History

The first settlers of Hopkins arrived in 1852; however, the roots of the town begin in 1887 with the building of the Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, later called Minneapolis Moline. Minneapolis Moline once employed most of the Hopkins residents. The West Minneapolis Land Company was also founded in 1887 and was formed to build housing for the Minneapolis Moline factory workers.

In 1893, the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners received a petition signed by 41 residents, asking that the village be formed. Following an election, the community was then incorporated as the village of West Minneapolis.

The original village was comprised of three square miles, and it has been enlarged by annexation to its present size of about four square miles. The population at the time of its incorporation was 1,105; today, there are 17,145 people living in Hopkins.

In 1928, the name of the village was changed to Hopkins – for Harley H. Hopkins who was among its first homesteaders and was the community’s first postmaster. The first mayor was Harley Hopkins’ son, Chester L. Hopkins.

On January 1, 1948, the village became a city upon adoption of what is called the council-city manager charter.

Hopkins has always had a core business district, and in the center of that early business district was Hopkins City Hall at 8th Avenue North and Mainstreet. Completed in 1912, it housed the city’s police and jail in the rear portions, and city offices, library and meeting room upstairs. The fire station was on the main level, and the firefighters used horse drawn rigs. The building was remodeled in 1940 to accommodate more fire trucks.

That fire station was torn down in 1965 after a new City Hall, Police Station and Fire Station were built at 1010 1st St S. The current City Hall and Police Station were remodeled in 1990 and the Fire Station was remodeled in 1994.

In the summer of 1982, the city and its Public Works Department accomplished the challenge of building a city garage on a small area, using as many of the existing structures as possible, doing it within a $475,000 budget, and doing it without disrupting city services.

Adjacent to the Public Works facilities is the Hopkins Pavilion, which was built with money from a 1989 park bond referendum. The facility opened in December 1991. It is now one of the premier facilities of its kind in the Twin Cities area, and is used for soccer, lacrosse, in-line roller hockey, skating and ice hockey.

The Hopkins Activity Center, a multipurpose community facility, opened in January 1981 at the site of the former South Junior High School. A variety of programs for people of all ages are offered at the Activity Center. It was renovated in 1990, and the facility includes a gymnasium, meeting rooms and kitchen. The Hopkins Historical Society, which was started more than 24 years ago, also is located in the Activity Center.

The Hopkins Center for the Arts, 1111 Mainstreet, opened in November 1997. The Arts Center stands as a focal point for arts, culture and entertainment in the Hopkins community, the Twin Cities metro area and the region. It is a community-gathering place where young and old can enjoy high quality, multi-disciplinary cultural arts programs and community activities. The Arts Center includes a theater, a visual arts gallery, multipurpose spaces for rehearsals, community activities and small performances, a visual arts classroom, a dance studio, and kitchen facilities for serving catered food.

It addition to its facilities, the City of Hopkins is home to the annual Raspberry Festival. The first festival was organized in 1934 by a group of community business people who were concerned that the Hopkins economy and community needed a boost. This festival is one of the largest in the state.

Education

Hopkins School District 270 is the public school system serving the City of Hopkins. Three of its seven elementary schools are located in the city, including Katherine Curren, Alice Smith and Eisenhower. In addition, the School District’s early childhood, family education programs are housed in its Harley Hopkins Family Center, which is located in southeast Hopkins. Access to a number of social, county, community and School District outreach programs is available through the Hopkins Area Family Resource Center, which is located on Hopkins’ Mainstreet.

Historical Facts

City Facts

The city of Hopkins, located 13 miles from Minneapolis, is about four square miles in size. The larger, west suburban communities of Minnetonka, St. Louis Park and Edina surround it.

Hopkins is about 98% developed with little remaining vacant land. It has been in a redevelopment mode for a number of years, and that will continue as city leaders look for ways to maintain, preserve and improve this historic community.

Population

In 2003, the City’s population was 17,145 people.