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Schagen

Schagen is a city and municipality in the northwestern Netherlands. It is located between Alkmaar and Den Helder, in the region of West Friesland and the province of North Holland. It received city rights in 1415. In 2013, Schagen merged with the neighbouring municipalities of Zijpe and Harenkarspel, forming a new municipality, also called Schagen. The town hall is located in the main town of Schagen.

It had a population of 0 in and covers an area of undefined km2.

10th – 15th century
Schagen has been mentioned in various texts from around 975. One was a population count that found that 43 people lived there. Schagen was also mentioned in documents as Scagha from around 989. At this time Schagen was a center of artificial dwelling hills. The name may refer to Scagha to its location above land water: it could mean "elevated point". Some time later, there was a coastline near Schagen. When the sea retreated again at the end of the 13th century the places in the region grew. The land around Schagen was especially fertile, so it grew and remained the main town in the area.

In 1415 William VI granted city rights to the town. In 1427 Philip the Good of Burgundy loaned Schagen to his uncle William of Bronckhorst, one of the seven illegitimate children of Albrecht of Bavaria, and Maria van Bronckhorst. Schagen became a fief with some regional rights in addition to its city rights, including some control over the small towns around Schagen. William ordered the castle in which he lived from 1440. In 1460 the church of Schagen, dedicated to St. Christopher, was consecrated. In 1463 Schagen received the right to hold a cattle market and it became a trading town for a wider region.

16th – 19th century
From 1603 an annual horse market was held in Schagen, upon authorization by the States of Holland and Westfriesland.

At the beginning of the Golden Age Schagen underwent very little growth, unlike other cities in the region: Alkmaar, Enkhuizen, Medemblik, and Hoorn. Later in the Golden Age the city benefited from the increased prosperity, but never to the degree these other cities enjoyed. Even after the Golden Age growth was limited. Partly due to the reclamation of the surrounding area, Schagen could flourish economically again in the 19th century. In particular, the cattle market played an important role. When in 1865 the railroad between Alkmaar and Den Helder came into use, the market and home industries flourished. Schagen had about 2060 inhabitants at this time.

In 1894 Schagen was shocked by a double murder, when 17-year-old Klaas Boes murdered his 55-year-old neighbor and her 17-year-old niece. The murder attracted wide national media attention and caused the murderer's mother to commit suicide. Newly appointed mayor Simon Berman headed a committee that offered 750 guilders reward, donated by the residents, for information. In 1895 Boes was sentenced to life imprisonment, later changed to 25 years. He was released from prison in 1922 and died in 1956. For years, "Klaas Boes" was used in the Netherlands for youngsters who were up to no good.

20th – 21st century
During the 20th century prosperity decreased slowly. Especially after the Second World there was a sharp decline in the agricultural sector. As Schagen did not only depend on agriculture, the decline was less than in surrounding rural communities. Around 1960 Schagen started to flourish again, though population was still below 5,000. The seventies saw a large boom for Schagen. In the early nineties, growth gradually diminished but Schagen remained relatively strong compared to neighboring municipalities. From 2005 to 2007, Schagen resident Johan Huibers built a ship modeled after the biblical description of Noah's Ark in Schagen. Johan's Ark was opened to the public in April 2007 and later towed between various port cities in the Netherlands.

Transportation
Intercity trains stop at Schagen railway station, providing good connectivity with Den Helder to the North and Alkmaar and Amsterdam to the South. All south-bound trains pass through Amsterdam Centraal, and then continue through Utrecht Centraal either to Eindhoven and Maastricht or to Arnhem and Nijmegen. The journey time to Amsterdam is 51 minutes (Sloterdijk) or 57 minutes (Centraal.)

The railway station is Schagen's hub for local and regional bus services.

, three of the five operational vlotbruggen ("float bridges") are in Schagen: at Burgervlotbrug, at Sint Maartensvlotbrug, and at 't Zand.

Politics
The municipal council of Schagen consists of 29 seats, which are divided as follows:

Due to the interim local elections in November 2012 for the new merged municipal council, Schagen did not take part in the Dutch-wide municipal elections of 2014.

Notable people

 * Adriaen van Cronenburg (1525 in Schagen – after 1604) a painter, mainly of portraits
 * Jan van Noordt (1623/24 in Schagen – after 1676) was a Dutch Golden Age painter
 * Simon Berman (1861 in Landsmeer – 1934) the Mayor of Schagen, 1894–1900
 * Gerard Kuiper (1905 in Tuitjenhorn – 1973) a Dutch–American astronomer; eponymous namesake of the Kuiper belt
 * Joop Klant (1915 in Warmenhuizen – 1994) a Dutch economist, novelist and academic
 * Ben Essing (1935 in Dirkshorn – 1994) a Dutch impresario
 * Cees Geel (born 1965 in Schagen) a Dutch television, radio and film actor
 * Bianca Krijgsman (born 1968 in Oudesluis) a comedian and Dutch actress
 * Daniella van Graas (born 1975 in Tuitjenhorn) a Dutch fashion model, cover girl, and actress
 * Femke Meines (born 2000 in Tuitjenhorn) a Dutch singer and actress

Sport

 * Rein Boomsma (1879 in Schagen – 1943 in Neuengamme concentration camp) a Dutch footballer
 * Richard Rozendaal (born 1972 in Warmenhuizen) a track cyclist, competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics
 * Ruben Houkes (born 1979 in Schagen) a Dutch judoka, bronze medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympics
 * Celeste Plak (born 1995 in Tuitjenhorn) a Dutch volleyball player
 * Pleuni Cornelisse (born 1999 in Schagen) a Dutch judoka

title: Schagen


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Deephaven, Minnesota

Deephaven is a small city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The community is located on Lake Minnetonka. The community’s center is the historic Cottagewood General Store, which has been serving the Lake Minnetonka area since 1895. It is located 14 mi west-southwest of downtown Minneapolis. The population was 3,642 as of the 2010 Census, down from 3,853 as of the 2000 census.

History

Deephaven was settled in 1876 by Saint Louis attorney Charles Gibson. Gibson built a summer house in an area known as "Northome" and began promoting the area as a vacation destination for Southerners. In 1879 he advocated for the construction of the 150-room Hotel Saint Louis, the area's first grand hotel. The community was connected to the Minneapolis and Saint Louis Railway to serve both the hotel and local cottagers.

The Minnetonka Yacht Club was founded in Deephaven in 1882 and incorporated in 1889. One of the club's co-founders, Hazen Burton, built a home named "Chimo" in Deephaven in 1890. A train depot was built near the property so that the Burtons could commute to their department store in Minneapolis. The name "Deephaven" can be traced back to the name of this depot.

In 1893 Burton commissioned local boat builder Arthur Dyer to develop a new kind of sailboat called a racing scow. When the Onawa debuted in 1893, it was disqualified for winning nearly every regatta it entered. The rules were eventually modified, however, and racing scows became popular within the sailing community worldwide. The Onawa is currently displayed at the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society Museum in nearby Excelsior.

Lake Minnetonka fell out of favor as a vacation destination in the 1890s. The Hotel Saint Louis suffered financially and was eventually demolished in 1907. In its place, Walter Donald Douglas of the Quaker Oats fortune and his wife Mahala built a twenty-seven room estate named "Walden." Walter Douglas perished in the Titanic disaster in 1912, however, Mahala and her French maid Berthe Leroy were survivors. Mahala returned to Deephaven as a widow and lived there until her death in 1945.

Deephaven's historic Cottagewood General Store, opened in 1895 by Ralph M. Chapman, served as a grocer to tourists along the shores of Lake Minnetonka. The store is one of Deephaven's most notable attractions today.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.43 sqmi, of which 2.37 sqmi is land and 0.06 sqmi is water. Minnetonka Boulevard serves as a main route.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 3,642 people, 1,337 households, and 1,058 families living in the city. The population density was 1536.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,423 housing units at an average density of 600.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.6% White, 0.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 1,337 households, of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.3% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.9% were non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age in the city was 46.1 years. 27.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16.2% were from 25 to 44; 37.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,853 people, 1,373 households, and 1,098 families living in the city. The population density was 1,646.4 PD/sqmi. There were 1,409 housing units at an average density of 602.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.35% White, 0.29% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 1,373 households, out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.7% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 16.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $101,278, and the median income for a family was $107,422. Males had a median income of $71,181 versus $42,297 for females. The per capita income for the city was $58,544. About 1.0% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Michael Ankeny, alpine ski racer
 * Walter Donald Douglas, Titanic disaster victim
 * Marisa Coughlan, actress
 * Jake Gardiner, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman
 * Jeffrey Hatcher, playwright and screenwriter
 * Tim Herron, professional golfer
 * Max McGee, Green Bay Packers football player
 * Dean Phillips, U.S. Representative, resident from 2011 until 2021
 * Mike Plant, yachtsman

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Deephaven, Minnesota


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Schermer

Schermer is a former municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The name comes from "skir mere", which means "bright lake". Since 2015 it has been a part of the municipality of Alkmaar.

The municipality of Schermer included not only the Schermer polder, but also the polders of Oterleek, Mijzenpolder and Eilandspolder.

