Richfield, Twin Cities Relocation

Richfield

Richfield City in Hennepin County, Minnesota is bordered by equally big and developed cities like Minneapolis, Bloomington and Edina.  It is strategically located near the Minneapolis and St. Paul International Airport making it an ideal location for tourism and business.

This year’s 4th of July is very exciting in Richfield as it has prepared a five-day free celebration for all families in the city.  Most of the events will be held at the Veteran’s Park including the carnival, str4eet dance, fireworks and fun night. The event is expected to promote not only patriotism but also love of family.

History

Richfield used to be a small farming community way back 1850s and the name Richfield was taken from the fertile land where the area is located.  Former Ohio Militia General, Richfield Justice of the Peace and Minnesota State Senator Riley Bartholomew was among the first settlers of the area. In fact, the Bartholomew House in Wood Lake is considered a historic place that has been included in the National and Minnesota Registers of Historic Places.  The first town hall was built in 1879 and among the first residents of Richfield are families from the New England area, Irish and Germans and later on immigrants from Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Richfield became a village in 1908 but its population and economy started growing only in the late 1940s as farmlands were sold and converted into homes and commercial establishments.  Clarence Christian, the city’s first mayor, started serving the city in 1951.  The city had a speedy growth after World War II with people scurrying for Twin City jobs.

Community Profile

Richfield has a total inhabitant of 34,439 people as of the 2000 Census.  Majority or 81.25% of its residents are Whites followed by African Americans (6.65%), Asians (5.30%) and those from other races.  Richfield’s population is relatively young with an average age of 37.  A small percentage or 16.4% of the resident are 65 years old or over while 20.2% are below 18 years old.

While the average family income of $56,434 is comparable to other developed cities in Minnesota, 6.3% of Richfield’s population is living below the poverty level.  The city’s per capita income is $24,709.

Health care in Richfield is taken care of by nearby hospitals and medial facilities including Abbot-Northwestern Hospital, Inc., Children’s health Care and Phillips Eye Institute.
Business

Richfield is an ideal investment haven and this is evident with Best Buy Company’s decision in 2003 to relocate its corporate headquarters in the city.  Best Buy, a Fortune 100 company and the country’s largest electronic retailer, is the city’s largest employer.  Most people relocate to Richfield with the hope of finding suitable employment with Best Buy and its subsidiaries including Pacific Sales, Magnolia Audio Video and Geek Squad.  Best Buy and its subsidiaries operate over 1,150 stores all over the country as well as in Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, China and Turkey.

While Best Buy is no doubt the backbone of Richfield’s economy, the other small and medium businesses also add up to employment and income opportunities in the city. Richfield has a 2,444 net job growth between 2001 and 2003.  The city employment has also increased from 10,090 in 1995 to 15,000 in 2005. As of September 2007, Richfield has an unemployment rate of 4.8% compared to Minnesota’s 4.7%.

Richfield Chamber of Commerce President Steven O. Lindgren refers to Richfield as a “suburban community” that is clean and enjoying brisk business but which also has a “small town heart” which makes it possible to keep the community spirits high and the local government responsive to their needs.

Several banks have established their branches in Richfield as of 2007. Among these are the M&I Marshall and Ilsley Bank with $48,017.4 million in bank assets and $31,598.7 million in deposits; Wells Fargo Bank with $398,671.0 million in bank assets and $311,546.0 million deposits, First National Bank of the Lakes
with $59.3 million in bank assets and $53.0 million in deposits and Bremer Bank with $2,390.6 million in bank assets and $1,784.8 million deposits.

Attractions

Corporate relocations to Richfield are attractive both to individuals and married employees because of the city’s bustling business sector and clean environment.  It has 39 restaurants and a wide array of commercial establishments (including the Mall of America) as well as parks and open spaces.

Aside from being adjacent to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Richfield is also home to the Valleyfair Amusement park, Mystic Lake Casino and the Canterbury Park race Track and Car Club.

One of the top attractions of Richfield is the Mall of America which opened its doors to the public in 1992. Known as the largest retail and entertainment establishment in the country, the 4.2 million square foot Mall of America is home to four major department stores, 520 world class shops, the Nick Universe Amusement Park a Walk-Through Aquarium with 1.2 million gallons of water and several other shops.  The mall’s parking area can accommodate over 20,000 vehicles.

If you want to get closer to nature then Richfield’s parks including Augsburg Park, Monroe Field, Taft Park, Lincoln Field, Nicollet Park, Fremont Park and Sheridan Park are just a drive away.

Famous Citizens

Among the famous citizens who were born in Richfield are NHL player Darby Hendrickson, College basketball players Ray Brown, Travis Brown and Stephen King and WNBA’s Susan King.  Gold medalist and USA men’s hockey team member Steve Christoff, environmentalist and Arctic explorer Will Steger and stage performer Russ King are residents of Richfield.

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