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The land that would come to be known as Minnetonka was sacred ground for Native Americans. The dense woods and open prairies made for good hunting, while Lake Minnetonka provided excellent fishing.

In 1851, Indian tribes signed an agreement allowing settlement of lands west of Fort Snelling, and by 1852, Minnetonka's first settlement was established at the current Minnetonka Mills site.

Early settlers came to Minnetonka primarily from New England and other states east of Minnesota, from northern Europe and the British Isles, and from Bohemia (now part of Czechoslovakia).

By 1956, it was time to become a village. Annexations by adjacent communities were no longer allowed, and Minnetonka's boundaries were stabilized.

As late as the 1960s, Minnetonka still contained many farms, greenhouses and horse pastures. As bus service and highways improved, this second-ring suburb was increasingly accessible to Minneapolis and large tracts of land attracted developers. People continued to move to Minnetonka, with population doubling from 25,000 in 1960 to around 50,000 today.

In the mid-1960s, I-494 was built through Minnetonka, and large commercial developments soon followed including the 7-Hi strip mall along County Rd. 101 where SuperTarget now stands. In 1968, the village officially became a city.

During the mid-1970s, city sewer and water lines replaced individual septic tanks and wells in most of Minnetonka. Minnetonka's current city hall was built in 1970, and over time the facility grew to the extensive Civic Center campus it is today, containing a community center, fire station, police department, ice rinks, soccer fields and a water treatment plant.

Ridgedale Mall opened in the early 1970s. In 1982, the Opus Center, a large mixed-use development of office, light industrial, hotel and residential areas was built between Shady Oak Road and Hwy. 169, just north of the Crosstown.

Minnetonka continues to be home to many major corporate headquarters, including Carlson Companies, Cargill and United Health Care, as well as a host of other thriving companies.

Read the official City of Minnetonka social media policy at: www.eminnetonka.com/news