Richfield, Minnesota

Richfield is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. An inner-ring suburb of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region, it is bordered by Minneapolis to the north, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport to the east, Bloomington to the south, and Edina to the west. Best Buy, the U.S.'s largest electronics retailer, has its headquarters in Richfield. The population was 35,228 at the 2010 census.^[5]

History

Main article: History of Richfield, Minnesota

Map showing land annexations and Richfield's original borders as a town in 1854 and present day borders as a city.

The beginnings of Richfield date back to the 1850s, when it was still a small farming community.^[6] Close to Minneapolis and Fort Snelling, it was on the edge of a growing and expanding city with business and commerce not far away. One of the first settlers was Riley Bartholomew, a former General in the Ohio Militia who became a Richfield Justice of the Peace and a Minnesota State Senator. Bartholomew built a house on the east shore of Wood Lake in 1852, and the restored Riley Lucas Bartholomew House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the house and site are maintained by the Richfield Historical Society. In the early days, Richfield extended as far north as Lake Street, and included present day Edina and parts of St. Louis Park and Hopkins on the west, and extended to the Mississippi and the Minnesota Rivers on the east, and to Bloomington on the south. On May 11, 1858, as Congress was admitting Minnesota into the Union, the early residents of Richfield had their first town meeting. That same year Richfield was named for the fertile farm land it encompassed. By 1879, the community's first town hall was constructed. Early residents were German, Irish and families from the New England area. These residents were soon joined by immigrants from Sweden, Norway and Denmark.^[7]

It was not until 1908 that Richfield became a village. From 1908 until 1950, Richfield's local government consisted of a President, three trustees, and a clerk. On November 7, 1950, residents voted for a city manager form of government, meaning the city had a Mayor, four council members, and one City Manager. This is still the form of government used today. Richfield's first Mayor was Clarence Christian, who began serving in 1951, but served as President under the old format dating back to 1948. By the late 1940s, the city's population started increasing rapidly as farmland was sold to developers who were building homes for veterans returning from World War II. In 1955, the Richfield Chamber of Commerce was formed and has been deeply involved in the development, as well as the redevelopment, of the community since that time.

The first half of the 20th century also saw the boundaries of Richfield change, as annexations decreased the size of the city. Three annexations by Minneapolis brought the village to 62nd Street, its present north boundary. In 1886, St. Louis Park formed a separate community followed by Edina in 1888 and a section of the far west was annexed by Hopkins in 1893. In 1905, a section of the east to 34th Avenue was requisitioned by Fort Snelling. In 1941, another section of East Richfield went to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, and by 1955 all of the Wold-Chamberlain Field (municipal airport) was separated from the village.

Over the years, populations of all nearby communities increased and after World War II, Richfield flourished with commuters to Twin Cities jobs. Today, Richfield has a population of about 35,000 residents who live within seven square miles of neighborhoods, parks and shops.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.01 square miles (18.16 km²), of which 6.87 square miles (17.79 km²) is land and 0.14 square miles (0.36 km²) is water.^[1]

Interstates 35W and 494 and Minnesota State Highways 62 and 77 are four of the main routes in the city. Other main routes include 66th Street.

The majority of the 10,000 single-family homes were constructed in the 1950s, and the 5,000 apartments date from the 1960s and early 1970s. The Richfield Rediscovered Housing Program has established an environment of change in the community as it encourages home remodeling, expansion, and reconstruction. The program is gradually changing the face of Richfield's residential neighborhoods, upgrading them from small, post-WWII styles to larger homes.

Richfield Land Use Areas (2005)
Land Use	Specific	Acres	Percent
Total City Area		4569.4	100
Streets and Highways		1249.6	27.3
Net Land Use Area		3319.8	72.7
Total Residential	Total Residential Area	2396.9	52.4
	Single Family	2170.8	47.5
	Two Family	35.0	0.8
	Town Housing	3.4	0.07
	Multi-family	182.2	4.0
	Care housing	5.5	0.1
Total Non-Residential	Total Non-Residential Area	922.3	20.2
	Commercial	205.0	4.5
	Public	16.8	0.4
	Quasi Public	40.4	0.9
	Church	56.6	1.2
	School	109.2	2.4
	Park	468.6	10.3
	Railroad	11.8	0.3
	Vacant	13.9	0.3

Economy

Business

Richfield is home to the corporate campus of Best Buy

Best Buy Company, Inc. moved its corporate headquarters into the city in 2003, becoming the largest employer in Richfield.^[8]

Job growth in Richfield has reached unprecedented levels in recent years.^[9] From the first quarter of 2001 to the first quarter of 2003, net job growth equaled 2,444 – the second highest in the metropolitan area. Additionally, total employment in Richfield jumped from 10,090 to nearly 15,000 between 1995 and 2005.^[10]

In 2007, Cedar Point Commons opened in Richfield at Cedar Avenue and 66th Street, adjacent to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. SuperTarget and The Home Depot serve as its anchor tenants.^[11] The SuperTarget has the Target bullseye painted on its roof, which can be seen from planes taking off from the airport. Target stores near Chicago O'Hare International Airport,^[12] Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport also have bullseyes on their roof.

