You've passed by the City of Hopkins many times, I'll bet... yet you may not have "entered" the city. This small community surrounded by other better-know western suburbs is a gem. It's located in the middle of the west metro - the Mid-West!
The well respected Hopkins School District extends far beyond the city of Hopkins to also include most of Minnetonka, about half of Golden Valley, and portions of Eden Prairie, Edina, Plymouth, and St. Louis Park!
While attending the Annual Raspberry Festival in downtown Hopkins yesterday we ran into our friends Walt & DeDe. DeDe grew up in Hopkins school district and they love the town. It has a small town feel in the big metro. They even have a real main street with stores and cafes.
The Hopkins Raspberry Festival is an annual event in Hopkins. It was started in 1935 as a way to boost business during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The festival now takes place the third weekend in July every year. The raspberry fields are long gone, but the festival continues on.
In 1887 the town recieved a great boon as the Minneapolis Theshing Machiune Company (MTM) built a large plant on the west side of the town. MTM became the largerst employer in Hennepin County in the early 20th Century. In 1927 the company merged and became Minneapolis Moline. I remember my uncle boasting about his Minneapolis Moline tractor when I was growing up. Tractor collectors also know the name well.
In 1928, the name of the village was changed to Hopkins after Harley H. Hopkins, who was among its first homesteaders and was the community's first postmaster. Mr. Hopkins allowed the town to build the train depot on his land (now The Depot Coffee House) with the agreement that the train station would say "Hopkins" on it. People getting off the train assumed the name of the town was Hopkins and it stuck. On January 1, 1948, the village became the city of Hopkins, upon adoption of a council–city manager charter.
Sharlene and I have been residents of Hennepin County since the 1980's, but I was surprised to learn that Hopkins hosted the Hennepin County Fair for many years. So agriculture has been thriving in and around Hopkins for many years!
Hopkins has a rich heritage and history. Though having a thriving economy, they have still stayed "small town". In 1962 there were six major car dealership along Main Street with gas stations on many corners.
Go to ThinkHopkins.com. There are lots of reasons to think Hopkins, MN. For big-time entertainment without big-time traffic... for development opportunities you don't want to miss... for a slice of small town in the big city... Think Hopkins! – The 13th Friendliest City in America.
John Hensrud, Realtor
HomesMSP Team with RE/MAX Results--Sharlene, John, Angela
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