History
Around 800 AD, the area that was the municipality of Schermer was covered in peat, and a small river called the Schermer flowed through it. Because of peat-digging and storm floods, this small river had by 1250 developed into an inland lake with an open connection with the Zuyderzee. In the 17th century private investors started draining the largest part of the lake, leaving the southern part, the Alkmaardermeer, intact. In 1635, 47.7 km2 of polder was drained, whereupon the land was divided among the shareholders. In 1970, the village of Zuid- en Noord-Schermer was merged into Schermer.

Population centres
The municipality of Schermer included the following small towns and villages: Driehuizen, Grootschermer, Oterleek, Schermerhorn, Stompetoren, Zuidschermer. The latter two are located in the Schermer polder.

Topography
Map of the municipality of Schermer, 2013.

Local government
The municipal council of Schermer consisted of eleven seats, which were divided as follows at the 2010 local elections:

 * Schermer Belang - 4 seats
 * CDA - 3 seats
 * VVD - 2 seats
 * PvdA - 2 seats

There was an election in November 2014 for the council of the new merged Alkmaar municipality that commenced work on 1 January 2015, replacing Schermer council.

title: Schermer


text:
Stede Broec

Stede Broec (West Frisian Dutch: Stee Broek) is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia. The name Stede Broec derives from stede (meaning city) and broec (meaning swamp).

Population centres
The municipality of Stede Broec consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: • Bovenkarspel

• Grootebroek

• Lutjebroek.

Topography
Map of the municipality of Stede Broec, June 2015

History
Grootebroek and Bovenkarspel together received city rights in 1364, under the name of Broek. In 1402 Lutjebroek shared in the city rights and Hoogkarspel joined in 1403. Andijk was the fifth to join in 1786. In 1825 the city was dissociated.

Stede Broec is located in the region of West Friesland consisting of all the land surrounded by the Westfriese Omringdijk, a dike which then protected the land against the dangers of the tides of the Zuider Zee.

Local government
The municipal council of Stede Broec consists of 19 seats, which at the 2022 municipal elections divided as follows: • Open en Duidelijk Stede Broec - 6 seats

• CDA - 5 seats

• VVD - 3 seats

• PvdA/GroenLinks - 1 seat

• Gemeente Belangen Stede Broec - 1 seat

• Onafhankelijke Partij - 1 seat

• SP - 1 seat

• Eerlijk Leefbaar Stede Broec - 1 seat

Notable people

 * Johannes Willebrands (1909 in Bovenkarspel – 2006) a Dutch Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
 * Trudy van den Berg (born 1947 in Grootebroek) singer with Dutch vocal duo Saskia & Serge
 * Ed Groot (born 1957 in Grootebroek) a Dutch politician and former journalist, columnist and civil servant
 * Ria Brieffies (1957 in Lutjebroek – 2009) a Dutch singer with girl group Dolly Dots
 * Nina Buysman (born 1997 in Bovenkarspel) a Dutch racing cyclist

title: Stede Broec


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Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Eden Prairie is a city 12 mi southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 16th-largest city in the State of Minnesota, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 64,198. The city is adjacent to the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from its confluence with the Mississippi River.

Set in the Twin Cities' outer suburbs, Eden Prairie is part of the southwest portion of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with approximately 3.7 million residents. The community was designed as a mixed-income city model, and is home to 7,213 commercial firms, including the headquarters of SuperValu, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Winnebago Industries, Starkey Hearing Technologies, Lifetouch Inc., SABIS, and MTS Systems Corporation. It contains the Eden Prairie Center mall and is the hub of SouthWest Transit, providing public transportation to three adjacent suburbs. The television stations KMSP and WFTC are based in Eden Prairie. The nonprofit news organization Eden Prairie Local News (EPLN) also serves the community.

The area features numerous municipal and regional parks, conservation areas, multi-purpose trails, and recreational facilities. There are more than 170 mi of multi-use trails, 2250 acre of parks, and 1300 acre of open space. Popular recreational areas include Staring Lake, Lake Riley, Purgatory Creek, Miller Park, Round Lake, and the Minnesota River Bluffs Regional Trail.

Eden Prairie has been featured as one of Money magazine's "Best Places to Live" in America several times since 2006. It earned first place in the 2010 survey and second place in 2016.

History

For most of its existence, Eden Prairie was a slow-growing, pastoral village on the far southwest fringes of the Twin Cities. Between 1880 and 1960, Eden Prairie's population only grew from about 739 to 2,000.

Native Americans were the first to live in the area. Originally, the land was part of the Great Dakota Nation, but when the Ojibwe arrived from the Great Lakes region, the tribes began to clash over the land. The Ojibwe were armed with knives and guns traded to them by white settlers and fur traders, and after years of bloody warfare the Ojibwe had forced the Dakota to give up all their land east of the Mississippi River, and north of the Crow Wing River, land that did not include what is now Eden Prairie.

In 1853, John H. McKenzie and Minnesota Territory secretary Alexander Wilkins platted the town of Hennepin along the Minnesota River in what is now southeastern Eden Prairie. According to area historian Helen Holden Anderson, topographic disadvantages for the transport of agricultural goods caused Hennepin to be eclipsed by other towns in the region, and the town soon vanished from maps.

On May 25, 1858, a battle was fought between the Dakota and the Ojibwe in the southern part of Eden Prairie, just north of the Minnesota River, an area known as Murphy's Ferry. The Ojibwe wished to "avenge the murder" of one of their people by the Dakota the previous fall. The Ojibwe had 200 warriors and the Dakota somewhere between 60 and 70, but the Dakota proved victorious, wounding the young Ojibwe chief.

The tribes continued to fight over territory well into the 1860s, even after the "Sioux Uprising" of 1862, when most Dakota people were removed from Minnesota.

Among the notable Native Americans who lived in the Eden Prairie area was Chief Shoto. Born into the band of Chief Wabash, he went on to be the chief of the Red Wing Dakota tribe for 15 years, leaving them and becoming Chief of the "Little Six" band of Dakota until the uprising in 1862, during which he became a scout for then Governor Sibley from 1862 to 1870, returning to the Little Six band in 1872. He died in 1899 at age 99 at his home in Eden Prairie.

In 1851, a treaty opened land west of the Mississippi River to settlement allowing pioneers to settle in what is now Eden Prairie. Many early farmhouses remain in the town and can be found on the National Register of Historic Places. One of these early settlers was John Cummins, an Irish-born immigrant who built what is now known as the "Cummins-Phipps-Grill House" with his wife Mattie in 1880. Manuscripts indicate that Cummins was an avid and respected horticulturist, scientist, and farmer; he used his farmland to experiment with different strains of apples and grapes to try to find one that could withstand the harsh climate in Minnesota. The Cummins family sold this property to the Phipps family in 1908.

Eden Prairie's town board held its first meeting in a log schoolhouse on May 11, 1858, the same day Minnesota became a state. In the 1870s, a post office called Washburn was established in Eden Prairie Township, and would be discontinued in 1903. Also that decade, a depot along the Minneapolis-St. Louis Railroad was constructed near modern Eden Prairie Road and Highway 212. A replica on restricted land was built in 2022 beside the Minnesota River Bluffs LRT Regional Trail.

Eden Prairie's farming community grew slowly over the years. Flying Cloud Airport was the first sign of big development in 1946. The 1960s and 1970s were decades of growth for the city's parks and recreation system. In the mid-1970s, the community gained a higher profile with the addition of Interstate Highway 494 and the Eden Prairie Center mall. Eden Prairie became a village in 1962 and a statutory city in 1974. One of Eden Prairie's popular lakes, Staring Lake, is named for Jonas Platt Staring (1809–1894), who built the first house by the lake.

Etymology
The city was originally named "Eden" in 1853 by the writer Elizabeth F. Ellet, who chose the name because of her admiration of the "beautiful prairie" that occupies the southern part of town.

Geography

Eden Prairie is about 11 mi southwest of Minneapolis along the northern side of the Minnesota River.

Interstate 494, U.S. Highways 169 and 212, and Minnesota State Highway 5 are four of the city's main routes.

Eden Prairie's land consists of rolling hills and bluffs overlooking the Minnesota River, with zones of prairie and mixed (primarily deciduous) forests. Eden Prairie has parks, such as Staring Lake Park and Bryant Lakes Regional Park, with trails for running and biking.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 35.19 sqmi, of which 32.45 sqmi is land and 2.74 sqmi is water.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 60,797 people, 23,930 households, and 16,517 families residing in the city. The population density was 1873.6 PD/sqmi. There were 25,075 housing units at an average density of 772.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 81.7% White, 5.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 9.2% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 3.0% of the population.

There were 23,930 households, of which 36.3% had children under age 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.0% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age in the city was 37.6. 26.4% of residents were under 18; 6.5% were between 18 and 24; 27.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.8% were from 45 to 64; and 8.6% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 54,901 people, 20,457 households, and 14,579 families residing in the city. The population density was 1695.1 PD/sqmi. There were 21,026 housing units at an average density of 649.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 90.7% White, 2.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 4.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 20,457 households, of which 42.6% had children under age 18 living with them, 61.3% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the city, 30.5% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% was 65 or older. The median age was 34. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,328, and the median income for a family was $105,177. Males had a median income of $59,303 versus $37,196 for females. The per capita income for the city was $38,854. About 2.8% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under 18 and 6.3% of those 65 or older.

Economy
Eden Prairie is home to more than 2,800 businesses, including many that specialize in logistics/distribution, retail and wholesale trade, health care, industrial equipment, communications, and information technology.

