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C−History
History · Brooklyn Park

Brooklyn Park dates to 1850

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns · #227 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it

Most of Brooklyn Park was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1860.

1850founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Public domain · Public domain
Quick answers

How Brooklyn Park began

When was Brooklyn Park founded?

1850

Brooklyn Park dates its founding to 1850 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 608 in 18602020 census: 86,478176 years

How historic is Brooklyn Park?

C−

More historic than 18% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Brooklyn Park’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Brooklyn Park is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #227 of 273 in Minnesota. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Brooklyn Park’s overall grade.
Founding era1850, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19403.1% of homes (±0.9) · typical MN town 8.1% · U.S. 8.4%C−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical MN town 2.1 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 18%
NewerOlder
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (273)Ahead of 17%

Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Brooklyn Park’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1850.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C−. The pre-1940 share (±0.9 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Brooklyn Park’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Brooklyn Park are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19026 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1993. Watch Brooklyn Park change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Brooklyn Park’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Brooklyn Park’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Brooklyn Park on the map, 1902 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Brooklyn Park. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Brooklyn Park on the 1902 USGS mapBrooklyn Park on the 1952 USGS mapBrooklyn Park on the 1967 USGS mapBrooklyn Park on the 1972 USGS mapBrooklyn Park on the 1980 USGS mapBrooklyn Park on the 1993 USGS map1902Anoka sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Brooklyn Park.

The story

How Brooklyn Park came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Brooklyn Park.

Read it all →

Settlers from Michigan formally organized town government in 1858 and named the area after their hometown of Brooklyn, Michigan (in turn named after Brooklyn, New York). Formerly Brooklyn Township, the township split in 1911 when the southeast community incorporated into Brooklyn Center. Brooklyn Township was incorporated as the Village of Brooklyn Park in 1954, and incorporated as a city in 1969. In 2025 it was one of the dual epicenters of the 2025 Minnesota lawmaker shootings, which saw the assassination of DFL State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Brooklyn Park, 1850 to 1995

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1850
    FoundingBrooklyn Park is established
  3. 1869Post officeThe Brooklyn post office opens
  4. 1877Post officeThe Brooklyn post office closes
  5. 20th century
  6. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1981Born hereKrissy Wendell-Pohl is born here
  8. 1984Born hereTravis Morin is born here
  9. 1990Born hereSam Dower is born here
  10. 1995Born hereQuinton Hooker is born here
By decade

Brooklyn Park, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Mississippi River Trail2014Mississippi River TrailInterstate 942013Interstate 94Interstate 94 - Brooklyn Park, MN - panoramio (1)2013Interstate 94 - Brooklyn Park, MN - panoramio (1)"The River"2013"The River"Leaves2007LeavesRichardPBraunBridge2006RichardPBraunBridge
People over time

Brooklyn Park, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,00019001950200086,478

Grew from 608 people in 1860 to 86,478 in 2020, more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Brooklyn Park’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Brooklyn Park

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
K
Krissy Wendell-PohlAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1981
Travis MorinIce hockey player · b. 1984
Q
Quinton HookerAmerican basketball player · b. 1995
Sam DowerAmerican basketball player · b. 1990
Ben YoudsAmerican ice hockey defenceman · b. 1988
C
Connor NorbyAmerican baseball player (born 20000 · b. 2000
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Brooklyn, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Gone or out of use
Starlite Drive-Inlocale
1cemetery inside Brooklyn Park
Brooklyn - Crystal

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Brooklyn CenterIts storyC−Coon RapidsIts storyC−Fridley1 historic placeB−Osseo1 historic placeC+Maple GroveIts storyC−Champlin2 historic placesCNew HopeIts storyD

Questions about Brooklyn Park’s history

What year was Brooklyn Park founded?

In 1850, according to Wikidata. Brooklyn Park’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1860 counted 608 people here.

How does Brooklyn Park rank for history?

Brooklyn Park is more historic than 18% of U.S. towns, #227 of 273 in Minnesota. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Brooklyn Park?

3% of Brooklyn Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1980.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.