Familypedia
Register
Advertisement
Main Births etc
Eden Prairie, Minnesota
—  City  —
EPCH
Eden Prairie City Center
Nickname(s): EP[1][2]
Motto: Live, Work, Dream[3]
Hennepin County Minnesota Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Eden Prairie Highlighted
Location of Eden Prairie
within Hennepin County, Minnesota
Coordinates: 44°51′17″N 93°28′15″W / 44.85472, -93.47083Coordinates: 44°51′17″N 93°28′15″W / 44.85472, -93.47083
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Hennepin
Founded 1858
Incorporated October 22, 1962 [4]
Founder Robert Anderson
Government
 • Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens
Area[5]
 • City 35.19 sq mi (91.14 km2)
 • Land 32.45 sq mi (84.05 km2)
 • Water 2.74 sq mi (7.10 km2)
Elevation 886 ft (270 m)
Population (2010)[6]
 • City 60,797
 • Estimate (2012[7]) 62,258
 • Density 1,873.6/sq mi (723.4/km2)
 • Urban 2,650,890 (US: 16th)
 • Metro 3,318,486 (US: 16th)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) Central (CDT) (UTC-5)
ZIP codes 55344, 55346, 55347
Area code(s) 952
FIPS code 27-18116
GNIS feature ID 0643164[8]
Website www.edenprairie.org

Eden Prairie is an edge city, 12 miles (19 km) southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County, and the 13th largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River. As the seventh largest suburb, Eden Prairie and nearby suburbs form the southwest portion of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the fifteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.6 million residents. The U.S. Census Bureau recorded the city's population at 60,797 in 2010.[9]

Comprising many large lakes and ponds, 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. Previously a bedroom suburb in the 1960s, the city is now home to more than 2,200 businesses and the headquarters of Digital River, SuperValu, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, MTS Systems Corporation, and the Minnesota Vikings. Regionally known for Eden Prairie Center, it is also the hub for SouthWest Transit, serving public transportation to three adjacent suburbs. Fox Sports North, KMSP and WFTC are also based in Eden Prairie. Eden Prairie has been named one of Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live" in America since 2006;[10] the city earned a first place ranking in the 2010 survey.[11]

History[]

For most of its existence, Eden Prairie has been a slow-growing, pastoral village on the far southwest fringes of the Twin Cities area. Between 1880 and 1960, Eden Prairie’s population grew by only 1,300 people, from 739 to 2,000.

Native Americans were the first to live in the area. In 1851, a treaty opened land west of the Mississippi River to settlement allowing pioneers to settle in what is now Eden Prairie. The town board of Eden Prairie held its first meeting in a log school house 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, which was named by Jonah Staring who built the first house by the lake.

Etymology[]

The city's name is attributed to Eden Prairie, which was named by the founder, Robert Anderson. However, a small village named Eden appears on an 1849 map located on the Minnesota River, just south of Eden Prairie's current location.

Geography[]

Eden Prairie is located approximately 11 miles (18 km) southwest of Minneapolis along the northern side of the Minnesota River. It is located at 44°49′N 93°27′W / 44.817, -93.45 at an elevation of 906 feet (276 m).

Interstate 494, U.S. Highways 169 and 212, and Minnesota State Highway 5 are four of the main routes in the city.

The land in Eden Prairie consists of rolling hills and bluffs, overlooking the Minnesota River, with zones of prairie and mixed (primarily deciduous) forests.

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.[5]

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1970 6,938
1980 16,263 134.4%
1990 39,311 141.7%
2000 54,901 39.7%
2010 60,797 10.7%
Est. 2011 61,657 12.3%
U.S. Decennial Census
2011 estimate

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 age 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.

Politics[]

Eden Prairie is located in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Erik Paulsen, a Republican. 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.

Economy[]

Today, 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%.

Top employers[]

According to the City's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[12] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Optum 1,800
2 Eden Prairie Schools 1,500
3 C. H. Robinson Worldwide 1,462
4 Starkey 1,436
5 SuperValu 1,260
6 Cigna 1,200
7 Dell Compellent 1,000
8 GE Capital 900
9 Eaton 850
10 MTS 708

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 Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion school and Central Middle School.

Eden Prairie currently operates eight schools. Unlike other school districts in the state, Eden Prairie has an intermediate school (Oak Point) for grades five and six. This year is a transition year for Eden Prairie Schools. For the 2012-2013 school year, Eden Prairie will have five K-6 schools (Oak Point will become K-6) and half of Oak Point will be an Upper Campus for Eagle Heights. CMS and the High School will not be affected. 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. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.[13]

Public schools in Eden Prairie
Kindergarten and Elementary School (Grades k-6) Junior High School (Grades 7-8) High School (Grades 9-12)
rowspan=6 valign="top"| Oak Point Central Middle School Eden Prairie High School
Forest Hills
Prairie View
Eden Lake
Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion

Charter schools[]

Eden Prairie has one publicly funded charter school, Eagle Ridge Academy. This college preparatory school currently offers a rigorous classical liberal-arts curriculum to grades K-12. The first graduating class at Eagle Ridge Academy was the Class of 2008.