Top employers
According to the city's 2016 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, its top employers were:

Video game retailer FuncoLand, which operated in over 400 locations nationwide before its acquisition and merger, was headquartered in Eden Prairie.

Eden Prairie Veterans Memorial
In 2008, Eden Prairie raised roughly $500,000 from the community to build a veterans memorial. The memorial has two components, service to country and world peace. It was constructed in Purgatory Creek Park near the intersection of Technology Drive and Prairie Center Drive. Sculptor Neil Brodin designed and constructed two bronze sculptures. The service-to-country sculpture represents a wounded airman carried over the shoulders of a soldier in the battlefield.

The world-peace sculpture depicts a woman service member touching a globe, honoring women who have served. Community members could purchase a place on the memorial for the names of loved ones who served in any branch of the U.S. service in any war or conflict. Minnesota-based Cold Spring Granite provided Mesabi black granite for the memorial's walls.

Sports
The 2017 USA Rink Bandy League Cannon Cup Playoffs took place at the Eden Prairie Rinks.

Government
Eden Prairie is in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, represented by Dean Phillips, a Democrat. City council officials include Mayor Ron Case and council members Mark Freiberg, Kathy Nelson, PG Narayanan and Lisa Toomey. The city manager is Rick Getschow.

Law enforcement
The Eden Prairie Police Department has a chief, a captain, three lieutenants, about 66 sworn law-enforcement officers, and 30 civilian staff. The department was established on January 1, 1973. It has three divisions: Patrol, Investigations and Support. The Patrol Division includes SWAT and police dog elements.

Public schools
The first school in Eden Prairie was Anderson School, a schoolhouse near a farm. At the time of its construction, it was in the center of the city. The former Eden Prairie Consolidated School, built in 1924, is now the school district Administration Building and is next to Central Middle School.

Eden Prairie operates eight K-12 schools, six elementary (PreK-5) schools (including one Spanish immersion), one middle school (6-8), and one high school (9-12). Eden Prairie High School is Minnesota's fifth-largest high school, with about 2,600 students, and is near the grounds of Round Lake Park and the Eden Prairie Community Center.

List of schools

 * Oak Point Elementary
 * Prairie View Elementary
 * Cedar Ridge Elementary
 * Forest Hills Elementary
 * Eden Lake Elementary
 * Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion
 * Central Middle School
 * Eden Prairie High School

The district has a record of success, with 11 Eden Prairie High School juniors scoring perfect ACT scores in 2017. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.

Charter schools
As of the 2017–18 school year, Eden Prairie is home to one charter school, the Performing Institute of Minnesota Arts High School.

Private schools
Eden Prairie has one private school, The International School of Minnesota, which offers a private, non-denominational, college preparatory education for students from preschool through grade 12. The school, founded in 1985, features non-selective admissions and year-round open enrollment, daily world language education beginning in preschool, and 19 AP courses at the upper school level. The student body consists of 85% local residents and 15% international students.

Colleges
There is one technical college campus in Eden Prairie. Hennepin Technical College (whose main campus is in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota) has an enrollment of roughly 7,000 full- and part-time students. It offers day and night classes.

Infrastructure
The city has its own police department.

Notable people

 * Andrew Alberts, ice hockey player for Vancouver Canucks
 * Leith Anderson, president of U.S. National Association of Evangelicals
 * Adam Bartley, actor
 * David Baszucki, CEO and co-founder of Roblox
 * Michael Bland, former drummer for Prince and current drummer for Nick Jonas & the Administration
 * Rachel Bootsma, Olympic swimmer
 * Jasper Brinkley, football player for Minnesota Vikings
 * Laurie Coleman, actress and wife of former United States Senator Norm Coleman
 * Todd Downing, former offensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders and Tennessee Titans; born in Eden Prairie
 * Chuck Foreman, former Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots football player
 * Jay Foreman, National Football League player; born in Eden Prairie
 * Dan Gladden, former MLB player for Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, and Japanese Yomiuri Giants; radio broadcaster for the Twins
 * Daerek Hart, professional gamer, particularly League of Legends
 * Ben Husaby, 1992 & 1994 cross-country Olympic skier
 * Alla Ilushka, Miss USA 2007 contestant
 * Jermaine Johnson II, defensive end for the New York Jets
 * Nick Leddy, defenseman for New York Islanders
 * Mark LeVoir, National Football League player
 * Casey Mittelstadt, National Hockey League player
 * Reynold Philipsek, jazz guitarist
 * Allison Pottinger, world champion curler
 * Kyle Rau, Florida Panthers forward
 * Robert Remus, a.k.a. Sgt. Slaughter, wrestler
 * William Sawalich, racing driver
 * Malik Sealy, Minnesota Timberwolves guard
 * Nick Seeler, defenseman for the Philadelphia Flyers
 * Sheila E., singer-songwriter, actress, percussionist
 * Kenny Stills, wide receiver for Miami Dolphins; born in Eden Prairie
 * Charlie Vig, chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community since August 2012
 * Ryan Wittman, basketball player
 * Ethan Wragge, basketball player with Gießen 46ers in Germany

In popular culture
The city's regional shopping mall, Eden Prairie Center, stood in for the Mall of America in the 1997 comic mockumentary Drop Dead Gorgeous. Two years earlier, the mall served as the principal filming location of Kevin Smith's Mallrats.

The railroad overpass that lent its name to the 1990 Prince album Graffiti Bridge passed over Valley View Road in the city's northwestern quadrant. It was torn down in 1991 to make way for an expansion of the road and has since been replaced with a bridge carrying the Minnesota River Bluffs LRT rail-to-trail recreational path. Prince also owned a warehouse on Flying Cloud Drive to rehearse and record music; today, the site is occupied by TGK Automotive.

The cult television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 was filmed out of an industrial park in Eden Prairie for much of its original run.

title: Eden Prairie, Minnesota


text:
Texel

Texel (Texels dialect: Tessel) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den Helder, northeast of Noorderhaaks, and southwest of Vlieland.

Name
The name Texel is Frisian, but because of historical sound-changes in Dutch, where all -x- sounds have been replaced with -s- sounds (compare for instance English fox, Frisian fokse, German Fuchs with Dutch vos), the name is typically pronounced Tessel in Dutch.

History
The All Saints' Flood (1170) created the islands of Texel and Wieringen from North Holland. In the 13th century Ada, Countess of Holland was held prisoner on Texel by her uncle, William I, Count of Holland.

Texel received city rights in 1415.

The first Dutch expedition to the Northwest Passage departed from the island on the 5th of June, 1594.

Texel was involved in the Battle of Scheveningen (1653) during the First Anglo-Dutch War and the Battle of Texel (1673) during the Third Anglo-Dutch War.

During the American Revolution, Texel was used as a haven port by John Paul Jones after the Battle of Flamborough Head off the Yorkshire coast in September 1779. In that action, Jones defeated and captured the British ship HMS Serapis (1779), which he sailed to Texel for desperately needed repairs. This event further complicated Anglo-Dutch relations.

In 1797, Texel was involved in the Battle of Camperdown during the French Revolutionary Wars.

During the First World War in 1914, the Battle off Texel took place off the coast of Texel.

On the night of 31 August 1940, the sea to the northwest of Texel was the scene of the sinking of two British destroyers and the severe damage of a third by German mines in what is known as the Texel Disaster.

At the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Georgian uprising on Texel took place on the island. Following a German decision to redeploy Georgian soldiers to the mainland, they revolted and killed hundreds of their German comrades while they slept. The uprising lasted from 5 April 1945 until 20 May 1945, two weeks after V-E Day. At that point, Canadian troops arrived and arranged for the two sides to separately leave the island. For that reason, the uprising is often referred to as the final battle of the Second World War in Europe. Hundreds of Georgians who died fighting against the Germans are buried in a special cemetery on Texel commonly known as the "Russian cemetery".

Geography

The municipality lies north of the mainland of the province of North Holland and west of the mainland of the province of Friesland. The island of Texel is situated north of the city of Den Helder, northeast of the uninhabited island of Noorderhaaks, which is part of the municipality, and southwest of the island of Vlieland.

The island of Texel was originally made up of two islands, Texel proper to the south and Eierland to the northeast, which were connected by shoals. In the early seventeenth century, the islands were connected by a dyke to keep the North Sea from ravaging the coastal areas of Texel proper. In the mid-nineteenth century a polder completed the northern half of the island. Today, Texel forms the largest natural barrier between the North Sea and the Wadden Sea.

The dune landscape along the western coast of the island is protected as Dunes of Texel National Park.

Landscape
The island is 23.7 km long and 9.6 km wide, its surface is 162.00 square kilometres. The highest point of the island is the dune "Bertusnol" (also "Nol van Bertus"), which is situated in the Dunes of Texel National Park, at 19.6 m.

The dune landscape on Texel is an important habitat for wildlife. Notable areas include De Slufter, where the tide comes in and meets the dunes, forming a marshy environment rich in both fauna and flora. In winter, birds of prey and geese take up residence. About a third of Texel is a protected nature reserve. A wetland called Utopia has been designed for birds to nest in.

