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Renting an Apartment in Edina
What You Should Know
Edina is a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis in
Hennepin County, Minnesota, USA. Edina began as a small farming and milling
community in the 1860s, consisting of mostly Scottish and Irish immigrants, and
today has grown to a full service metropolitan community. Today, the only
remnants of the farms that once stretched across the city can be seen in some
street names, which were named after the families who operated them and sold or
donated their land for residential development.
Geography
Many major highways run through or are close to Edina, making it readily
accessible to all within the metropolitan area. Minnesota State Highways 62 and
100 divide the City into four sections. Minnesota Highway 169 and Minnesota
Highway 100 extend north and south. Interstate Highway 494 and Minnesota Highway
62 extend east and west. Minnesota Highway 7 is within three miles of the City.
Interstate Highway 394 is within five miles.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.5
km� (16.0 mi�). 40.8 km� (15.8 mi�) of it is land and 0.8 km� (0.3 mi�) of it
(1.87%) is water. Residential areas comprise the largest portion of the City,
which is now more than 95 percent developed. Within Edina are many different
neighborhoods, including Indian Hills, Viking Hills, Morningside, Country Club
District, Cahill Village, Interlachen, and Hilldale to name a few.
Demographics
As of the census� of 2000, there were 47,425 people, 20,996 households, and
12,870 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,162.6/km�
(3,011.4/mi�). There were 21,669 housing units at an average density of
531.2/km� (1,376.0/mi�). The racial makeup of the city was 94.28% White, 1.15%
African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.99% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander,
0.35% from other races, and 1.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of
any race were 1.14% of the population.
There were 20,996 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 34.0% of all
households were made up of individuals and 18.5% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the
average family size was 2.91.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 4.4%
from 18 to 24, 23.6% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there
were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $66,019, and the median income
for a family was $93,496. Males had a median income of $67,011 versus $41,742
for females. The per capita income for the city was $44,195. About 2.0% of
families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6%
of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
Population statistics
Population history
1. Estimate
History
Earliest beginnings
In the early 1800s, Minnesota was still an unnamed part of the remote Northwest
Territory. In 1805, Little Crow, a Dakotah chief, signed a treaty with a young
army lieutenant and explorer named Zebulon Pike. Under the treaty, Little Crow
agreed to sell nine square miles of the tribe's land to the federal government
for the construction of a military post. Pike estimated the area's size at
100,000 acres and calculated its value at $200,000. In addition to the fort, the
military reservation included what are now large parts of the cities of
Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, Edina, and all of what is now Richfield.
In 1822, two teenage explorers and two soldiers set out by canoe from what was
then Fort St. Anthony to explore Minnehaha Creek. They set out to follow the
creek and find its source, which the Sioux called Minnetonka. After a two day
journey, the explorers reached the head of the creek and canoed into the lake at
its source. Following the first stir of excitement about the exploration of the
Minnehaha Creek and the discovery of Lake Minnetonka, no great rush was made to
settle in areas near the creek until the 1850s.
First settlers
Edina originally began as part of what is today the city of Richfield,
Minnesota. In the 1850s, 17 families, most of them fleeing from the starvation
and death caused by the potato famine in Ireland, came to Edina and claimed land
in the southwest section of what was then known as Richfield Village. They were
soon followed by English and Scottish farmers, who claimed land near Minnehaha
Creek. At the time the territory mainly consisted of farms, with the exception
of the Edina Mill, which was located on the Minnehaha Creek. Today, many of the
street names in Edina are named after families whose farms occupied that area
(ex. Code Ave, Gleason (Gleeson) Road, Cooper Ave, etc.). The Baird and Grimes
and Country Club Districts (both which are listed on the National Register of
Historic Places), located in the northeast part of Edina, were among the first
areas to be established. This was because both of these areas were closest to
and bordering the largest city Minneapolis, which was growing and expanding at
the time.
In 1888, the residents of the township held a meeting to consider the idea of
incorporating a new village, thus annexing themselves from Richfield. After the
idea was favorably accepted by those in the community, a committee was
established to oversee this transition. After some argument about whether to
name the new village Edina or Westfield, the city officially became incorporated
as "Edina" that same year.