Top employers

According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[13] the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Best Buy (HQ)	5,200
2	US Bank	1,600
3	Richfield Public Schools	667
4	Target	375
5	City of Richfield	245
6	Metro Sales, Inc.	243
7	Best Buy (store)	200
8	The Home Depot	163
9	Richfield Health Center	122
10	Richfield Bloomington Honda	80

Education

Richfield has public schools, private schools, alternative education programs, and post-secondary options.^[14]

Public schools

The school district, Independent School District 280, serves about 4,200 students in Richfield and part of Edina in grades K-12. Richfield schools are divided into elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools.^[15]

Four elementary schools serve primary students in grades K-5: Centennial Elementary; Sheridan Elementary; R-STEM Elementary, which focuses its curriculum on science, technology, engineering, and math; and RDLS Elementary, a dual language school which teaches students in both English and Spanish.

Students in grades 6-8 attend Richfield Middle School.^[16] Richfield High School serves approximately 1400 students in grades 9-12.^[17]

Outside of the school district there is Watershed High School.

Private schools

Academy of Holy Angels, a Catholic, co-educational high school that serves over 800 students in grades 9-12
The Fraser School, serving children six-weeks to six-years old
Blessed Trinity Catholic School
Mount Calvary Lutheran School
Minnesota Japanese School
Augsberg Park Montessori School

Post-secondary

Adler Graduate School
Globe University/Minnesota School of Business, a career college
Minnesota Life College

Recreation

Richfield has more than 450 acres (1.8 km²) of parkland, 23 neighborhood parks and a nature preserve.^[18] Wood Lake Nature Center is a 150-acre (0.6 km²) park operated by the city of Richfield that features wetlands, walking paths and an interpretive center. When the Nature Center opened in 1971, it was one of the first urban nature center in the United States, and is currently home to more than 200 different kinds of birds and 30 mammals.^[19]

Richfield's Ice Arena has two full-size indoor skating rinks. Hockey games, figure skating, broom ball games, open skating, and community events all take place in this facility.^[20] Located near the ice arena is Richfield's outdoor pool. Renovated in 2003, the swim complex features a 50-meter competitive pool, wading pool, and a 28-foot (9 m) double waterslide.^[21]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	2,673		—
1920	2,411		−9.8%
1930	3,344		38.7%
1940	3,778		13.0%
1950	17,502		363.3%
1960	42,523		143.0%
1970	47,231		11.1%
1980	37,851		−19.9%
1990	35,710		−5.7%
2000	34,439		−3.6%
2010	35,228		2.3%
Est. 2014	36,179	^[22]	2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[23] 2013 Estimate^[3]

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 35,228 people, 14,818 households, and 8,420 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,127.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,979.9/km²). There were 15,735 housing units at an average density of 2,290.4 per square mile (884.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.8% White, 9.2% African American, 0.8% Native American, 6.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 10.4% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.3% of the population.

There were 14,818 households of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.2% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.05.

The median age in the city was 36.2 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.4% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,439 people, 15,073 households, and 8,727 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,993.9 people per square mile (1,927.1/km²). There were 15,357 housing units at an average density of 2,226.9 per square mile (859.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.25% White, 6.65% African American, 0.72% Native American, 5.30% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.41% from other races, and 2.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 6.27% of the population.

There were 15,073 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% 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 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.2% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,519, and the median income for a family was $56,434. Males had a median income of $38,417 versus $29,909 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,709. About 3.9% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

On November 7, 2006, Debbie Goettel – despite having had no previous elected experience in the city's government – was elected Richfield's mayor. She assumed the position held by Martin Kirsch for 16 years (four terms). Richfield has five city council members, which include Mike Howard (at-large), Pat Elliott (Ward 1), Edwina Garcia^[24] (Ward 2), Tom Fitzhenry (Ward 3) and Mayor Goettel.^[25] At the state level, Richfield is represented by DFLers, including state Sen. Patricia Torres Ray and state representatives Jean Wagenius and Linda Slocum. The city is located in Minnesota's 5th congressional district, represented by Minneapolis lawyer Keith Ellison, a Democrat.

