City of Golden Valley
Golden Valley is a western and first-ring suburb of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The city is mostly residential and is bordered by U.S. Highway 12 (Interstate 394). Over 15% of the city is parks or nature reserves. The Floyd B. Olson Memorial Highway also runs through the heart of the city providing a direct route to the Minneapolis 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 also the site of the U.S. headquarters of Pentair and local NBC affiliate KARE. The city was also home to the former Minneapolis-Honeywell headquarters, which is now the Resideo Technologies corporate offices.
The city’s population was 20,371 at the 2010 census.
History
Tribes of Chippewa and Sioux had encampments on nearby Medicine Lake. The first white settlers arrived in the early 1850s. Golden Valley was incorporated December 17, 1886. In the early twentieth century, it was mostly a farming community.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total 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.
Economy
- Major employers in the city include:
- Tennant
- General Mills
- Pentair
- KARE, NBC television affiliate for the Twin Cities
- Minnesota United FC – headquarters for the Major League Soccer franchise
- Bluestone Garden
- Room & Board
- Honeywell
- UnitedHealth Group
- USFamily.net
Even though the population of Golden Valley is around 20,000, more than 30,000 people work in Golden Valley. This is because of the presence of large employers including General Mills, Honeywell, and Pentair.
Government
Golden Valley is a statutory city, where the mayor votes with the city council. Golden Valley operates under the council–manager form of government. The city council sets the policy and overall direction for the city, and appoints a city manager to serve as administrator. The city manager directs city staff in carrying out council decisions and providing services.
The mayor serves a four-year term. There are four council members serving staggered four-year terms. Two council seats are up for election every two years, in odd-numbered years. The council members run citywide; there are no wards. The current mayor is Shep Harris. The current city council includes Larry Fonnest, Maurice Harris, Gillian Rosenquist and Kimberly Sanberg.
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
- Jordan Leopold; former player for U.S. Olympic hockey team and the National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild.
- Trent Lockett; professional basketball player
- Kelly Lynch; actress
- Lynne Osterman; Minnesota state legislator
- Aaron Sele; former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.
- Craig Taborn; jazz pianist
References:
“Golden Valley, Minnesota” │ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Valley,_Minnesota