Climate
Texel has an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) that is heavily influenced by its offshore position. The annual average high oscillation is between 5 C and 21 C. While winters are similar to mainland areas, summers remain cooler. The relative proximity to the mainland still renders heat bursts to reach Texel with five months having recorded temperatures above 30 C. While the island is relatively rainy, the precipitation is generally quite even and moderate throughout most of the year although there is a dry peak in late spring and a rain peak in autumn.

Notable people

 * Willem Eduard Bok (1846 in Den Burg – 1904), a Dutch-born South African Boer politician, civil servant and statesman
 * Rene Daalder (1944–2019), a Dutch writer and director
 * Cornelis de Jager (1921 in Den Burg - 2021), a Dutch astronomer who predicts solar variation
 * Imme Dros (born 1936 in Oudeschild), a Dutch writer of children's literature
 * Hans Kamp (born 1940 in Den Burg), a Dutch philosopher and linguist, introduced Discourse Representation Theory
 * Willem Hendrik Keesom (1876 in Texel – 1956), a Dutch physicist who first froze liquid helium
 * Sim Visser (1908 in Eierland – 1983), a Dutch politician
 * Henk Zijm (born 1952 in Driehuizen), a Dutch mathematician from the University of Twente

Sport

 * Denise Betsema (born 1993 in Oudeschild), a cyclo-cross cyclist
 * Alice Blom (born 1980 in Oudeschild), a volleyball player
 * Dorian van Rijsselberghe (born 1988 in Den Burg), a sailor, gold medallist at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics

Economy
The tourism industry forms a substantial part of the economy in Texel. Approximately 70% of activities on Texel are in some way related to tourism. Popular forms of tourism on Texel include cycling, walking, swimming and horse riding. Farming (sheep, potatoes, dairy, tulips, and grain) and fishing (primarily from Oudeschild) are traditional.

Local government
The municipal council of Texel consists of 15 seats, which are divided as follows (from the most recent election results in 2022: • Texels Belang, 3 seats

• PvdA, 3 seats

• GroenLinks, 3 seats

• VVD, 2 seats

• CDA, 2 seats

• D66, 1 seat

Transport

Transport around the island is typically by bicycle, bus (Texelhopper) or car. The island has an extensive cycle path network. It is connected to the mainland via a ferry operated by Royal TESO) from Den Helder, and by air via Texel International Airport. The ferry Texelstroom uses 80% compressed natural gas.

title: Texel


text:
Edina, Minnesota

Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous city in Minnesota.

Edina began as a small farming and milling community along Minnehaha Creek in the 1860s and became one of Minneapolis's first incorporated suburbs in 1888. After years of being a streetcar suburb, Edina saw expanded development as a car-centric suburb in the 1950s and 1960s.

The city is known for its shopping, parks, and high quality of life and also plays host to the nation's oldest indoor mall, the Southdale Center.

Settlement
Edina began as part of Richfield Township, Minnesota. By the 1870s, 17 families, most of them immigrating as a result of the Great Famine of Ireland, had come to Minnesota and claimed land in the southwest section of what was then Richfield Township. They were followed by settlers from New England and Germany, who claimed additional land near Minnehaha Creek. The Baird and Grimes neighborhoods (which are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and the Country Club District (then known as Waterville Mills) in the northeast part of Edina were among the first areas to be established. The area then known as the Cahill Settlement, at West 70th Street and Cahill Road, was also an early community center and the home of Cahill School.

In 1888, the residents of the township held a meeting to consider founding a new village, thus separating themselves from Richfield Township. The idea was favorably accepted by those within the community and a committee was established to oversee the transition.

Naming
After the decision was made to form a new village, a debate ensued regarding the naming of the new village. Several town meetings were held in the Minnehaha Grange Hall, during which the names Hennepin Park, Westfield and Edina were suggested. Minutes taken by Henry F. Brown, a farmer and future owner (1889) of the Edina Mill, are summarized as follows:

"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."

At the next meeting, the name Edina was finally chosen with a vote of 47 for and 42 against.

There has been a prevailing myth about the decision to name the new village Edina, which states that two opposing communities—the Irish Cahill community and the Scottish Mill community—fought about whether to give the community an Irish name (Killarney Lakes) or a Scottish name (Edina). The 1860 census, however, indicates that there were no Scottish people in Edina in 1860, and only a couple were present at the time of Edina's founding (1888).

The name "Edina" may also come from the language of the nearby Dakota tribe. The word Idéna means "to catch fire."

Morningside
The first suburban development in Edina occurred during the early 1900s in Morningside, a neighborhood in the northeastern part of the village. As Morningside grew, conflict arose between its residents who wanted more city services, and the residents of the rest of the village who wanted to maintain Edina's rural character. As a result of that conflict, Morningside seceded from Edina in 1920 and became a separate village. In 1966, however, the Village of Morningside once again became part of Edina.

Early settlement
Edina was not the first settlement in its location. According to historian Deborah Morse-Kahn, the Quaker village that existed where Edina would be built included African American families of Civil War veterans and freed slaves "became very involved in community life—especially as farmland owners, civic and cultural leaders." At the November 1898 general election, J. Frank Wheaton, a Republican African American, was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 42, which included all of Edina. Wheaton beat his white Democratic opponent in every Minneapolis city ward and in every village within the legislative district, including Edina, even though the legislative district had only approximately 100 African American residents out of a total of 40,000 residents.

Early development
In the early 20th century suburban development brought discriminatory policies that led to nearly all of the African Americans who had been living in Edina to move away.

Historian James W. Loewen described the suburb as a sundown town. Researchers point in particular to Samuel Thorpe's development of the Country Club Historic District, which used deed restrictions as means to exclude non-whites, stating explicitly that:

"No lot shall ever be sold, conveyed, leased, or rented to any person other than one of the white or Caucasian race, nor shall any lot ever be used or occupied by any person other than one of the white or Caucasian race, except such as may be serving as domestics for the owner or tenant of said lot, while said owner or tenant is residing thereon."

- James W. Loewen Other developments, like that built by N. P. Dodge Corporation just a mile away, followed suit in attempting to protect land values through racial policies. Though the Supreme Court ruled these kinds of discriminatory housing clauses unenforceable in its Shelley v. Kraemer decision of 1948, reports of discrimination persisted through the 1950s and 1960s. According to the Edina Historical Society's story about the first black family in Morningside (then a separate village) in 1960, attempts to keep them out included tactics like trying "to get [their] lot condemned for drainage." In response, then-mayor Ken Joyce wrote a note dismissing the drainage concern and challenging citizens "to live the Golden Rule". Shortly thereafter the village voted in favor of inclusion.

Jewish residents were also affected by exclusionary deed covenants. In the 1960s, some residents boasted that Edina had "Not one Negro and not one Jew."

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.97 sqmi, of which 15.45 sqmi is land and 0.52 sqmi 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; Highlands, Indian Hills, Morningside, Country Club District, Cahill Village, Chapel Hill, South Harriet Park, Interlachen, Rolling Green, Presidents, Sunnyslope, White Oaks, Parkwood Knolls, Braemar Hills, Birchcrest, Dewey Hill and Hilldale.

2020 census
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 47,941 people, 20,672 households, and 12,918 families residing in the city. The population density was 3103.0 PD/sqmi. There were 22,560 housing units at an average density of 1460.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 88.1% White, 3.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 6.1% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 20,672 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.5% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.98.

The median age in the city was 45.2 years. 24.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21% were from 25 to 44; 29.6% were from 45 to 64; and 20.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.

According to 2012–2016 estimates, the median household income was $91,847 and per capita income was $65,245. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $424,500.

Religion

 * Edina hosts Venkateswara Temple, a Hindu Temple, for the over 40,000 Hindus residing in the Minneapolis-St Paul area.
 * Christ Presbyterian Church is a congregation within ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians with 5,388 members in 2012. CPC was founded in 1956. During Roger Anderson's ministry, the church began to grow rapidly. CPC became the largest Presbyterian congregation in the upper Midwest, and one of the largest Presbyterian churches in the nation, with membership passing 1,700. The former senior pastor, John Crosby, led CPC to be a congregation of over 5,000. In 2006, the church celebrated the 50th anniversary. The church was a leader in the movement to establish ECO as a breakaway movement from the Presbyterian Church (USA).
 * Edina Community Lutheran Church (ECLC) is a progressive Lutheran congregation within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that was founded in Edina on September 23, 1948 and has been a Reconciling in Christ congregation since 1985. In September 2023, the Church celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding. A ECLC June 25, 2023 Sunday service live stream went viral online when during the Sunday service co-pastor Anna Helgen lead the congregation in a “sparkle creed” prayer in honor of LGBT Pride Month in which God is described as “nonbinary” and Jesus as having “two dads.”

Economy
Edina serves as headquarters for several large companies: Jerry's Foods, Lund Food Holdings, Edina Realty, Regis Corporation, Dairy Queen, and Orange Julius.

The town's most notable shopping centers are Southdale Center, Galleria Edina, and 50th & France, which is shared with Minneapolis.

According to the city's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, the top ten largest employers in the city are: Fairview Southdale Hospital, Edina Public Schools, the City of Edina, BI Worldwide, Regis, Barr Engineering, Lund Food Holdings, International Dairy Queen Inc., SunOpta, Edina Realty, and FilmTec Corporation, respectively.

