Edina

History

Edina began as part of Richfield Township, Minnesota. By the 1870s, 17 families, most of them immigrating as a result of the Great Famine of Ireland, had come to Minnesota and claimed land in the southwest section of what was then Richfield Township. They were followed by settlers from New England and Germany, who claimed additional land near Minnehaha Creek. The Baird and Grimes neighborhoods (both listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and the Country Club District (then known as Waterville Mills) in northeastern Edina were among the first areas to be established. The area then known as the Cahill Settlement, at West 70th Street and Cahill Road, was also an early community center and the home of Cahill School. In 1888, the township's residents held a meeting to consider founding a new village, thus separating themselves from Richfield Township. The idea was accepted and a committee was established to oversee the transition. After the decision was made to form a new village, debate ensued about the new village's name. Several town meetings were held in the Minnehaha Grange Hall, during which the names Hennepin Park, Westfield, and Edina were suggested. Minutes taken by Henry F. Brown, a farmer and future owner (1889) of the Edina Mill, are summarized as follows: At the next meeting, the name Edina was chosen with a vote of 47 for and 42 against. The name "Edina" may also come from the language of the nearby Dakota tribe. The word means "to catch fire." The first suburban development in Edina occurred during the early 1900s in Morningside, a neighborhood in the northeastern part of the village. As Morningside grew, conflict arose between its residents who wanted more city services, and the residents of the rest of the village who wanted to maintain…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Residential areas comprise the largest portion of the city, which is now more than 95 percent developed. Within Edina are many different neighborhoods; Highlands, Indian Hills, Morningside, Country Club District, Cahill Village, Chapel Hill, South Harriet Park, Interlachen, Rolling Green, Presidents, Sunnyslope, White Oaks, Parkwood Knolls, Braemar Hills, Birchcrest, Dewey Hill and Hilldale.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  111,708
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  108,532
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  94,950
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  86,633
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  84,796
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  81,500
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  80,915
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  75,901

Largest nearby schools

• MINNETONKA SENIOR HIGH
  High · MINNETONKA · 3,508 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• EDEN PRAIRIE SENIOR HIGH
  High · EDEN PRAIRIE · 2,833 students · 18.3:1 ratio
• EDINA SENIOR HIGH
  High · EDINA · 2,720 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL
  Middle · EDEN PRAIRIE · 1,909 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• ROBBINSDALE ARMSTRONG SENIOR HIGH
  High · PLYMOUTH · 1,832 students · 30.5:1 ratio
• JEFFERSON SENIOR HIGH
  High · BLOOMINGTON · 1,637 students · 34.8:1 ratio
• KENNEDY SENIOR HIGH
  High · BLOOMINGTON · 1,601 students · 29.1:1 ratio
• Washburn High
  High · MINNEAPOLIS · 1,582 students · 27.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2017-04-25
  Near Mankato, Minnesota