Minnetonka ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. A western suburb of the Twin Cities, Minnetonka is located about west of Minneapolis, on the eastern side of Lake Minnetonka. At the 2024 census, the city's population was 52,651.
Minnetonka is the home of Cargill, the country's largest privately owned company, and UnitedHealth Group, the state's largest publicly owned company. I-494 runs through the city while I-394/US 12 and US 169 are situated along the suburb's northern and eastern boundaries respectively.
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.A Brief History of Minnetonka , Minnetonka Historical Society
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 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 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.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city includes the eastern tip of Lake Minnetonka, one of the largest lakes in Minnesota. The outlet of Lake Minnetonka is Minnehaha Creek, which winds through south Minneapolis and flows over Minnehaha Falls and into the Mississippi River. Minnetonka is located west of Minneapolis, in Hennepin County.
Economy The headquarters of Carlson is in Minnetonka."Contact ." Carlson Companies. Retrieved on February 9, 2011. "Carlson 701 Carlson Parkway Minnetonka, MN 55305 U.S.A." The headquarters of Cargill are located in Minnetonka and are in the Wayzata Post Office area."Wayzata city, Minnesota." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on December 23, 2010."Twin Cities Locations ." Cargill. Retrieved on December 23, 2010. "15407 McGinty Rd Wayzata, MN 55391""Privacy ." Cargill. Retrieved on December 23, 2010. "Our headquarters are in Wayzata, Minnesota in the United States of America." Founded in 1865, Cargill is the largest privately held corporation in the U.S. in terms of revenue. Other companies based in Minnetonka include UnitedHealth Group, Digital River, Radisson Hotel Group, and the uniform companies AmeriPride Services and G&K Services.
Top employers According to the city's 2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees 1UnitedHealth Group4,2002Carlson Holdings, Inc.3,6003Lake Superior Software, Inc.3,5004Medica Health Plans2,8005Independent School District (No. 276)2,0006Multibrand Field Services, Inc2,0007Continental General Insurance Company5008St. David's School for Child Development & Family Services, Inc. 4509Opus National, LLC.36010Veolia WTS Solutions USA, Inc.300
Education
Public schools The city of Minnetonka is covered by three independent school districts. City of Minnetonka covered by three school districts , City of Minnetonka webpage The Hopkins School District, which encompasses the central and eastern part of Minnetonka; the Minnetonka School District, in the western part of city; and the Wayzata School District, which covers an area along the northern boundary of the city. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.
Public Schools in Minnetonka (Minnetonka School District) Elementary School Junior High School Senior High SchoolClear Springs ElementaryMinnetonka Middle School EastMinnetonka High SchoolGroveland ElementaryMinnetonka Middle School WestScenic Heights ElementaryMinnewashta ElementaryExcelsior ElementaryDeephaven Elementary The Minnetonka School District also includes four schools outside of the city of Minnetonka: Deephaven Elementary School (Deephaven), Excelsior Elementary School (Excelsior), Minnewashta Elementary School (Shorewood), and Minnetonka Middle School West (Chanhassen). Public Schools in Minnetonka (Hopkins School District) Elementary Schools Junior High School Senior High School Gatewood Elementary School Hopkins West Junior High School Hopkins High School Glen Lake Elementary School Hopkins North Junior High School L. H. Tanglen Elementary School
The Hopkins School District comprises two-thirds of the city of Minnetonka, the entirety of Hopkins, and portions of the cities of Golden Valley, Edina, St. Louis Park, Wayzata, and Plymouth. In addition to schools located within Minnetonka, the Hopkins School District also includes four schools in the cities of Hopkins and Golden Valley: Eisenhower Elementary School/Xin Xing Academy (Hopkins), Alice Smith Elementary School (Hopkins), Meadowbrook Elementary School (Golden Valley), and Harley Hopkins Early Childhood/Family Center (Hopkins).
Private schools There are three private and parochial schools within Minnetonka's city limits: Accell Academy, an accredited private college preparatory school serving grades K-12 Notre Dame Academy, preschool through eighth grade Minnetonka Christian Academy
Public libraries The Hennepin County Library has its headquarters in the Ridgedale Library in Minnetonka."About Hennepin County Library ." Hennepin County Library. Retrieved on March 24, 2010. The system also operates the Minnetonka Library."Minnetonka Library." Hennepin County Library. Retrieved on March 24, 2010.
Demographics
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.
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%.
+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 44,842 83.4% Black or African American 2,465 4.6% American Indian and Alaska Native 118 0.2% Asian 2,494 4.6% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 9 0.0% Some other race 704 1.3% Two or more races 3,149 5.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 1,950 3.6%
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 . There were 23,294 housing units at an average density of . 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/km). There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of . 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.