Sports
Due in part to its strong boys and girls ice hockey programs, Edina was named by ESPN in 2020 as the "center of the center" of the American ice hockey universe. Since 2016, Edina's Braemar Ice Rink has hosted Da Beauty League, a 4-on-4 ice hockey league with rosters made up of current NHL, AHL, ECHL, and college hockey players wishing to maintain their offseason playing shape.

In December 1979, the first bandy game in the USA was played at Lewis Park Bandy Rink in Edina. It was a friendly game between the Swedish junior national team and Swedish club team Brobergs IF.

Parks
Edina's parkland and open space total more than 1,550 acre. The Edina Park and Recreation Department oversees 44 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 (13 km) of scenic pathways for bicycling, walking, jogging, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Besides overseeing the parks, the Edina Park & Recreation Department is also responsible for the operation of 10 arts, community, and recreation facilities within the city including Braemar Golf Course, Braemar Ice Rink, Centennial Lakes Park, and Edinborough Park.

Three Rivers Park District, Hennepin County's regional park board, operates the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail through Edina.

Waterways
Two prominent Twin Cities waterways, Minnehaha Creek and Nine Mile Creek, make their way through Edina on their ways to the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers respectively. Both are sites for major regional parks and trails.

Country clubs
There are two country clubs located in Edina, the Edina Country Club and the Interlachen Country Club.

Public schools
Edina Public Schools is the public school district (ISD 273) that serves Edina. It enrolls approximately 8,500 K–12 students and is served by 1,139 teachers and support staff.

Edina has one high school, Edina High School. The area is served by two middle schools: (South View Middle School and Valley View Middle School) and six elementary schools (Concord, Creek Valley, Cornelia, Highlands, Countryside, and Normandale).

Private schools
There are three private schools in Edina: Our Lady of Grace Catholic School, Golden Years Montessori, and Avail Academy-Edina Campus.

Colleges
The Minnesota State University, Mankato satellite campus.

Transportation
Many major highways run through or are close to Edina, making it readily accessible to those within the metropolitan area. Minnesota State Highways 62 and 100 divide the City into four sections. U.S. Route 169 and Minnesota State Highway 100 extend north and south. Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 62 extend east and west.

Transit
Before streetcar service was abandoned in 1954, the Twin City Rapid Transit Company's Lake Minnetonka Line went through Edina paralleling 44th Street on dedicated right-of-way. After streetcar service was abandoned, the right-of-way was developed as single family housing.

Bus service
Metro Transit, the Twin Cities regional transit authority, operates daytime buses in Edina, primarily along France Avenue and through business parks along Interstate 494. Edina's Southdale Transit Center is one of the southwest Twin Cities primary transit hubs.

The E Line, an arterial BRT route, is currently planned to travel from the University of Minnesota through Downtown Minneapolis and Uptown to the Southdale Transit Center in Edina. It is expected to be operational by 2026.

Commuter rail
The Dan Patch Line and successor Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway operated interurban service through Edina until 1942. Although in poor condition and rated for speeds less than 35 mph, the tracks are still used by freight trains. Under the Dan Patch Corridor proposal, commuter trains would operate between Minneapolis and Northfield with a station in Edina. A feasibility study was conducted in 2000 and found that ridership would be high but there would be a significant cost to upgrade the corridor for commuter trains. Due to this and strong opposition from residents living near the rail line, the proposal was put on hold until other commuter rail lines could be built. In 2002 a legislative gag order was placed on the project, which forbid the Metropolitan Council, MnDOT, and county rail authorities from discussing, studying, and building commuter rail on the Dan Patch Line. In 2017 the Edina City Council conducted a study on the pros and cons of passenger rail on the Dan Patch Line. The conclusion was to not pursue passenger rail at that time (as of 2018). The legislativ gag order was repealed by the Minnesota Legislature on May 21, 2023.

Notable people
The following is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are current residents of, or are otherwise closely associated with the city of Edina:

 * David W. Anderson – founder of Famous Dave's restaurant chain
 * Lynsey Bartilson – actress
 * Kieffer Bellows – NHL player for the Philadelphia Flyers
 * Dorothy Benham – Miss America, 1977
 * Paris Bennett – American Idol contestant
 * David Bloom – NBC television journalist
 * Terri Bonoff – former member of the Minnesota Senate
 * Ward Brehm – chairman and founder, The Brehm Group, Inc.
 * Bud Brisbois – professional trumpet player
 * Paige Bueckers - High school basketball phenom, ranked #1 for girls' basketball in the class of 2020
 * Corinne Buie - professional ice hockey player for the Minnesota Whitecaps
 * Lois McMaster Bujold – fantasy and science fiction author
 * Brian Burke – NHL hockey executive
 * Austen S. Cargill II – member of the Cargill family
 * Curt Carlson – founder of Carlson Companies
 * Leeann Chin – founder of Leeann Chin Chinese Cuisine
 * Ike Davis – baseball player for the Oakland Athletics
 * John Denver – singer/activist
 * R. A. Dickey – baseball player and Cy Young Award winner
 * Julia Duffy – actress known for Newhart
 * Fredrik Eklund – real estate broker known for Million Dollar Listing New York
 * Joe Finley – professional ice hockey player with the Buffalo Sabres
 * Craig Finn – lead singer / rhythm guitarist for The Hold Steady
 * Mardy Fish – professional tennis player
 * Ric Flair – professional wrestler
 * P. J. Fleck – head coach, Minnesota Golden Gophers Football
 * Tim Foecke - metallurgist
 * Stan Freese – tuba player and musical director
 * Emily Fridlund – author of History of Wolves
 * Adam Goldberg – NFL tackle/guard
 * Judith Guest – novelist and screenwriter
 * John Harris – professional golfer
 * Tippi Hedren actress, lived in Morningstar area.
 * Doron Jensen – founder of Timber Lodge Steakhouse
 * Richard A. Jensen – theologian and academic at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
 * Ron Johnson – former CEO of J.C. Penney and developer of Apple retail stores and Genius Bar
 * Ben Leber – NFL sports radio personality and former linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings
 * Anders Lee – NHL center for the New York Islanders
 * Bobby Lee – actor and comedian
 * Nicholas Legeros – bronze sculptor
 * Hilary Lunke – professional golfer
 * Reggie Lynch (born 1994) - basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Jamie McBain – NHL defenseman for the Carolina Hurricanes
 * Karl Mecklenburg – professional football player with the Denver Broncos
 * Bus Mertes – former professional football player and coach for the Minnesota Vikings
 * George Mikan – former professional basketball player for the Minneapolis Lakers
 * Casey Mittelstadt – NHL center for the Buffalo Sabres
 * Paul C. Nagel - college administrator, professor of history and biographer of the Adams and Lee political families
 * George Nagobads – Latvian-born American physician for the United States men's national ice hockey team
 * Lou Nanne – former NHL defenseman and general manager
 * Win Neuger – former CEO, chairman, and Director at AIG
 * Bill Nyrop – former NHL player with the Montreal Canadiens
 * Donald Nyrop – former president and CEO of Northwest Airlines
 * Greg Olson – former professional baseball player
 * Mary Pawlenty – attorney, First District Judge
 * Barbara Peterson – Miss Minnesota USA 1976, Miss USA 1976
 * Paul Peterson – musician and producer, The Family and The Time
 * Zach Parise – professional ice hockey player
 * Tom Petters – of Petters Group Worldwide
 * Carl Pohlad – former owner, Minnesota Twins
 * Jenny Potter – ice hockey player, Olympic gold medalist
 * Kirby Puckett – former center fielder for the Minnesota Twins
 * Paul Ranheim – former NHL forward
 * Kaylin Richardson – World Cup Alpine Skier, Olympian
 * Doug Risebrough – former General Manager, Minnesota Wild
 * Laura Rizzotto – singer, songwriter
 * Richard M. Schulze – founder and former chairman of Best Buy
 * Joe Senser – former NFL player for the Minnesota Vikings
 * Jennifer Steinkamp – artist
 * Don Storm – Minnesota state senator
 * Christopher Straub – fashion designer and contestant on Project Runway 6
 * Michele Tafoya – sportscaster
 * Robert Ulrich – former chairman and CEO of Target Corporation
 * Paul Westerberg – musician, frontman for The Replacements
 * Jeff Wright – safety for the Minnesota Vikings[
 * Andrew Zimmern – chef, host of Bizarre Foods and Bizarre World
 * Jason Zucker – left wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins
 * Riddick Moss - professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE

In popular culture

 * The interior of a 1950s rambler in Edina's Highlands neighborhood was used in the Coen brothers' 2009 film A Serious Man.
 * Lead singer Craig Finn from the band The Hold Steady is from Edina and has made several allusions to the town in their songs. For example, the song "Hornets! Hornets!" from the album Separation Sunday describes a wild night in the town, ending with the line "I drove the wrong way down 169 and almost died up by Edina High". Also, the song's title is a reference to Edina High School's mascot, the Hornet.
 * In the movie D2: The Mighty Ducks, star forward Adam Banks, when asked his name and where he is from, introduces himself as "Adam Banks Edina, Minnesota".
 * In the movie Jingle All the Way, some of the exterior house scenes were shot in Edina's Brucewood neighborhood, near Arden Park.
 * Part of the 1994 movie Little Big League was shot at one of Countryside Park's baseball diamonds. The umpire wears an Edina Athletic Association T-shirt.

title: Edina, Minnesota


text:
Uitgeest

Uitgeest is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

Population centres
The municipality of Uitgeest consists of the following towns, villages and districts: • Assum

• Busch en Dam

• Groot Dorregeest

• Uitgeest

• Kleis

• Waldijk

Topography
Map of the municipality of Uitgeest, June 2015

Local government
The municipal council of Uitgeest consists of 15 seats, which at the 2022 municipal elections divided as follows:

• Progressief Uitgeest - 4 seats

• CDA - 2 seats

• Uitgeest Lokaal (UL) -2 seats

• PvdA - 2 seats

• VVD - 2 seats

• D66 - 2 seats

• Uitgeester vrije partij - 1 seat

Tourist information
No less than five windmills can be seen in the polder landscape surrounding the village. Uitgeest was the birthplace (in 1550) of Cornelis Corneliszoon, inventor of the wind-powered sawmill. An industrial heritage park, centered on sawmill De Hoop, is under construction.

