Richfield is a city in
Hennepin County,
Minnesota,
United States. An inner-ring
suburb of the
Minneapolis-St. Paul region, it is bordered by
Minneapolis on the north,
Minneapolis-St. 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 34,439 at the
2000 census.
History
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. 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 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.
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 village 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 1888, Edina formed a separate community and 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 7.1 square miles (18.3 km²), of which, 6.9 square miles (17.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) of it (2.55%) is water.
Interstates
35W and
494 and Minnesota State Highways
62 and
77 are four of the main arterial routes in the city.
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.
Demographics
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/sq mi (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 were 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 Marty Kirsch for 16 years (four terms). Richfield has five council members. They include Sue Sandahl (at-large), Pat Elliott (west Richfield), Fred Wroge (central), Tom Fitzhenry (east) and Mayor Goettel. At the State level, Richfield is represented by DFLers. They include state Sen. Ken Kelash and state representatives Paul Thissen and Linda Slocum. The city is located in
Minnesota's 5th congressional district, represented by
Minneapolis lawyer
Keith Ellison, a
Democrat.
Economy
Business
Richfield is home to the corporate campus of Best Buy
New businesses continue to enter the City of Richfield. Perhaps the most historic was the decision for
Best Buy Company, Inc. to move its corporate headquarters into the city in 2003, becoming the largest employer in Richfield. The impressiveness of the campus does not diminish the importance of the smaller, local businesses that play their part in maintaining Richfield's vitality.
Job growth in Richfield has reached unprecedented levels in recent years. 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.
Cedar Point Commons recently opened in Richfield at Cedar Avenue and 66th Street, adjacent to Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.
SuperTarget and
The Home Depot serve as its anchor tenants. 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 and
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport also have bullseyes on their roof.
Population statistics
Education
There are many education choices in Richfield – including
public schools,
private schools, alternative education programs, and
post-secondary options.
Public schools
Richfield Public Schools provide a full range of educational offerings and student support services for all levels of students as well as an extensive community education program for adults and preschoolers. 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 organized around four key stages of youth development,
Primary School,
Intermediate School,
Middle School, and
High School.
Primary School: Two elementary schools serve primary students in Kindergarten through
Grade 2. In an environment geared toward young children, students begin learning the fundamentals of
reading,
writing and
math, and begin to explore other curriculum areas as well.
Intermediate School: The school is divided into teacher/learner teams for grades
3-
5 that allow students and teachers to develop strong bonds and help teachers monitor progress and meet the needs of individual learners. Standards-based instruction continues to build a strong foundation of learning in the core areas of reading, language arts, math, science and social studies. Other activities help students to develop positive values, leadership and social skills.
Middle School: Students in Grades
6-
8 attend Richfield Middle School. Students work with a team of teachers in core academic areas of language arts, math, science and social studies. Students develop skills and talents through a variety of exploratory courses – including art, music, global languages, family and consumer science, physical education, health and computers/technology.
High School: Richfield High School provides a wide variety of programs and activities to meet the interests and needs of students in Grades
9-
12. A variety of honors, accelerated, independent study and college credit classes provide a high level of challenge for the 1,400 students that attend Richfield High School.
Private schools
- Academy of Holy Angels: The Academy of Holy Angels is a Catholic, co-educational high school that serves over 800 students in Grades 9 through 12. It is a fully accredited college preparatory school that offers a challenging curriculum to prepare students for continued education and life in the real world. They are one of seven schools in Minnesota that received college preparatory accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The school is located on wooded. Most students live in the greater metropolitan Twin Cities area. Campus facilities include a television studio, four computer labs, a theater, a library with over 12,000 volumes, a state-of-the-art weight room, a domed football and soccer facility and two gymnasiums.
Post-secondary
Recreation
Richfield has more than of
parkland, 21 neighborhood parks and a
nature preserve,
Wood Lake Nature Center, which is a park operated by the city of Richfield that features
wetlands, walking paths and an interpretive center. When the Nature Center opened in 1971, it became the first urban nature center in the United States, and is currently home to more than 200 different kinds of birds and 30 mammals.
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. The Richfield Aquatic Center is located near the ice arena. Renovated in 2003, the swim complex features a 50-meter competitive pool, wading pool, and a double waterslide. The city is also home to a pair of
bowling alleys – Lariat Lanes on the west side and Airport Bowl on the east side.
Notable residents
- Humorist and stage performer
