Eden Prairie, MN

Situated in Hennepin County, Minnesota, southwest of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, Eden Prairie has a population of more than 60,000. The city has shed its tiny village character of the 19th and early 20th centuries to become one the fastest-growing and economically viable cities in the United States. A bedroom suburb as recently as the 1960s, Eden Prairie now features thousands of businesses that contribute to the thriving economy and culture.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Voted by Money magazine in 2006 as No. 10 on the list of "Best Places to Live" in the United States, Eden Prairie has been transformed from a largely agricultural economy to a bustling, business community. Its character changed beginning in the 1970s when Interstate 494 and the Eden Prairie Shopping Center were constructed. Eden Prairie offers attractive residential neighborhoods and urban areas.

• In the downtown arterial core is Eden Prairie Center, a fashionable mall encircled by an accessible walking path that is popular among mall employees during the winter months.
• Eden Prairie boasts a variety of wildlife and nearly 200 miles of well-preserved trails that loop around several small lakes and ponds. Its numerous parks, thousands of acres of parkland, and undulating hills that overlook the Minnesota River offer a nice contrast to the suburban sprawl.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

With its thousands of businesses, Eden Prairie has experienced a massive growth spurt over the last 40 years. Some Fortune 500 companies that have settled in the area include C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. (a transportation and shipping company) and Supervalu Inc. (a wholesale grocery conglomerate). Other prominent businesses represent the fitness, telecommunications, pharmaceutical and computer equipment industries.

The Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League maintains its corporate offices and practice facility in Eden Prairie.

EDUCATION

More than half of the people in Eden Prairie have a bachelor's degree, and more than 15 percent have graduate or professional degrees.

Although Eden Prairie is quite close to other academic institutions, such as the University of Minnesota, it has three colleges of its own:

• Hennepin Technical College's Eden Prairie Campus is located on College View Drive.
• The NTI School of CAD (Computer-Aided Drafting) Technology is located on Singletree Lane.
• First opened in Eden Prairie in 2006, Rasmussen College specializes in health, technology and business management.

FOR VISITORS

Some of Eden Prairie's best features include its many lakes and parks. Popular lakes in the Eden Prairie area include:

• Grass Lake
• McCoy Lake
• Birch Island Lake
• Red Rock Lake
• Bryant Lake
• Rice Lake
• Mitchell Lake

Situated near Highway 62, Bryant Lake Regional Park features more than two miles of hiking trails, areas for picnics, golfing, boating and fishing. The Hyland-Bush-Anderson Lakes Regional Park Reserve, located on East Bush Lake Road, includes several lakes and attractive walking trails.

A popular site for musical events during the summer, Purgatory Creek Park boasts wetlands, gardens and walking trails. Also a venue for summer music, the Staring Lake Park and Amphitheatre has facilities for sporting activities, including tennis and basketball courts, as well as an impressive amphitheatre for summer concerts. Visitors will likely be interested in the historic Cummins-Grill Homestead, which occupies a prominent space in the park.

Miller Park, located on Eden Prairie Road, has a number of ball fields, soccer fields, and tennis courts, along with hiking trails and a picnic area. Additionally, the park gives visitors the opportunity to fish and boat on Mitchell Lake.

The Eden Prairie Community Center is the city's major upscale fitness facility, which includes a pool, racquetball courts and several ice rinks.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Through the support of the Arts and Culture Commission and Parks and Recreation Department, Eden Prairie offers a number of programs in music, theater and art.

• The Art Center for Eden Prairie, housed in a building that was donated in 2008 by the family of art enthusiast Roger Sampson, is geared toward the celebration of the arts in Eden Prairie. The art center is currently under renovation.
• Designed in 1980 as a site for local artists to display their work, Arts on City Walls exhibits new art once a month. Art forms include photography, paintings, murals and collages.
• The Eden Prairie Players is a theater group that offers several plays throughout the year, including "A Collection of One Acts," which is an evening of comic and dramatic plays that includes an appetizer and dessert buffet.

Eden Prairie offers a number of local cultural events, including:

• Summer concerts take place at Eden Prairie's many lakes, waterways and parks. The Staring Lake Park Amphitheater, for example, presents the 10-week KidStock series, which features children's entertainers. Purgatory Creek also features music by various performers.
• Located at Pioneer Trail, John R. Cummins House hosts the Arts & Antiques in the Garden, an art fair that allows visitors to meander through gardens and purchase an antique or two. The fair features a variety of art and antique vendors, with musical entertainment by the Eden Prairie Community Band.