The village has a Reformed church dating back to the early 14th Century and lakeside marina. The 670m outdoor kart-racing track made room for new housing, so this tourist attraction was lost. Fort along Den Ham (between Uitgeest and Krommenie) was one of the 42 forts of the Stelling van Amsterdam, a 19th-century ring of fortifications around Amsterdam which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort is now a museum open to the public on Sundays.

Transportation

 * Railway station: Uitgeest

Uitgeest is served by 4 trains per hour (Monday – Saturday), journey time to Amsterdam is around 20 minutes. The Stoptrein via Beverwijk and Haarlem is slower, while the journey via Zaandam passes through beautiful countryside.

Uitgeest is very close to the highways N8/A8 and A9. This will take you to Amsterdam in around 15 minutes. In 2010 two lanes ('spitsstroken') were added to the A9, improving the traffic to and from the Amsterdam region.
 * Highway

Notable residents

 * Cornelis Corneliszoon van Uitgeest (ca.1550–ca.1600) a Dutch windmill owner who invented the wind-powered sawmill
 * Willem Blaeu (1571–1638) a Dutch cartographer, atlas maker and publisher
 * Hessel Gerritsz (ca.1581–1632) a Dutch engraver, cartographer and publisher
 * Jaap Knol (1896–1975) a Dutch javelin thrower, competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics
 * Peter Smit (born 1952) children's writer
 * Niels Kokmeijer (born 1977) a former Dutch footballer with almost 100 club caps, later manager of the Netherlands national beach soccer team
 * Thijs Sluijter (born 1980) a retired Dutch footballer with over 300 club caps

title: Uitgeest


text:
Uithoorn

Uithoorn is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

Population centres
The municipality of Uithoorn includes the town of Uithoorn and the village of De Kwakel.

Map of the municipality of Uithoorn, June 2015

History
The name De Uithoorn (or De Uythoorn) was used at the end of the Middle Ages for the location of the lower courts of the deanery of Saint John. The village formed around its courthouse.

People depended on agriculture and animal husbandry. Agriculture became increasingly more difficult due to the steady soil subsidence. From c. 1600 on, peat extraction became important and resulted in the formation of large ponds, which in turn would be made into polders later on.

During the Franco-Dutch War in the "disaster year" of 1672, Uithoorn was on the front lines and fortifications were built.

During the Batavian Republic period, the neighbouring village of Thamen was merged with Uithoorn. Its economy was limited, but improved in the middle of the 19th century when some industries (including chemical) were established in the area. The reclamation of a few large ponds provided extra agricultural land at the end of the same century.

A sulphuric acid plant was established on the banks of the Amstel in 1863, it closed in the early 1900s; in 1922 the site was used for a coal tar processor, Teerbedrijf Uithoorn, later known as Cindu Chemicals. A subsidiary company Nevcin Polymers also operated on the site: both companies were major employers in the town, and also polluters of the air and water bodies. In 1992 a reactor at the Nevcin site exploded, causing three deaths and several injuries. As of 2012 both plants remain in operation. In circa 1885, several fortifications were built around Uithoorn as part of the Stelling van Amsterdam. In 1915 the railway was built through the town.

After World War II, Uithoorn developed quickly: in 1948 the Thamerdal neighbourhood was built, followed by Zijdelwaard in 1960, Legmeer in 1972, Meerwijk-West and Meerwijk-Oost from 1985 on. In 1991 a new shopping centre was built in the town centre, at the expense of many original buildings.

Local government
The municipal council of Uithoorn consists of 23 seats, which at the 2022 municipal election divided as follows: • Gemeentebelangen - 8 seats

• DUS! (GroenLinks–D66) - 6 seats

• VVD - 4 seats

• CDA - 2 seats

• PvdA - 2 seats

• Groen Uithoorn - 1 seat

Notable people

 * Maarten van 't Kruijs (1813–1885) a Dutch chess player and organist
 * Johannes Voorhout (1647–1717) a Dutch Golden Age painter
 * Piet Steenkamp (1925–2016) a Dutch politician
 * Hans Koeleman (born 1957) a retired Dutch middle- and long-distance runner, competed in the steeplechase at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics
 * Ruud Koopmans (born 1961) is a Dutch sociologist and academic
 * Angela Schijf (born 1979) a Dutch actress
 * Lars Veldwijk (born 1991) a Dutch-born South African professional footballer with over 200 club caps

title: Uithoorn


text:
Excelsior, Minnesota

Excelsior is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. Excelsior's historic commercial district along Water Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the town has many Victorian-era houses. On Lake Minnetonka's southern shore, the community serves as a local tourism destination for shoppers, boaters, and restaurant-goers.

Considered a western suburb of the Twin Cities, Excelsior is about 15 mi southwest of downtown Minneapolis. Its population was 2,414 as of the 2020 census. Excelsior's major roadway is Minnesota State Highway 7.

History
The first Euro-Americans known to have visited Lake Minnetonka were two teenage boys, Joe Brown and Will Snelling, who canoed up Minnehaha Creek from Fort Saint Anthony in 1822.

Minnesota's territorial governor Alexander Ramsey officially named Lake Minnetonka in 1852. He had been informed that the Dakota called the lake Mní iá Tháŋka ("the-water-they-speak-of-is-large"). The next year, a group of settlers from New York established Excelsior, the lake's first white settlement.

During the late 19th century, the Excelsior and Lake Minnetonka area was home to several popular summer lake resorts.

Streetcars were used in Excelsior as a part of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company system until 1932, when the line was cut back to Hopkins.

20th century
A large ballroom called "Danceland" (later "Big Reggie's Danceland") stood across the street from Excelsior Amusement Park from the mid-1920s to 1973. Operated by Ray Colihan, it hosted performances by Lawrence Welk, Fred Waring, and the Andrews Sisters in the 1930s. On May 3, 1963, the Beach Boys performed at Danceland. Beach Boys singer Mike Love remembered the performance as a significant moment for the band in a 2019 interview. According to Love, people "were breaking the windows to get into [Danceland] because it was sold out... I said to one of my bandmates: 'This must be like when Elvis was starting out.'" On June 12, 1964, The Rolling Stones played Danceland for an audience of 283. It has been speculated that Excelsior resident Jimmy Hutmaker inspired Mick Jagger to write the 1969 song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" after a chance encounter at a local drugstore earlier that day, but this claim has long been disputed.

In 1974 President Gerald Ford purchased a golden retriever named Liberty from Excelsior resident Avis Friberg.

21st century
Over the years, Excelsior's downtown historic district has been home to many businesses, including hotels, restaurants, and merchants. Since 2010, restaurants and eateries have come to dominate the town's commercial landscape. Excelsior is known for maintaining its historical identity. Beyond the downtown district, it also retains much of its Victorian-era housing stock. Strict building codes are enforced in order to preserve this identity.

The Excelsior Commons and Lake Minnetonka are central amenities to the community and major draws for tourists. The Minnesota Streetcar Museum, a local transportation museum, maintains a heritage streetcar line in Excelsior and operates three restored streetcars on the line: Twin City Lines No. 1239, Winona Power & Light Co. #10, and Duluth Street Railway No. 78.

Geography
Excelsior is in Hennepin County, Minnesota, on Lake Minnetonka's south shore. It is approximately 15 mi southwest of Minneapolis and bordered by Shorewood and Greenwood. According to the United States Census Bureau, Excelsior has an area of 0.69 sqmi, of which 0.63 sqmi is land and 0.06 sqmi is water. Minnesota State Highway 7 serves as a main route through the city, leading east-northeast 11 mi to Highway 100 in Saint Louis Park and west 41 mi to Hutchinson.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 2,188 people, 1,115 households, and 494 families living in the city. The population density was 3473.0 PD/sqmi. There were 1,254 housing units at an average density of 1990.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 90.4% White, 2.7% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.9% of the population.

There were 1,115 households, of which 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.7% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 55.7% were non-families. 48.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.92 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 42 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 30.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census
As of the 2000 census, there were 2,393 people, 1,199 households, and 547 families living in the city. The population density was 3,822.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,254 housing units at an average density of 2,003.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 94.07% White, 0.75% African American, 0.33% Native American, 2.21% Asian, 1.55% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.13% of the population.

There were 1,199 households, out of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.3% were non-families. 45.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.95 and the average family size was 2.80.

