parks such as Staring Lake Park and Bryant Lakes Regional Park with trails for running & biking.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.19 square miles (91.14 km²), of which 32.45 square miles (84.05 km²) is land and 2.74 square miles (7.10 km²) is water.^[23]

Demographics

Eden Prairie "attracts a very diverse crowd" from many income groups.^[25] Eden Prairie also is the home of the affluent gated community Bearpath, yet the community vibe of citizens in Eden Prairie is a sense of working, educated, community-minded residents, often with kids together in the schools and afterschool activities, such as the Youth Sports Program.^[26] Minnesotans in general have a Midwest sense of middle class community and have never embraced gated communities in significant numbers.^[27] Eden Prairie is the 12th-largest city in Minnesota.

2010 census

As of the census^[6] of 2010, there were 60,797 people, 23,930 households, and 16,517 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,873.6 inhabitants per square mile (723.4/km²). There were 25,075 housing units at an average density of 772.7 per square mile (298.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.7% White, 5.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.2% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population.

There were 23,930 households of which 36.3% had children under the age of 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 years of age 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 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 54,901 people, 20,457 households, and 14,579 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,695.1 inhabitants per square mile (654.5/km²). 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% White, 2.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 4.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 20,457 households out of which 42.6% had children under the age of 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 years of age 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 the age of 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 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females aged 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 for the city was $38,854. About 2.8% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Eden Prairie is home to more than 2,200 businesses, including many that specialize in logistics/distribution, retail and wholesale trade, health care, industrial equipment, communications, and information technology. The unemployment rate as of 2010 is 5.1%.^[10]

Top employers

According to the City's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[28] the top employers in the city are:

Sports

The 2017 USA Rink Bandy League Cannon Cup Playoffs took place at the Eden Prairie Rinks.^[29]

Government

Eden Prairie is located in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Dean Phillips, a Democrat. City Council officials include Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens and Council Members Brad Aho, Ron Case, Kathy Nelson and Sherry Butcher Wickstrom. The city manager is Rick Getschow.

The city has its own police department.

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 old Eden Prairie Consolidated School, built in 1924, is now the school district Administration Building and is next to Central Middle School.

Eden Prairie currently operates eight K-12 schools, six elementary (K-6) schools, (including one Spanish immersion), one middle school (7-8), and one high school (9-12). Eden Prairie High School is the second largest high school in the state, with approximately 3,300 students, and is near the grounds of Round Lake Park.

The district has a record of success with twelve Eden Prairie High School juniors scoring perfect ACT scores in 2017.^[17] Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.^[30]

Charter schools

As of the 2017-2018 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, 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 consist of 85% local residents and 15% international students.^[31]

Colleges

There is one technical college campus in Eden Prairie. Hennepin Technical College (whose main campus is in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota) has an enrollment of roughly 7,000 full- and part-time students. The college offers day and night classes.

Notable people

• 
  Andrew Alberts, ice hockey player for Vancouver Canucks
  


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


• 
  Michael Bland, former drummer for Prince and current drummer for Nick Jonas & the Administration
  


• 
  Rachel Bootsma, Olympic swimmer


• 
  Jasper Brinkley, football player for Minnesota Vikings
  


• 
  Laurie Coleman, actress and wife of former United States Senator Norm Coleman
  


• 
  Francesca Curran, TV and film actress; born & raised in Eden Prairie


• 
  Todd Downing, offensive coordinator of Oakland Raiders; born in Eden Prairie


• 
  Chuck Foreman, former Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots football player


• 
  Jay Foreman, National Football League player; born in Eden Prairie


• 
  Brett Favre, former Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings football player


• 
  Dan Gladden, former MLB player for Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and Japanese Yomiuri Giants; radio broadcaster for Twins


• 
  Ben Husaby, 1992 & 1994 Cross Country Olympic Skiing ^[32]
  


• 
  Alla Ilushka, Miss USA 2007 contestant


• 
  Nick Leddy, defenseman for New York Islanders
  


• 
  Mark LeVoir, National Football League player


• 
  Joe Nathan, MLB pitcher, formerly for Minnesota Twins
  


• 
  Adrian Peterson, NFL running back, formerly for Minnesota Vikings
  


• 
  Reynold Philipsek, jazz guitarist


• 
  Allison Pottinger, world champion curler
  


• 
  Kyle Rau, Florida Panthers forward


• 
  Robert Remus, a.k.a. Sgt. Slaughter, wrestler


• 
  Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins pitcher


• 
  Malik Sealy, Minnesota Timberwolves guard


• 
  Nick Seeler, defenseman for the Minnesota Wild
  


• 
  Sheila E., singer-songwriter, actress, percussionist


• 
  Visanthe Shiancoe, tight end for New England Patriots
  


• 
  Kenny Stills, wide receiver for Miami Dolphins; born in Eden Prairie


• 
  Charlie Vig, chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community since August 2012^[33]
  


• 
  Ryan Wittman, basketball player


• 
  Ethan Wragge, basketball player with Gießen 46ers in Germany
  


• 
  Daerek Hart, professional gamer, particularly League of Legends
  

Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial

Eden Prairie raised over $400,000 from the community to build a veterans memorial in 2008. 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. World-class 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 servicemember touching a globe, honoring women who have served. Members of the community were able to 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.

References

External links

Media related to Eden Prairie, Minnesota at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website


• Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce