Minnetonka

Minnetonka is a city rich in history stretching back to the mid 1800’s and has grown to a a community of 51,451 residents, making it the 19th largest city in Minnesota. Residents enjoy 49 community parks, more than 35 miles of trails and 1,000 acres of public open space. The city of Minnetonka includes only one bay of Lake Minnetonka – Gray’s Bay, which forms the headwaters of Minnehaha Creek. A fantastic recreation program for youth and adults, includes turf at 96 sites as well as 17 athletic fields, 10 hockey and 10 pleasure skating rinks in the winter.

Minnetonka

Minnetonka, which literally means the city of big water (minne for water and tonka for big), is one of the biggest cities in Minnesota (number 14 in terms of population. Lake Minnetonka’s (one of Minnesota’s largest lakes) eastern tip is located in the city.

Non residents may think that the city is the location of the entire lake because of its name. However, aside from the name Minnetonka, the only thing they share is a small portion of the Lake known as Gray’s Bay. Lake Minnetonka consists of about 14,000 acres and it is not surprising that while Minnetonka shares only a small portion of the entire lake, it is still among the favorite destinations of tourists.

Minnetonka Lake’s popularity to both residents and tourists can be attributed to its history as well as its inclusion in “The Song of Hiawatha”, an epic poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1855. The poem is a poetic narrative of Minnesota’s landmarks including the Minnehaha Falls and of course, the Minnetonka Lake.

Minnetonka Lake is perhaps one of the major reasons why Minnesota particularly Minnetonka is an attractive relocation site for those planning an executive relocation, professional relocation, corporate relocation and even employee relocation. The prospects of fishing on the Minnetonka Lake, which is becoming popular for fishing tournaments, has always been too much to resist for just about anyone. In fact it is being dangled by most relocation information brochures as one of the top benefits of relocating in Minnesota. The Lake is home to various game species including sunfish, northern pike, yellow perch and walleye.

Population profile

Minnetonka is quite densely populated with 1,893 persons for every square mile. Not surprising considering its population of 51,301 people and 22,228 housing units as of the 2000 census. Majority or 94.40% of the population are Whites, followed by Germans (24.7%), Germans (13.8%) and a mixture of Irish, Swedish, English, Asians and African Americans.

Majority or around 56.6% of the 21,393 households are composed of married couples while 29.1% are households with minor children. The population is slight matured with a median age of 41 years. Surprisingly (considering the population density) Minnetonka has provided well for its residents, with only 1.5% of the families and around 2.6% of the total population living below poverty level.