The median age in the city was 37 years. 19.5% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 33.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,598, and the median income for a family was $61,406. Males had a median income of $40,845 versus $28,717 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,127. About 3.6% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

The Commons and Port of Excelsior is a 13 acre municipal park developed in 1854. Other notable recreation areas include Excelsior Parkland and the Lake Minnetonka shoreline.

Since 1935, the Apple Days festival has been held in Excelsior annually to celebrate apple-picking season.

Education

Excelsior is in Independent School District 276, also known as the Minnetonka School District. Newsweek ranked Minnetonka High School 123rd on its list of America's Top High Schools. Niche rated the school the state's best public high school.

The only school Minnetonka Public Schools operates in Excelsior is Excelsior Elementary School. The old Excelsior Public School and Excelsior High School buildings still stand, but are no longer used as schools.

Religion
Excelsior is home to many churches and places of worship, of which the majority are denominations of Christianity. Its largest churches by membership and attendance are Westwood Community Church and Mount Calvary Lutheran Church.

 * Christ Community Church
 * Congregational Church of Excelsior (UCC)
 * Excelsior Covenant Church (ECC)
 * Excelsior United Methodist Church
 * Faith Church
 * Mount Calvary Lutheran Church (ELCA)
 * New Life Sanctuary (UPCI)
 * Our Savior Lutheran Church (LCMS)
 * St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish
 * Trinity Episcopal Church
 * Westview Seventh-Day Adventist Church
 * Westwood Community Church

Notable people

 * John Berkey, science fiction and film poster artist
 * Jimmy Hutmaker, local celebrity
 * Haley Kalil, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model and Miss Minnesota USA
 * Terry Katzman, music producer and sound engineer
 * Vinni Lettieri, professional hockey player
 * Liberty, presidential dog
 * Ryan McCartan, actor and singer
 * John Mark Nelson, singer-songwriter
 * Brent Sass, dog musher
 * Martha Sheldon, medical missionary
 * Don Shelby, television personality
 * Wesley So, chess grandmaster

In popular culture
Excelsior is the setting of Monica Ferris's Needlecraft Mystery book series.

title: Excelsior, Minnesota


text:
Velsen

Velsen is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located on both sides of the North Sea Canal.

On the north side of the North Sea Canal there is a major steel plant, Tata Steel IJmuiden, formerly known as Koninklijke Hoogovens (the town of IJmuiden is actually located south of the canal). The headquarters of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij is located in IJmuiden.

The Kennemerstrand beach on the south side of the canal is at the end of the Kennemerboulevard, which runs south of the Seaport Marina.

To the south is the beach of Bloemendaal aan Zee. In between is a nude beach.

Population centres
The municipality of Velsen consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts:
 * on the north of the North Sea Canal:
 * Velsen-Noord
 * on the south of the North Sea Canal:
 * Velsen-Zuid, Driehuis, IJmuiden, Santpoort-Noord, Santpoort-Zuid and Velserbroek, and the parts Oosterbroek and Buitenhuizen of the recreation area Spaarnwoude.

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Velsen, June 2015

Transport
In Velsen, there are the following connections across the North Sea Canal:
 * A railway tunnel between the railway stations of Driehuis and Beverwijk.
 * Road tunnels, from north to south:
 * Wijker Tunnel
 * Velser Tunnel next to the railway tunnel.
 * A ferry
 * A road across the lock complex
 * Railway stations: Driehuis, Santpoort Noord, Santpoort Zuid

Also there used to be the Fast Flying Ferry to Amsterdam. There used to be a railway link between IJmuiden and Amsterdam, the IJmondlijn until 1999, when it was closed.

Local government
The municipal council of Velsen consists of 33 seats, which are divided now (2022) as follows:
 * VL - 7 seats
 * D66V - 6 seats
 * VVD - 4 seats
 * GL - 3 seats
 * PvdA - 3 seats
 * LGV - 3 seats
 * CDA - 2 seats
 * Forza! IJmond - 2 seats
 * Forum for Democracy - 2 seats
 * CU - 1 seat

History
The ruins of a Roman naval base at Velsen discovered starting in 1945 are believed to be ancient Flevum, which is listed as Phleoum, Romanized to Phleum, in Ptolemy (2.10).

Twin towns
Velsen is twinned with

Notable people

 * Saint Engelmund of Velsen (died ca.739) an English-born missionary to Frisia
 * Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Colclough Watson VC (1867 in Velsen – 1917) a recipient of the Victoria Cross
 * Jan van der Hoeve (1878 in Santpoort – 1952) a Dutch ophthalmologist who described Waardenburg syndrome in 1916
 * Karel Niessen (1895 in Velsen – 1967) a theoretical physicist, studied quantum mechanics
 * Joop Doderer (1921 in Velsen – 2005) a Dutch actor who played Swiebertje
 * Annie Palmen (1926 in IJmuiden – 2000) a singer, participated in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest
 * Hans de Boer (born 1937 in Velsen) a retired Dutch politician and former minister
 * Cornelis Vreeswijk (1937 in IJmuiden – 1987) a Swedish singer-songwriter, poet and actor
 * Pim Fortuyn (1948 in Driehuis – 2002) a controversial politician who was assassinated
 * Jan Luiten van Zanden (born 1955 in IJmuiden) a Dutch economic historian and academic
 * Peter Klashorst (born 1957 in Santpoort) a Dutch painter, sculptor and photographer
 * Hans van de Ven (born 1958 in Velsen) an academic authority on the recent history of China
 * Bernard Berkhout (born 1961 in Santpoort) a family doctor and a jazz clarinetist
 * Franc Weerwind (born 1964) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Velsen 2009 to 2015
 * Cees Krijnen (born 1969 in Velsen) a Dutch artist and a theatre actor
 * Marie-José van der Kolk (born 1974 in IJmuiden), stage name Loona, a singer, songwriter and dancer
 * Lenneke Ruiten (born 1984 in Velsen) a Dutch soprano

Sport

 * Adriaan de Groot (1914 in Santpoort – 2006) a Dutch chess master and psychologist
 * Gerrit Voorting (1923 in Velsen – 2015) a Dutch road cyclist, silver medallist at the 1948 Summer Olympics
 * Ilja Keizer (born 1944 in IJmuiden) a retired middle-distance runner, competed at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics
 * Piet Huyg (1951–2019) a Dutch footballer, 349 club caps with HFC Haarlem
 * Eltjo Schutter (born 1953 in Driehuis) a retired Dutch decathlete and gynaecologist, competed at the 1976 Summer Olympics
 * Olga Commandeur (born 1958 in Velsen) track and field athlete, competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics
 * Ingrid Haringa (born 1964 in Velsen) a police officer, former speed skater and racing cyclist
 * Stella de Heij (born 1968 in Driehuis) a former field hockey goalkeeper, team bronze medallist at the 1996 Summer Olympics
 * René Bot (born 1978 in Velsen) a retired footballer with 262 club caps with De Graafschap
 * Ronny van Es (born 1978 in Velsen) a Dutch retired footballer with 380 club caps
 * Linda Bolder (born 1988 in Velserbroek) a Dutch-born Israeli Olympic judoka
 * Joël Veltman (born 1992 in IJmuiden) a Dutch professional footballer with 160 caps with AFC Ajax
 * and
 * the Lords of Van Brederode, from the 12thC. to the 17thC., a noble family from Brederode Castle near Santpoort

title: Velsen


text:
Golden Valley, Minnesota

Golden Valley is a western and first-ring suburb of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The city is mostly residential and is bordered by U.S. Highway 12 (Interstate 394). Over 15% of it is parks or nature reserves. The Floyd B. Olson Memorial Highway runs through the heart of the city, providing a direct route to Minneapolis's industrial district.

Golden Valley is the main corporate headquarters of General Mills, a major flour milling and food products company originally located in Minneapolis. It is the site of Pentair's U.S. headquarters and local NBC affiliate KARE. The city was also home to the former Minneapolis-Honeywell headquarters, which is now the Resideo Technologies corporate offices.

History
Ojibwe and Sioux tribes had encampments on nearby Medicine Lake. The first white settlers arrived in the early 1850s. Golden Valley was incorporated on December 17, 1886. In the early 20th century, it was mostly a farming community.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 10.55 sqmi, of which 10.20 sqmi is land and 0.35 sqmi is water.

The 45th parallel north runs through Golden Valley, coinciding approximately with Duluth Street.

Interstate 394, U.S. Highway 169, and Minnesota State Highways 55 and 100 are four of the main routes in the area.

Education

Most children who live in Golden Valley attend school in the Robbinsdale School District or the Hopkins School District, as all of the city's territory belongs to one or the other. Some students attend public schools in other districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.

Golden Valley High School was founded in 1957, and the adjacent Golden Valley Middle School opened in 1964. Both closed in the early 1980s after the Golden Valley School District merged with the Hopkins School District. Carl Sandburg Junior High School opened in 1959. In 1988, it became Sandburg Middle School. In 1981, the Breck School, a private Episcopal school, purchased the former Golden Valley High School and Middle School property and moved from Minneapolis to the campus of the former Golden Valley schools.

King of Grace Lutheran School is a Christian preschool, elementary school, and middle school of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Golden Valley.

There is also a private elementary Catholic School named Good Shepherd Catholic School. Its name was changed in 2006 from Parkvalley Catholic.

