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Golden Valley, Minnesota facts for kids

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Golden Valley
Golden Valley Library
Golden Valley Library
Location of Golden Valleywithin Hennepin County, Minnesota
Location of Golden Valley
within Hennepin County, Minnesota
Country United States
State Minnesota
County Hennepin
Founded 1886
Incorporated December 17, 1886
Government
 • Type Council / Manager
Area
 • City 10.54 sq mi (27.30 km2)
 • Land 10.20 sq mi (26.41 km2)
 • Water 0.34 sq mi (0.88 km2)
Elevation
856 ft (261 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City 22,552
 • Estimate 
(2022)
21,545
 • Density 2,211.63/sq mi (853.87/km2)
 • Metro
3,693,729
Time zone UTC–6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC–5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
55416, 55422, 55426, 55427
Area code(s) 763
FIPS code 27-24308
GNIS feature ID 0644201

Golden Valley is a western and first-ring suburb of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly residential and is bordered by U.S. Highway 12 (Interstate 394). Over 15% of it is parks or nature reserves. The Floyd B. Olson Memorial Highway runs through the heart of the city, providing a direct route to Minneapolis's industrial district.

Golden Valley is the main corporate headquarters of General Mills, a major flour milling and food products company originally located in Minneapolis. It is the site of Pentair's U.S. headquarters and local NBC affiliate KARE. The city was also home to the former Minneapolis-Honeywell headquarters, which is now the Resideo Technologies corporate offices.

History

Ojibwe and Sioux tribes had encampments on nearby Medicine Lake. The first white settlers arrived in the early 1850s. Golden Valley was incorporated on December 17, 1886. In the early 20th century, it was mostly a farming community.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 10.55 square miles (27.32 km2), of which 10.20 square miles (26.42 km2) is land and 0.35 square miles (0.91 km2) is water.

The 45th parallel north runs through Golden Valley, coinciding approximately with Duluth Street.

Interstate 394, U.S. Highway 169, and Minnesota State Highways 55 and 100 are four of the main routes in the area.

Education

2009-0611-006-BreckSchool
The chapel at Breck School, a private Episcopal school in Golden Valley

Most children who live in Golden Valley attend school in the Robbinsdale School District or the Hopkins School District, as all of the city's territory belongs to one or the other. Some students attend public schools in other districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.

Golden Valley High School was founded in 1957, and the adjacent Golden Valley Middle School opened in 1964. Both closed in the early 1980s after the Golden Valley School District merged with the Hopkins School District. Carl Sandburg Junior High School opened in 1959. In 1988, it became Sandburg Middle School. In 1981, the Breck School, a private Episcopal school, purchased the former Golden Valley High School and Middle School property and moved from Minneapolis to the campus of the former Golden Valley schools.

King of Grace Lutheran School is a Christian preschool, elementary school, and middle school of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Golden Valley.

There is also a private elementary Catholic School named Good Shepherd Catholic School. Its name was changed in 2006 from Parkvalley Catholic.

What is now the site of the Perpich Center for Arts Education was originally Golden Valley Lutheran College, which closed in 1985.

Economy

2009-0722-GeneralMills-hq
General Mills' corporate campus in Golden Valley.

Major employers in the city include:

Golden Valley's population is around 22,000, but more than 30,000 people work there, because of the presence of large employers including General Mills, Honeywell, and Pentair.

Top employers

According to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's largest employers are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 General Mills, Inc. 4,500
2 Allianz Life Insurance Company 1,800
3 OptumHealth 1,700
4 Honeywell Incorporated 1,700
5 G.H. Tennant Company 729
6 M.A. Mortenson Company 600
7 Courage Center 450
8 Preferred One 368
9 Liberty Carton 360
10 Breck School 338

Demographics

Golden Valley Minnesota deer in snow
A deer in a Golden Valley neighborhood
Historical population
Census Pop.
1860 301
1870 1,173 289.7%
1880 2,752 134.6%
1890 509 −81.5%
1900 680 33.6%
1910 692 1.8%
1920 830 19.9%
1930 1,320 59.0%
1940 2,048 55.2%
1950 5,551 171.0%
1960 14,559 162.3%
1970 24,246 66.5%
1980 22,775 −6.1%
1990 20,971 −7.9%
2000 20,281 −3.3%
2010 20,371 0.4%
2020 22,552 10.7%
2022 (est.) 21,545 5.8%
U.S. Decennial Census
2020 Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 20,371 people, 8,816 households, and 5,417 families living in the city. The population density was 1,997.2 inhabitants per square mile (771.1/km2). There were 9,349 housing units at an average density of 916.6 per square mile (353.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.4% White, 7.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 8,816 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was 45.7 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

Notable people

  • John R. Arlandson, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer
  • Tom Barnard, KQRS radio morning show host and voice-over artist
  • Scott Z. Burns, screenwriter, producer, director
  • David King. drummer of The Bad Plus, Happy Apple, and other groups
  • Brian Klaas, political commentator, author, and professor
  • Jordan Leopold, former player for U.S. Olympic hockey team and the Minnesota Wild.
  • Trent Lockett, professional basketball player
  • Kelly Lynch, actress
  • Lynne Osterman, Minnesota state legislator
  • Aaron Sele, former Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Craig Taborn, jazz pianist

See also

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