Naming Edina
After the decision was made by the residents to form a new village from the
western part of Richfield, a heated debate ensued about what this new village
should be named. Here is how the new village, Edina, got its name as recorded in
Paul Hesterman's History of Edina[1](Hesterman quotes directly from the census
and demographic records of Richfield Township, from Sarah Baird's diary and from
the minutes of the three meetings held at the Grange Hall to vote on becoming a
village).
A meeting was held in Grange Hall by the residents of the western end of
Richfield Township to consider the propriety of incorporating a village of the
west end of town. After speeches from residents and others a motion was made
that a vote be taken to get a sense of the public opinion of incorporating a new
village. When it seemed that many were in favor of the incorporation, another
motion was made and passed that a committee of five be elected to carry out the
work necessary to incorporate a village of all the territory in the township of
western Richfield.
After the committee had been established, there were many motions about what to
name the new village. Hennepin Park was the first name suggested, but didn’t
last long before another motion was made that the village be called Westfield.
The meeting was adjourned before this motion could be passed, thus still leaving
the new village nameless.
Two days later, Sarah Baird reported in her diary that Henry Brown, who owned
the farm adjacent to the mill and was heavily in favor of Edina, came to her
house insisting that the name be changed to from Westfield to Edina. At the next
town meeting, a letter was read from Brown about the name. Here is how the
meeting went, according to minutes taken by Woods:
Edina, Minnesota
A long debate ensued with regard to the name by which the corporation shall be
called. A motion was made and passed to reconsider the vote taken at the
previous meeting of the name of the proposed village, Westfield. Another motion
was then made by Andrew Craik to call the proposed village Edina (upon moving to
the township in 1869 from Edinburgh, he bought and renamed the mill to the Edina
Mill). Before the motion could be decided, James A. Bull, a member of the five
person committee, made another motion to adjourn, which was seconded by the
majority. However, the chairman of the meeting called this motion out of order,
at which time disorder ensued with Baird, Wilson, Ryan and Bull declaring their
intent to no longer serve as members of the committee if a gag law was to
prevail. During this heated moment the meeting became somewhat boisterous until,
after a few minutes order was restored. Seeing that no more work could be done
at this time, a final motion was made and passed to reschedule the meeting to a
future date.
Edina, Minnesota
So there was strong disagreement about the name. The motion, which was made by
James Bull, a New Yorker, and seconded by Thomas Kyte, an Irishman was designed
to kill the name Edina. At the next meeting, it was finally settled. After
discussing pros and cons, the name Edina was finally chosen with 47 for and 42
against.
Name myth
For many years, there has been a prevailing myth about the early settlers of
Edina and how they came to the decision to name the new territory Edina. The
myth is that there were two opposing communities that made up this area of
western Richfield Township -- the Irish Cahill community and the Scottish Mill
community. It is also said that in 1888 when Edina became a village those two
communities fought about whether to give the community an Irish Name, Killarney
Lakes, or a Scottish name, Edina.
The truth is that there were no Scottish people in Edina for the 1860 census and
only a couple of them in 1888. There were two communities, though, one of Irish
immigrants and the other native-born from the East Coast. Irish Cahill was
smaller, but more tightly bound together, but the Scottish settlement around the
Mill was more economically prosperous.
Education
Public schools
Edina is part of the Independent School District (ISD) 273, which serves
children primarily from Edina. There are approximately 7500 K-12 students served
by 1139 teachers and support staff in six elementary schools (Grades K-5), two
middle schools (Grades 6-9), and one senior high school (Grades 10-12). The
district administrative offices are located at the Edina Community Center.
Private schools
There are three private schools in Edina. Our Lady of Grace (OLG), which is a
Catholic school that serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade, and
St. Peters Lutheran School and Calvin Christian School.
Economy
Business
Major employers in the City include:
* Fairview Southdale Hospital
* Jerry’s Enterprises
* Golden Valley Microwave Foods
* Wells Fargo Funding Company
* Nash Finch Company
* International Dairy Queen
* Regis Corporation
* Techpower
* UnitedHealth Group
Shopping
Edina has numerous retail shopping centers, including Southdale Center, which
was the first climate-controlled, fully enclosed shopping mall in the United
States.[2] Other shopping centers include the Galleria, Yorktown and Centennial
Lakes Plaza. The city shares another thriving commercial area at West 50th
Street and France Avenue South with Minneapolis, known as "50th & France."