What is now the site of the Perpich Center for Arts Education was originally Golden Valley Lutheran College, which closed in 1985.

Economy
Major employers in the city include:
 * General Mills
 * UnitedHealth Group
 * Honeywell
 * Tennant
 * Pentair
 * KARE, NBC television affiliate for the Twin Cities
 * Minnesota United FC – headquarters for the Major League Soccer franchise
 * Bluestone Garden
 * Room & Board
 * USFamily.net

Golden Valley's population is around 22,000, but more than 30,000 people work there, because of the presence of large employers including General Mills, Honeywell, and Pentair.

Top employers
According to the City's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the city's largest employers are:

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 20,371 people, 8,816 households, and 5,417 families living in the city. The population density was 1997.2 PD/sqmi. There were 9,349 housing units at an average density of 916.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 85.4% White, 7.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 3.5% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 8,816 households, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was 45.7 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 30.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,281 people, 8,449 households, and 5,508 families living in the city. The population density was 1,982.3 PD/sqmi. There were 8,589 housing units at an average density of 839.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.07% White, 3.59% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.87% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.76% of the population.

There were 8,449 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $62,063, and the median income for a family was $75,899 (these figures had risen to $77,976 and $87,828 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $49,890 versus $35,967 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,094. About 0.8% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Golden Valley is a statutory city, where the mayor votes with the city council. Golden Valley operates under the council–manager form of government. The city council sets the policy and overall direction for the city, and appoints a city manager to serve as administrator. The city manager directs city staff in carrying out council decisions and providing services.

The mayor serves a four-year term. There are four council members serving staggered four-year terms. Two council seats are up for election every two years, in odd-numbered years. The council members run citywide; there are no wards. The current mayor is Roslyn Harmon. The current city council includes Sophia Ginis, Maurice Harris, Denise La Mere-Anderson, and Gillian Rosenquist.

Politics
Golden Valley is in Minnesota's 5th congressional district, represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Ilhan Omar, a Democrat. The city is split between two state legislative districts: 46A, represented by Representative Larry Kraft and Senator Ron Latz, and 45B, represented by Representative Patty Acomb and Senator Kelly Morrison. All four are Democrats.

Notable people

 * John R. Arlandson, Minnesota state legislator and lawyer
 * Tom Barnard, KQRS radio morning show host and voice-over artist
 * Scott Z. Burns, screenwriter, producer, director
 * David King. drummer of The Bad Plus, Happy Apple, and other groups
 * Brian Klaas, political commentator, author, and professor
 * Jordan Leopold, former player for U.S. Olympic hockey team and the Minnesota Wild.
 * Trent Lockett, professional basketball player
 * Kelly Lynch, actress
 * Lynne Osterman, Minnesota state legislator
 * Aaron Sele, former Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Craig Taborn, jazz pianist

title: Golden Valley, Minnesota


text:
Venhuizen

Venhuizen (Fenhúze) is a town in the north-western Netherlands, in the province of North Holland and the region of West-Frisia, in the municipality of Drechterland. Venhuizen was a separate municipality until 1 January 2006, when it was merged with the existing municipality of Drechterland. It was decided to call the new municipality Drechterland.

On a map of the Hollands Noorderkwartier from 1288 is Venhuizen mentioned as Veenhusen. The name could refer to houses at or in the fen. The Dutch Reformed church dates from the 15th century. The other large church is the Roman Catholic St. Lucaskerk (St. Lucas church), built in 1956. It's also locally called the tough (robust) church (nl: stoere).

Culture
The village fest occurs every year with Pentecost and includes a fun fair, a horse race, a volleyball tournament and several festivals. Each spring since 2017 an annual Food Festival Venhuizen has been held here. It has the largest open air restaurant in West Frisia with more than 10,000 visitors.

Notable people

 * Hendrik Offerhaus (1875–1953), rower
 * Rob Compas (born 1966), road bicycle racer
 * Rick Hooijboer (born 1974), football player
 * Mathieu Boots (born 1976), soccer player
 * Peter Koning (born 1990), racing cyclist

title: Venhuizen


text:
Waterland

Waterland is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is situated north of Amsterdam, on the western shore of the Markermeer. It includes the tourist towns of Broek in Waterland and Marken.

Population centres
The municipality of Waterland contains the following city, small towns and villages: • Broek in Waterland

• Ilpendam

• Katwoude

• Marken

• Monnickendam

• Overleek

• Uitdam

• Watergang

• Zuiderwoude

Topography
Map of the municipality of Waterland, 2013.

Local government
The municipal council of Waterland consists of 17 seats, which at the 2022 election divided as follows:

Notable people

 * Pieter Floriszoon (1602 or 1606 in Monnickendam–1658) a Dutch Vice Admiral in the Battle of the Sound
 * Alexander Johan Berman (1828 in Zierikzee–1886) the Dutch Reformed minister of Watergang
 * Pieter Groenhart (1894 in Ilpendam – 1965) a Dutch lichenologist, researched tropical Asian lichens
 * Wim Polak (1924–1999) a Dutch politician, lived in Ilpendam, Mayor of Amsterdam 1977/1983
 * Peter Spier (1927–2017) a Dutch-American illustrator and writer of children's books, grew up in Broek in Waterland
 * Michaël Zeeman (1958 in Marken – 2009) a Dutch journalist, author, editor, columnist and literary critic
 * Sita (born 1980 in Ilpendam) aka Sita Maria Vermeulen, a Dutch pop singer

Sport

 * Jurjaan Koolen (1938 in Monnickendam–2020) a Dutch volleyball player, competed in the 1964 Summer Olympics
 * Marko Klok (born 1968 in Monnickendam) a volleyball player, silver medallist in the 1992 Summer Olympics
 * Annette Gerritsen (born 1985 in Ilpendam) a Dutch former speed skater, silver medallist at the 2010 Winter Olympics

title: Waterland


text:
Greenfield, Minnesota

Greenfield is a city in northwestern Hennepin County, Minnesota. It has a population of 2,903 residents, according to the 2020 United States Census, and is located 26.5 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It is part of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.55 sqmi, of which 20.40 sqmi is land and 1.15 sqmi is water.

Minnesota State Highway 55 serves as the main road in the city. Greenfield is located along the Crow River, which flows through the Downtown River District and divides Hennepin County and Wright County. Nearby towns include Loretto, Rockford, Corcoran, Hanover, Buffalo, and Maple Grove.

History
Before Greenfield was a town, the area was originally known as Greenwood Township. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, Greenfield became incorporated on March 14, 1958.

Education
Greenfield's main school district is Rockford Area School District #883. The school district includes an elementary school (preschool to 4th grade), a middle school (grades 5th through 8th), and a high school (grades 9th through 12th). The elementary focuses mainly on an arts program, while the middle and high schools put more of an emphasis on technology. The Rockford school district was established by the Wright County commissioners on September 6, 1856, and the first school house was constructed by 1860. During the 1960s, the school underwent redistricting that gave its current designation as Independent School District #883.

Although the Rockford school district serves Rockford and most of Greenfield, a small portion of Greenfield is designated to the Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose (BHM) School District #877. Students in the district attend elementary school in Hanover for grades K-5; however, for grades 6–8, students are bussed to Buffalo Community Middle School in Buffalo, Minnesota. The high school for the district, Buffalo High School, is also located in Buffalo. It is known for its arts magnet program. Portions of Greenfield are also located in the Delano school district.

Salem Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K-8 school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Greenfield.

Places of interest
The Lake Rebecca Park Reserve sits on the southwestern edge of Greenfield. It has a gently rolling landscape and numerous wetland areas. It also has biking trails, a playground, and a boat launch. In addition to the many outdoor opportunities found there, the park is a haven for wildlife.

2020 census
As of the 2020 census, there were 2,903 people and 1,039 households in the city.

The median age of a Greenfield resident is 45.1 years. 40.3% of Greenfield residents originate from a German heritage, while 14.8% of residents originate from a Norwegian heritage. Other notable heritages are Polish, Irish, and English.

Greenfield's employment rate is 65.8% with a median household income of $123,817, compared to the $73,382 median household income of Minnesota. 49.3% of residents have received a Bachelor's degree or higher.

In Greenfield, the average resident's commute to work is 31.4 minutes. 86.5% of residents drive to work alone and 9.8% of residents work from home. Top industries that residents work under are Professional, scientific, management, administrative and waste management services (17.8%), Construction (17.1%), Educational services, health care and social assistance (15.3%), Manufacturing (11.8%), and Retail trade (8.5%).

Of Greenfield's residents, 94.2% are homeowners, compared to an average of 71.9% in the state of Minnesota.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 2,777 people, 936 households, and 771 families residing in the city. The population density was 136.1 PD/sqmi. There were 970 housing units at an average density of 47.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 936 households, of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.3% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 17.6% were non-families. 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.28.

The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 29.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.4% were from 25 to 44; 35.9% were from 45 to 64; and 7.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.4% male and 49.6% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,544 people, 817 households, and 674 families residing in the city. The population density was 124.5 PD/sqmi. There were 824 housing units at an average density of 40.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.72% White, 0.39% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population.

There were 817 households, out of which 46.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.5% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% were non-families. 12.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 33.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 3.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $80,933, and the median income for a family was $86,032. Males had a median income of $50,784 versus $33,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,270. About 0.7% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

title: Greenfield, Minnesota