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Eden Prairie, Minnesota

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Eden Prairie, Minnesota
City
Eden Prairie City Hall
Eden Prairie City Hall
Nickname: 
EP[1][2]
Motto(s): 
Live, Work, Dream[3]
Location in Hennepin County
Location in Hennepin County
CountryUnited States
StateMinnesota
CountyHennepin
Founded1858
Incorporated1960s
Government
 • MayorPhil Young
Area
 • City
35.2 sq mi (91.2 km2)
 • Land32.4 sq mi (83.9 km2)
 • Water2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2)
Elevation
886 ft (270 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • City
54,901
 • Density1,695.1/sq mi (654.4/km2)
 • Urban
2,367,204
 • Metro
3,175,041
Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (Central (CDT))
ZIP codes
55344, 55346, 55347
Area code952
FIPS code27-18116Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0643164Template:GR
Websitewww.edenprairie.org

Eden Prairie is an edge city 12 miles (19 km) southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 12th 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-St. Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million residents. The U.S. Census Bureau recorded the city's population at 54,901 in 2000.[4]

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 Supervalu, ADC Telecommunications, 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. Eden Prairie has been named one of Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live" in America since 2006, including a first place ranking in the 2010 survey.[5]

History

For most of its existence, Eden Prairie has been a slow-growing, pastoral village on the far southwestern 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-'70s, 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.

Etymology

The city's name is attributed to Eden Prairie which was named by Robert Anderson, founder. However, a small village named Eden appears on an 1849 map located on the Minnesota River just south of the 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°N 93.450°W / 44.817; -93.450 at an elevation of 906 feet (276 m).

Interstate 494, U.S. Routes 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 35.2 square miles (91 km2)—32.4 square miles (84 km2) of it is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) of it (8.04%) is water.

Demographics

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.[6][7]

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 12.8% of families and 13.5% 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 Phil Young and Council Members Brad Aho, Kathy Nelson, Jon Duckstad, and Ron Case. Scott Neal is the City Manager.

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.

Businesses in Eden Prairie
Fortune 500 Company Headquarters
Company Description
C.H. Robinson Worldwide shipping logistics
Supervalu[8] grocery wholesale and retail conglomerate
Other Company Headquarters
Company Description
Achieve Healthcare Technologies software systems for eldercare
ADC Telecommunications telecommunications and broadband hardware
Compellent storage area network (SAN) products
Digital River E-Commerce systems
Golf Galaxy national golf accessory retail chain
Help/Systems, Inc. automated operation and business intelligence software systems
Highjump Software Supply Chain Management Software
Hysitron Nanoindentation Nanoindentation instrument manufacturing and testing services
Kroll Ontrack computer forensics software, data recovery software and services, legal technologies software and services.
Lenox Group manufacturer of porcelain china and collectables
Lifetouch school photography, church directories and portraits, JC Penney's and Target studios and Flash digital photography.
Minnesota Vikings NFL football team
MTS Systems Corporation Developers and Producers of world class automotive testing equipment.
New Wave Components NWC is an Independent Distributor of Electronic Components.
Rorke Data Inc. RAID, SAN, NAS, Archive & Data Recovery
ShopNBC television shopping channel
Starkey Laboratories Nation's largest hearing aid manufacturer
Stratasys Manufacturer of FDM rapid prototyping machines
SuperSolutions Corp Consumer Finance Software (Daybreak) for entire automated lending operations. Owned by i-flex Solutions, Inc.
SurModics pharmaceutical delivery systems
Virtual Radiologic tele-radiological software and interpretation services
XATA fleet performance management
Xiotech data storage hardware solutions
Companies With Major Facilities
Company Description
Bose ElectroForce Systems Group materials test instruments
Concur business expense management
Eaton Corporation, Hydraulics Division industrial hydraulics technologies
Emerson Process Management industrial measurement instrumentation, formerly Rosemount Engineering, now a division of Emerson
Fox Broadcasting Company studios for KMSP-TV and WFTC-TV
GE Capital Fleet Services commercial car leasing
HID Global identity/security card systems (formerly Fargo Electronics)
Stellent web content management software, recently acquired by Oracle Corporation
Sterling Commerce transportation management system software (formerly Nistevo)

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. Eden Prairie High School is the largest high school in the state, with approximately 3,300 students, and is near the grounds of Round Lake Park. Melissa Krull is the superintendent of Eden Prairie School District.

