Edina has grown from a village of mostly Scottish and Irish immigrants to a full service metropolitan community with people of very diverse backgrounds. The city is thoroughly developed, mostly with residential areas, but residents also enjoy numerous parks, lakes, neighborhood and regional shopping areas, two high-quality medical facilities, family-owned businesses, and major corporations and churches. Situated southwest of Minneapolis as a first-ring suburb, Edina has several major highways running through it making it readily accessible to all within the metropolitan area. 

History

It sounds like a simple name and one that could be made without much argument, but a look at Edina's past shows this is not the case. When the city became a village back in 1888 its residents spent several very contentious meetings debating the name of this village just to the west of the up and coming Mill City of Minneapolis. The conflict was between the Scottish and Irish immigrants, who made up the majority of the population, each wanting a name that reminded them of their old homeland. The Irish wanted to name it Killarney Lakes while the Scottish wanted Edina. Votes were made to name it Hennepin Park and Westfield. In the end, the vote went 47 to 42 in favor of the name we know today. Edina values its history and has several buildings in the National Register of Historic Places as proof. The Baird and Grimes Homes and Country Club District are listed as is Grange Hall and Cahill School. 

Indoor Shopping 

Perhaps Edina's greatest claim to fame in modern times is the fact that it is the home of the world's first indoor shopping mall. Still open today, the shopping area known as "Southdale Center" was officially opened in 1956 and started a trend that spread rapidly throughout the country. Southdale was the Dayton family's retail vision of the future because an indoor mall provided a climate-controlled location that provided convenience and variety. The city also boasts a thriving downtown area at 50th Street and France Avenue, known simply as "50th & France" offering a more traditional outdoor shopping venue. 

Parks and Recreation 

Edina operates nearly 40-parks and recreational facilities, including Arneson Acres, Braemar Arena, Braemar Golf Courses, Braemar Golf Dome, Centennial Lakes Park, Edina Aquatic Center, Edina Art Center, Edina Senior Center, indoor Edinborough Park, Fred Richards Executive Golf Course and a dozen warming houses. Edina's parks include amenities such as baseball, football and soccer fields; softball diamonds; basketball and tennis courts; outdoor skating rinks; playground equipment for young children; and picnic shelters. Eight miles of scenic pathways are available for bicycling, walking, jogging, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. 

Schools

The Edina School District is known as being one of, if not the finest, school districts in the state of Minnesota. The district traditionally makes a very good showing on a wide variety of standardized test scores and has won numerous awards for its schools and programs. There are six elementary schools, two middle schools and one senior high school in the district. The district is committed to keeping class sizes as small as possible while retaining the educational support needed to ensure quality learning opportunities. Class size guidelines are: Kindergarten - 18, grades one through three - 21, grades four and five - 24, grades six through nine - 25, grades ten through twelve - 28.

 -Home Owner's Resource Guide