Edina only has municipal liquor stores; no other liquor stores are allowed.
Edina maintains three liquor stores at 50th & France, Southdale (York Ave.), and
Vernon & Interlachen Blvd.
Hotels
There is just one hotel in Edina, the Residence Inn by Marriott, which is
adjacent to Edinborough Park. (One of Edina’s crown jewels, Edinborough is a
multi-use development that includes both residential and commercial office space
as well as an indoor park.) The lack of hotels in Edina dates back to the early
1930s when Edina was still officially a "dry" city. There are several hotels in
a region several blocks north of I-494; this area was once part of Edina. After
successful petitioning, the area was annexed to Bloomington, which allowed
alcohol sales at the time.
Recreation
Parks
Edina’s parkland and open space totals more than 1,550 acres. The Edina Park and
Recreation Department oversees 39 parks, which 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. The Department also maintains eight miles of scenic pathways
for bicycling, walking, jogging, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
Besides overseeing the parks, the Edina Park and Recreation Department is also
responsible for the operation of 10 facilities within the city:
* Braemar Ice Rink
* Centennial Lakes Park
* Edinborough Park
* Edina Aquatic Center
* Edina Art Center
* Braemar Golf Courses
* Braemar Golf Dome
* Fred Richards Golf Course
* Arneson Acres Park
* Edina Senior Center
Golf Courses
Public
* Braemar Golf Course
* Fred Richards Golf Course
Private
* Edina Country Club
* Interlachen Country Club
Edina trivia
* Southdale Center, Edina's main shopping structure, was the first fully
enclosed, climate controlled shopping mall in the United States. It opened on
October 8, 1956.[2]
* On April 26, 2004, President George W. Bush held a private fundraising dinner
in the Indian Hills area at real estate developer David Frauenshuh's house,
raising 1 million dollars for the Republican party.[3]
* The exterior of the old City Hall/Police Station building (now demolished and
rebuilt on an adjacent site) was filmed as the police station in the Coen
brothers' 1996 film Fargo.[4]
* Edina is home to a few billionaires, most notably Richard M. Schulze and Carl
Pohlad.
* Interlachen Country Club will be host of the 2008 U.S. Womens Open.
* American Idol contestant Paris Bennett attended Edina High School, and played
the lead in the school's production of "The Wiz" in 2004.
Some Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment...
When searching for a new apartment make sure to take your time to
think through what are the most important things to you in an apartment
and plan your search based on those priorities. Here are some things to
consider when planning your move:
1. Consider the areas where you would like to live
* What is the crime rate?
* If you have children - what rating does the local school system have?
* Is there area convenient shopping, health and recreation services in
the area?
2. Make a list of your housing priorities
* Do you have pets?
* Do you need parking?
* Do you need to be on the ground floor?
* What amenities are important to you - swimming pool, fitness room, in
unit laundry?
3. Evaluate the building
* What is the condition of the unit and building?
* Are the grounds maintained?
* Are windows, steps, and railings in good condition?
* View the property at night. Is it safe and well lit?
4. The security of the property
* Are there security service? When is the guard on duty?
* Does the building have controlled access?
* Does each unit have secure door and window locks?
5. Talk to the neighbors
* Ask other residents whether they are satisfied with the building.
6. Amenities
* Who is allowed to use the amenities?
* When are they open?
* Are the fees charged to use those facilities included in rent?
7. Ask about Utilities
* Does the owner or tenant pay the utility bills?
* Are any utilities included with monthly rent?
* Do units have separate thermostats to control heat and air
conditioning?
8. Review the lease
* How much notice must you give before moving out?
* Can the rent be increased? If so, by how much and how often?
* Are pets allowed?
* What is the security deposit and cleaning costs upon move out?
* What is the responsibility of tenants for damage to property?
* Is there a penalty for breaking a lease?
