Community Profile
The City of Mound, Minnesota, is 3.18 square miles and has a population of 9,052, on the western shores of magnificent Lake Minnetonka. Located approximately 20 miles west of Minneapolis, Mound residents enjoy the attractions, events and excitement of the metropolitan area, while living in a quaint hometown atmosphere. The scenic beauty in Mound cannot be surpassed, being surrounded on all sides by lakes and trees.

Mound, which was named Minnesota’s Best Place to Raise Your Kids 2012 by Bloomberg Businessweek, offers an array of amenities to its residents and visitors. Mound boasts Lake Minnetonka, which is 15,000 acres; 32 parks, 311 public dock sites, a state of the art skate park, and the Dakota Rail Trail – a hard surface biking and walking trail that extends 21.3 miles from Wayzata to Mayer that provides panoramic views of Lake Minnetonka along the way.

Mound Redevelopment, known as Mound Visions, has captured the charm of the early lake history in the design of downtown commercial and residential construction. The restoration of Lost Lake Channel brings Lake Minnetonka to the door step of the redeveloping downtown, and the Mound Greenway and Pier make it possible to boat to Mound!

History of Community
The Village of Mound was incorporated in 1912, but was settled much earlier, in the 1850’s, when Governor Ramsey was credited with naming Lake Minnetonka which meant “place spread over by water” in the Indian language. Mound derived its name from the Indian mounds once found within the present city limits. They were not built by the Dakota Indians, but were made by Indians between 300 BC and 100 AD. A survey of these mounds was made in 1883. Three Points, north of Mound, was annexed to Mound in 1959, Island Park and Halstead Heights in 1960, and Shadywood Point in 1963. Click here for a Mound history narrative.

Mound, in the early days, was known as Mound City. A bustling business district at the shore on Cooks Bay was frequented by the street car boats prevalent on Lake Minnetonka and the neighborhood was known as Busy Corners. In 1900, the railroad passed to the north, requiring the business district to move to where we know it today.

One of the most famous business ventures to come out of Mound was Tonka Toys. It served as a major employer and business leader for more than 36 years.