The story
History
Since the mid-19th century, Minnetonka has evolved from heavily wooded wilderness through extensive farming and industrialization to its present primarily residential suburban character. The Minnetonka area was home to the Dakota before Euro-Americans arrived in the 1800s. They believed Lake Minnetonka (mni meaning water, and tanka meaning big, anglicized to Minnetonka) and the land around it to be sacred.
The first recorded exploration of the area by Euro-Americans was in 1822, when a group from newly constructed Fort Snelling made its way up Minnehaha Creek (then known as Brown's Creek or Falls Creek) to the lake. In 1851, the Dakota were forced to sell the area including Minnetonka to the United States with the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. The first census, the Territorial Census of 1857, lists 41 households. Twenty-nine of the heads of households are listed as farmers. The occupations of the remaining twelve are associated with the operations of Minnetonka Mill and a nearby hotel.
In 1852, a claim was staked on Minnehaha Creek near McGinty Road. The sawmill that was constructed in the thick woods of maple, oak, elm, red cedar and basswood was the first privately operated mill in Minnesota west of the Mississippi River. Oak timbers from this mill were used to build the first suspension bridge across the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in 1853. The settlement of Minnetonka Mills that grew up around the mill was the first permanent European–American settlement west of Minneapolis in Hennepin County. In 1855, a two-story sawmill was constructed with a furniture factory on the second floor. A building for varnishing furniture was built on the south side of the creek, at the present Bridge Street. Production consisted mainly of chairs and bedsteads.
In 1860, after only 8 years of operation, the sawmill closed. In 1869, a flour and grist mill were constructed and operated until the late 1880s. In 1874, Charles H. Burwell came to manage the Minnetonka Mill Company, and he built a Victorian home on the north bank of Minnehaha Creek (Minnetonka Boulevard at McGinty Road East) for his family. The Charles H. Burwell House is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the city. There were two other mills in Minnetonka: the St. Alban's Mill, which was less than 1 mile (2 km) downstream from Minnetonka Mills on Minnehaha Creek, operated as a flour mill from 1874 to 1881. A grist mill built on Purgatory Creek was washed out in a flood shortly after construction. Minnetonka Mills, with its post office and port for Lake Minnetonka, was the principal business and trading center for a large area until the 1870s.
Between 1883 and 1956, the area within the original 36-square-mile (93 km2) township grew smaller as Wayzata, Hopkins, Deephaven, Woodland and Saint Louis Park incorporated or annexed portions of then-Minnetonka Township.
Until as late as the 1960s, many portions of Minnetonka were still rural in character, with horse pasture and farms. Those final areas have since been developed with the city now a fully developed suburban community.
The Minnetonka Town Hall, built in 1906, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Minnetonka had a population of 53,781. The median age was 44.0 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.4 males age 18 and over.
Read the full text
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 23,694 households in Minnetonka, of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.6% were married-couple households, 15.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 25,080 housing units, of which 5.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 49,734 people, 21,901 households, and 13,619 families living in the city. The population density was 1,846.8 inhabitants per square mile (713.1/km2). There were 23,294 housing units at an average density of 865.0 per square mile (334.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.0% White, 3.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.
There were 21,901 households, of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.8% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.
The median age in the city was 45 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 51,301 people, 21,393 households, and 14,097 families living in the city. The population density was 1,893.0 persons per square mile (729.7/km2). There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of 818.9 per square mile (316.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.40% White, 1.50% African American, 0.20% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.57% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population. 24.7% were of German, 13.8% Norwegian, 9.1% Irish, 8.2% Swedish and 6.7% English ancestry.
There were 21,393 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of single individuals and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.
According to the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the city was $83,437.
From Wikipedia’s article on Minnetonka, Minnesota, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4