9. Information too bring to a lease signing
* Credit Report
* Pay stubs/tax returns
* Reference
* Application
More Apartment Information
An apartment (or flat in Britain and most other Commonwealth
countries) is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a
building. Apartments may be owned (by an owner-occupier) or rented (by
tenants).
Some apartment-dwellers own their apartments, either as co-ops, in which
the residents own shares of a corporation that owns the building or
development; or in condominiums, whose residents own their apartments
and share ownership of the public spaces. Most apartments are in
buildings designed for the purpose, but large older houses are sometimes
divided into apartments. The word apartment connotes a residential unit
or section in a building. Apartment building owners, lessors, or
managers often use the more general word units to refer to apartments.
Units can be used to refer to rental business suites as well as
residential apartments. When there is no tenant occupying an apartment,
the lessor is said to have a vacancy. For apartment lessors, each
vacancy represents a loss of income from rent-paying tenants for the
time the apartment is vacant (i.e., unoccupied). Lessors' objectives are
often to minimize the vacancy rate for their units. The owner of the
apartment typically transfers possession to the occupant by giving
him/her the key to the apartment entrance door and any other keys need
to live there, such as a common key to the building or any other common
areas, and an individual unit mailbox key. When the occupant move out,
these keys should typically be returned to the owner.
Apartments can be classified into several types. Studio, efficiency,
bed-sit, or bachelor apartments tend to be the smallest apartments with
the cheapest rents in a given area. These kinds of apartment usually
consist mainly of a large room which is the living, dining, and bedroom
combined. There are usually kitchen facilities as part of this central
room, but the bathroom is its own smaller separate room. Moving up from
the efficiencies are one-bedroom apartments where one bedroom is a
separate room from the rest of the apartment. Then there are
two-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc. apartments. Small apartments often have
only one entrance/exit. Large apartments often have two entrances/exits,
perhaps a door in the front and another in the back. Depending on the
building design, the entrance/exit doors may be directly to the outside
or to a common area inside, such as a hallway. Depending on location,
apartments may be available for rent furnished with furniture or
unfurnished into which a tenant usually moves in with his/her own
furniture. Permanent carpeting is often included in an apartment.
Laundry facilities are usually kept in a separate area accessible to all
the tenants in the building. Depending on when the building was built
and the design of the building, utilities such as water, heating, and
electric may be common for all the apartments in the building or
separate for each apartment and billed separately to each tenant
(however, many areas in the US have ruled it illegal to split a water
bill among all the tenants, especially if a pool is on the premises).
Outlets for connection to telephones are typically included in
apartments. Telephone service is optional and is practically always
billed separately from the rent payments. Cable television and similar
amenities are extra also. Parking space, air conditioner, and extra
storage space may or may not be included with an apartment. Rental
leases often limit the maximum number of people who can reside in each
apartment. On or around the ground floor of the apartment building, a
series of mailboxes are typically kept in a location accessible to the
public and, thus, to the letter-carrier too. Every unit typically gets
its own mailbox with individual keys to it. Some very large apartment
buildings with a full-time staff may take mail from the mailman and
provide mail-sorting service. Near the mailboxes or some other location
accessible by outsiders, there may be a buzzer (equivalent to a
doorbell) for each individual unit. In smaller apartment buildings such
as two- or three-flats, or even four-flats, garbage is often disposed of
in trash containers similar to those used at houses. In larger
buildings, garbage is often collected in a common trash bin or dumpster.
For cleanliness or minimizing noise, many lessors will place
restrictions on tenants regarding keeping pets in an apartment.
In some parts of the world, the word apartment is used generally to
refer to a new purpose-built self-contained residential unit in a
building, whereas the word flat means a converted self-contained unit in
an older building. An industrial, warehouse, or commercial space
converted to an apartment is commonly called a loft.
When part of a house is converted for the ostensible use of a landlord's
family member, the unit may be known as an in-law apartment or granny
flat, though these (sometimes illegally) created units are often
occupied by ordinary renters rather than family members. In Canada these
suites are commonly located in the basements of houses and are therefore
normally called basement suites.
Staying in privately owned apartments rather than in a hotel is quickly
becoming popular with travelers.