Public Schools in Eden Prairie
Kindergarten and Elementary School (Grades k-4) Intermediate School (Grades 5-6) Junior High School (Grades 7-8) High School (Grades 9-12)
Cedar Ridge 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 6-11, with 12th grade added in the 2007-8 school year. 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 education for students from preschool through grade 12.

Colleges

There are three technical colleges in Eden Prairie:

Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial

Eden Prairie was proud to raise 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.[10] 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 residents

Trivia

  • In 2010, Money Magazine named Eden Prairie the best place to live in the United States despite it being a generic suburb.
  • The cult television comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 was originated here by Joel Hodgson, and Eden Prairie is home to the show's production company, Best Brains, Inc.
  • The cult movie comedy Mallrats was filmed at the Eden Prairie Center mall (before it was remodeled).
  • Scenes of the mockumentary comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous were filmed in the Eden Prairie Center mall parking lot, which is depicted as the Mall of America parking lot. Eden Prairie's water tower with a clock is visible in the background.
  • In the movie Fargo, the character Mike Yanagita lives in Eden Prairie and comments on the city's school district while dining with Marge at the Radisson.[11]
  • The movie D3: The Mighty Ducks features fictitious Eden Hall Academy, whose name crosses Eden Prairie with Cretin-Derham Hall and Saint Thomas Academy.
  • The Prince film Graffiti Bridge got its title from an actual railroad bridge in northern Eden Prairie that crossed over Valley View Road. It was legal to spray graffiti on the bridge, and when the movie came out, a large mural of Prince was featured on the bridge. The bridge was torn down in May 1991[12] when Valley View Road was widened (the road narrowed to one lane under the bridge, with each direction of traffic taking turns to pass).[13] When the bridge was torn down, pieces of it were sold as mementos along with a miniature newspaper article about the bridge.
  • On March 4, 2002, President George W. Bush visited Eden Prairie High School, announcing his Quality Teacher Initiative.[14]
  • The Planes of Fame East air museum was located at Flying Cloud Airport until December 1997, when the museum's vintage airplanes were moved to Chino, California.[15]
  • In 2007, Sports Illustrated named Eden Prairie High School's sports program the best in Minnesota.

References

  1. ^ Ernie Shuldhiess. "Eden Prairie History". Eden Prairie History. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  2. ^ self. "Google search on "EP" businesses in "Eden Prairie, MN"". Google. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  3. ^ "About Eden Prairie". City of Eden Prairie. 2008.
  4. ^ "Burnsville city, T1. Population Estimates [9] Data Set: 2006 Population Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. 2006.
  5. ^ "Money Best Places to Live 2006". CNNMoney. Cable News Network. 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
  6. ^ American Fact Finder. "Eden Prairie city, Minnesota". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  7. ^ "DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-07-10.
  8. ^ "Directory." Supervalu. Retrieved on July 22, 2010.
  9. ^ http://www.itt-tech.edu/
  10. ^ http://www.epveteransmemorial.org
  11. ^ Coen & Coen, Fargo, a screen play by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (1996)
  12. ^ Eden Prairie, Eden Prairie, Marie Wittenberg
  13. ^ New York Times, Lovers of Graffiti Rally To Save an Old Bridge, New York Times, February 25, 1990.
  14. ^ Bush, G.W., President Launches Quality Teacher Initiative (White House Transcript), Eden Prairie High School, Eden Prairie, MN, March 4, 2002.
  15. ^ WotN, Wings of the North Museum Project
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