Minnetonka dates to 1852, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 32% of U.S. towns · #164 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Minnetonka was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Its Register listings are the Charles H. Burwell House and the Minnetonka Town Hall. Its Register listings are the Charles H. Burwell House and the Minnetonka Town Hall. Below: 5 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1855.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Minnetonka’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Minnetonka is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #164 of 273 in Minnesota. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Minnetonka’s overall grade.
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 Minnetonka’s 0.8 sits near the middle of its state (50% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1852.
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 Minnetonka’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Since the mid-19th century, Minnetonka has evolved from heavily wooded wilderness through extensive farming and industrialization to its present primarily residential suburban character. The Minnetonka area was home to the Dakota before Euro-Americans arrived in the 1800s. They believed Lake Minnetonka (mni meaning water, and tanka meaning big, anglicized to Minnetonka) and the land around it to be sacred.
In 1853, the village of Minnetonka Mills was started, and Simon Stevens, Calvin Tuttle and Horace Webster be¬ gan the erection of a saw mill at that point. This mill was completed, dur¬ ing the summer, and placed in opera¬ tion during the fall.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
The first marriage in the township of Minnetonka was that of Newton Sperry to Mrs. Waters, at the residence of Mr. Chowen, in the spring of 1857.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Hennepin county and the city of Minneapolis, including the Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota1881 · page 247Read the page →
Read the text
The lakes in the township of Excelsior, aside from Minnetonka, are Lakes Christmas and Galpin, both named in honor of early settlers; the former for Charles AV. Christmas, the first county surveyor, and the latter for Rev. Charles Galpin.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Minnetonka, 1852 to 1963
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1852, according to Wikidata. Minnetonka’s post office opened in 1855, and the census of 1860 counted 203 people here.
How does Minnetonka rank for history?
Minnetonka is more historic than 32% of U.S. towns, #164 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.
What is on the National Register in Minnetonka?
Two places: the Charles H. Burwell House (listed 1974) and the Minnetonka Town Hall (2021).
How old are the homes in Minnetonka?
3% of Minnetonka’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1981.
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 the Library of Congress (5), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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