Although Edina is most well-known for its status as the wealthiest suburb in Minnesota, the city of almost 50,000 people has many other great aspects that are often overlooked. Committed to maintaining a tight-knit community feeling, the city puts on many popular annual events, such as the Edina Art Fair and Taste of Edina, as well as weekly and monthly gatherings that bring together people from all walks of life in fun and relaxed settings.
For starters, Edina is a good place to express your creative side. Each year, the esteemed Edina Art Fair is held in the 50th and France district, and it draws 300+ artists and more than 165,000 visitors alike. The annual event is celebrated as Minnesota’s first official art fair of the year (and an unofficial kickoff of summer festival season), and it holds the distinction of being the second largest art fair in the state (the biggest is in Uptown). The city also hosts the Fall into the Arts Festival each September at Centennial Lakes Park, with 200 exhibitors and crowds that can reach 20,000 Metropolitans.
To further fulfill the city’s goal of beautifying the community through displays of public art, several sculptures can be found around the city year-round, including the popular bronze piece “Reflecting on Friendship,” which depicts two young children chasing bubbles. The Edina Art Center, conveniently located adjacent to the Edina Aquatic Center in Rosland Park, offers classes to students of all ages in mediums ranging from painting to pottery to ceramics, helping to foster the community’s creativity.
Edinans are fortunate enough to experience a high quality of life, with more than 1500 acres of park space for children and families (including four-legged members) to enjoy. Van Valkenburg Park has a designated off-leash area, where playful pooches are free to run to their little hearts’ content. Lewis Park, meanwhile, is home to the city’s only “Edible Playground,” a communal vegetable garden that is tended by volunteers and is meant to inspire children to be active and to promote healthful living. Residents also have access to a community garden, located in Yorktown Park.
Speaking of a high quality of life, the city has not one, but two upscale country clubs – Edina Country Club and Interlachen, the latter of which occupies a coveted spot along the new stretch of premier Interlachen Boulevard. Over the years, Interlachen has played host to several major professional tournaments, most recently the U.S. Women’s Open in 2008. In addition to the renowned golf course, the Club also offers top-notch amenities, including a pool, clay and hard surface tennis courts, and a wellness center. For those who prefer to spend less green to play on the green, there is the Braemar Golf Course, located in the southwesternmost corner of the city. Braemar Park also houses the Golf Dome, a facility that’s open during the winter months for golfers who won’t let a little bit (okay, a lot) of snow stop them from perfecting their swing, and the Braemar Ice Arena.
Within the 16-square miles of the city, there are 45 (count ’em!) distinct neighborhoods, each with its own unique flair. Morningside, for example, was previously a “streetcar suburb” and was a separate village until its reincorporation into the city in 1966. Now it is home to some of the most beautiful (and expensive) houses in the area. The Country Club District, unsurprisingly, is known for its huge, extravagant homes. It is also a historic district, recognized as one of the nation’s first planned communities and for its majority of homes that are nearing 100 years old. While most of Edina’s homes are much younger, the median listing price for homes throughout the city is steady at almost $500,000. This is actually quite reasonable considering the median household income is over $80,000 per year.
Edina boasts some of the top public schools in the state, with Edina High School repeatedly being ranked among the best academic and athletic institutions in the nation. Having won more than 100 state championships and spawning the careers of numerous professional athletes, Sports Illustrated ranked the school as having the 8th best athletics program in the country in 2005. 95% of the school’s seniors go on to college, which contributes to the 86% of Edina residents who have completed some form of post-secondary education. These numbers help explain the city’s low unemployment rate and high concentration of those in healthcare and other professional and technical industries.
With so many doctors around, it is fitting that Edina would be home to Fairview Southdale Hospital, a facility that has received numerous national awards for its excellent service. Fairview’s emergency wing is currently undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation that is expected to be completed by the summer of 2015.
Shopping is superb in the suburb, offering the universally-pleasing Southdale Center, the ritzy Galleria, and the 50th and France neighborhood. The latter, which serves as Edina’s downtown, is known for its trendy and chic retail stores as well as its wide array of one-of-a-kind restaurants, such as Red Cow and Pig & Fiddle, both local favorites. Edina is serviced by multiple bus lines, most notably Route 6, which brings riders from the University of Minnesota and Downtown to all of the city’s hotspots, including a major transit hub at Southdale Center. But with multiple automobiles per household and an average work commute of 20 minutes, it is safe to say that most Metro Transit users are probably out-of-towners looking to get a taste of the vibrant and diverting city that Edinans are lucky enough to call home.
Neighborhood Resources
Edina Schools |
Faith Communities |
Public Parks |
Local Restaurants |
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For the full list of Edina parks and recreation areas, please click here. |
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Attractions |
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| Arneson Acres – Edina History Museum | |
| Braemar Arena | |
| Braemar Golf Course and Golf Dome | |
| Centennial Lakes Plaza | |
| Courtney Fields at Braemar Park | |
| Dog run at Van Valkenburg Park | |
| Edible Playground at Lewis Park | |
| Edina Aquatic Center | |
| Edina Art Center | |
| Edina Cahill Historical School | |
| Edina Country Club | |
| Edina Promenade | |
| Edinborough Park & Amphitheater | |
| Galleria Edina | |
| Interlachen Country Club | |
| Landmark Theater | Patisserie Margo |
| Southdale Center | |
| Wind Horse Tours | |
| Yorktown Park Community Garden | |
| 50th and France | |
