Wayzata dates to 1854, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 38% of U.S. towns · #142 of 273 in Minnesota. What drives it
Most of Wayzata was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988. Its Register listings are the Great Northern Railroad Depot and the Wayzata Section House. Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1856.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Wayzata’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wayzata is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #142 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 Wayzata’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 Wayzata’s 4.6 sits near the middle of its state (62% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). Two sources give 1854.
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 Wayzata’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The name "Wayzata" comes from the Dakota word wazíyata, meaning “north” or “north shore.” The Mdewakanton, a subtribe of the Dakota nation, treasured Lake Minnetonka—the "Big Water"—as a place for hunting, fishing, and harvesting wild rice and maple sap. Spirit Knob, a peninsula in Wayzata Bay, was regarded as a particularly sacred place. The Dakota resided in this area of Minnesota until 1851, when the Treaty of Mendota was signed and land west of the Mississippi was opened for Euro-American settlement. Most Dakota were exiled from Minnesota after 1862.
Early in 1867, the St. Paul, Minneap¬ olis and Manitoba Railroad completed its line to Wayzata. Wayzata was the only townsite, previously laid out, touched by the railroad surveys. The beginnings and locations of the other villages followed the construction of the railroad.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Garrison’s route, to Wayzata. From Wayzata, he was obliged to open and make his own road, following the In¬ dian trail westward, by Long Lake, and by the settlement of Stephen Bean, to a point near Maxwell’s Bay, where he left the trail, hewing his way to a point near the southeasterly
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 241Read the page →
Read the text
Gleason House, located in the central part of the village of Wayzata. was originally built for a summer boarding house, by A. O. Madison. The present proprietor, Mr. II. L. Gleason, bought it in 1871, built an addition and fitted it up for a summer resort, and now has all the conveniences for the accommodation of thirty guests.
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
Wayzata, 1854 to 1986
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1854, according to Wikidata. Wayzata’s post office opened in 1856, and the census of 1880 counted 132 people here.
How does Wayzata rank for history?
Wayzata is more historic than 38% of U.S. towns, #142 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 Wayzata?
Two places: the Great Northern Railroad Depot (listed 1981) and the Wayzata Section House (2021).
How old are the homes in Wayzata?
5% of Wayzata’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1988.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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), 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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