Notable people

Steve Christoff – member of the 1980 USA men's hockey team that won the gold medal in the Miracle on Ice.
Donald F. Gleason – American physician and pathologist, best known for devising the "Gleason score" of prostate cancer
Darby Hendrickson – Former NHL player
Charles W. Lindberg – U.S. Marine
Bill Mack – Sculptor, Artist
Chad Smith – Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer
Will Steger – Arctic explorer and environmentalist
Damian Rhodes – Former NHL goaltender

References

1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
1 2 "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2014-07-14.
↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
↑ "2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Census. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
↑ History of Richfield, City of Richfield Website
↑ Richfield History, Community Profile
↑ Best Buy Corporate Office Headquarters
↑ Richfield Jobs (MN) | Simply Hired
↑ Richfield Community Profile
↑ Cedar Point Commons
↑ Google Maps
↑ City of Richfield CAFR Archived October 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
↑ rSchooltoday
↑ Richfield District
↑ Richfield Middle
↑ Richfield High School
↑ "Parks". City of Richfield, Minnesota. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
↑ "Woodlake Nature Center". City of Richfield, Minnesota. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
↑ "Ice Arena". City of Richfield, Minnesota. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
↑ "Outdoor Pool". City of Richfield, Minnesota. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ United States Census Bureau. "Census of Population and Housing". Retrieved June 15, 2013.
↑ City of Richfield webpage
↑ http://www.cityofrichfield.org/index.aspx?page=91. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richfield, Minnesota.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Richfield, Minnesota.

Municipalities and communities of Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States

County seat: Minneapolis

Cities	Bloomington Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Park Champlin Chanhassen‡ Corcoran Crystal Dayton‡ Deephaven Eden Prairie Edina Excelsior Golden Valley Greenfield Greenwood Hanover‡ Hopkins Independence Long Lake Loretto Maple Grove Maple Plain Medicine Lake Medina Minneapolis Minnetonka Minnetonka Beach Minnetrista Mound New Hope Orono Osseo Plymouth Richfield Robbinsdale Rockford‡ Rogers Shorewood Spring Park St. Anthony‡ St. Bonifacius St. Louis Park Tonka Bay Wayzata Woodland

Unorganized territory	Fort Snelling

Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

State of Minnesota

Saint Paul (capital)

Topics	Outline Index Cities Climate Colleges and universities Congressional districts Ecology Geography Geology Governors High schools Historical Congressional delegations Historical Landmarks History Lakes Movies and television Music People Political parties Rivers School districts Scouting State fair State parks Territory Townships Transportation Visitor attractions

Society	Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Sports Theater

Regions	Arrowhead Boundary Waters Buffalo Ridge Central Coteau des Prairies Dissected Till Plains Driftless Area Iron Range Minnesota River Valley North Shore Northwest Angle North Woods Pipestone Red River Valley Siouxland Southeast Twin Cities metropolitan area

Largest cities pop. over 25,000	Andover Apple Valley Blaine Bloomington Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Park Burnsville Coon Rapids Cottage Grove Duluth Eagan Eden Prairie Edina Fridley Inver Grove Heights Lakeville Mankato Maple Grove Maplewood Minneapolis Minnetonka Moorhead Oakdale Owatonna Plymouth Prior Lake Ramsey Richfield Rochester Roseville St. Cloud St. Louis Park Saint Paul Savage Shakopee Shoreview Winona Woodbury

Counties	Aitkin Anoka Becker Beltrami Benton Big Stone Blue Earth Brown Carlton Carver Cass Chippewa Chisago Clay Clearwater Cook Cottonwood Crow Wing Dakota Dodge Douglas Faribault Fillmore Freeborn Goodhue Grant Hennepin Houston Hubbard Isanti Itasca Jackson Kanabec Kandiyohi Kittson Koochiching Lac qui Parle Lake Lake of the Woods Le Sueur Lincoln Lyon Mahnomen Marshall Martin McLeod Meeker Mille Lacs Morrison Mower Murray Nicollet Nobles Norman Olmsted Otter Tail Pennington Pine Pipestone Polk Pope Ramsey Red Lake Redwood Renville Rice Rock Roseau Saint Louis Scott Sherburne Sibley Stearns Steele Stevens Swift Todd Traverse Wabasha Wadena Waseca Washington Watonwan Wilkin Winona Wright Yellow Medicine

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, March 24, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.