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.

Colleges[]

There are two technical colleges in Eden Prairie:

  • Hennepin Technical College has an enrollment of roughly 7,000 full- and part-time students. The college offers day and night classes.
  • ITT Technical Institute[14] specializes in courses on information technology, electronics, and drafting and design. ITT Technical Institute has an enrollment of approximately 170 students.

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.[15] 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.

Notable people[]

  • Chuck Foreman, Former Minnesota Vikings running back #44 and Former New England Patriots Player
  • Andrew Alberts, player for the Vancouver Canucks
  • Leith Anderson, president of the U.S. National Association of Evangelicals
  • Rachel Bootsma, Olympian Swimmer (attended Eden Prairie High School)
  • Jasper Brinkley, player for the Minnesota Vikings
  • Laurie Coleman, actress and wife of former United States Senator Norm Coleman
  • Daunte Culpepper, Former Minnesota Vikings football player
  • Jay Foreman, National Football League player
  • Brett Favre, Former Minnesota Vikings football player (lived in Eden Prairie for 2 years)
  • Dan Gladden, former MLB player for the Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and the Japanese Yomiuri Giants. He is now currently a radio broadcaster for the Twins.
  • Alla Ilushka, beauty queen and Miss USA 2007 contestant
  • Nick Leddy, defense player for the Chicago Blackhawks (attended Eden Prairie High School)
  • Mark LeVoir, National Football League player
  • Lúcia Moniz, Portuguese actress and singer (attended Eden Prairie High School)
  • Joe Nathan, Texas Rangers pitcher, former Minnesota Twin, Twins all-star
  • Adrian Peterson, running back for the Minnesota Vikings
  • Reynold Philipsek, gypsy jazz guitarist
  • Allison Pottinger, world champion curler (current resident)
  • Robert Remus, aka Sgt. Slaughter, wrestler (former longtime Eden Prairie resident)
  • Sidney Rice, wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks
  • Johan Santana Former Minnesota Twins pitcher. American League Cy Young award winner and American league all-star
  • Malik Sealy, Minnesota Timberwolves Guard; lived In Eden Prairie Until His Death On May 20, 2000.
  • Visanthe Shiancoe, tight end for the New England Patriots
  • Charlie Vig, Chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community since August 2012.[16]
  • Ryan Wittman, basketball player
  • Michael Bland, Professional Drummer. Former drummer for Prince and current drummer for Nick Jonas & the Administration amongst many others
  • Sheila E., Singer-Songwriter, Actress, Percussionist, Drummer. Worked with Prince, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Herbie Hancock, Ringo Starr, and many others. Also the biological aunt of Nicole Richie.

References[]

[17]

  1. ^ Ernie Shuldhiess. [http://www.edenprairiehistory.org/ 26.TXT "Eden Prairie History"]. Eden Prairie History. http://www.edenprairiehistory.org/ 26.TXT. Retrieved 2008-07-11. 
  2. ^ self. "Google search on "EP" businesses in "Eden Prairie, MN"". Google. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=l&source=s_l&abauth=a42a7858%3A0s1j39fuIXAAIgEjCarSxeWNlEY&view=text&hl=en&q=EP&near=Eden+Prairie+MN&btnG=Search+Businesses#. Retrieved 2008-07-11. 
  3. ^ "About Eden Prairie". City of Eden Prairie. 2008. http://www.edenprairie.org/vCurrent/live/article.asp?r=1303. 
  4. ^ Warren Upham, Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2001) p227
  5. ^ a b "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt. Retrieved 2012-11-13. 
  6. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml. Retrieved 2012-11-13. 
  7. ^ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html. Retrieved 2013-05-28. 
  8. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  9. ^ "Census releases population numbers for Eden Prairie [9 Data Set: 2006 Population Estimates"]. U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. http://www.edenprairienews.com/news/announcements/census-releases-population-numbers-eden-prairie-103&-format=&-_lang=en. 
  10. ^ "Money Best Places to Live 2006". CNNMoney (Cable News Network). 2006. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL2718116.html. Retrieved 2006-12-31. 
  11. ^ "Best Places to Live 2010". CNN. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/snapshots/PL2718116.html. 
  12. ^ "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the Year Ended December 31, 2011 City of Eden Prairie, Minnesota", City of Eden Prairie, 2011
  13. ^ http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Academic_Excellence/School_Choice/Public_School_Choice/Open_Enrollment/index.html |title=Open Enrollment |publisher=Minnesota Department of Education |accessdate=19 November 2010
  14. ^ http://www.itt-tech.edu/
  15. ^ http://www.epveteransmemorial.org
  16. ^ "About Charlie Vig". Minneapolis Star Tribune. 2012-08-01. http://www.startribune.com/local/168278336.html. Retrieved 2012-09-18. 
  17. ^ (2010, August). In Best Places to Live 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2010/snapshots/PL2718116.html.

External links[]



This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
Advertisement