| Excelsior, Minnesota | |
| Settlement | |
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Location in Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Minnesota |
| Region | Hennepin County |
| Area | 0.7 sq mi (2 km2) |
| - land | 0.6 sq mi (2 km2) |
| - water | 0.1 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 2,188 (2010[1]) |
| Mayor | Nick Ruehl [2] |
Excelsior is a settlement on Lake Minnetonka in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 2,188 at the 2010 census.[1]
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2), of which, 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (7.46%) is water. Minnesota State Highway 7 serves as a main route.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 2,393 people, 1,199 households, and 547 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,822.9 people per square mile (1,466.6/km²). There were 1,254 housing units at an average density of 2,003.3 per square mile (768.5/km²). 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.
In the city the population was spread out with 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. The median age was 37 years. 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.
Excelsior was founded in the 1850s as a destination for vacationers, primarily from the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Throughout the years, Excelsior's Water Street has been the home to many businesses, including hotels, restaurants, and merchants. Today, Excelsior works hard to maintain its historical identity while renewing various elements of the downtown area.
Excelsior was home to the Excelsior Amusement Park from 1925 to 1973.
The Minnehaha Steamboat, a Steamboat used for passenger travel on Lake Minnetonka near the turn of the century, was raised from the bottom of Lake Minnetonka, restored, and is now available for rides from the Excelsior port during the summer.
Ray Colihan owned Big Reggie's Danceland in Excelsior. He boasted of being the only man to lose money on both The Beatles who he booked at Met Stadium in 1965 and The Rolling Stones who played Danceland sloppily in 1964 to about 300 people.[4]
Legend has it, since debunked online,[4] that a city of Excelsior resident, the late Jimmy Hutmaker, was the inspiration behind the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What you Want" after an encounter with Mick Jagger during a 1964 Stones concert at the drug store.[5] "Mr. Jimmy", as people called him, died on October 3, 2007.[6]
President Gerald Ford's golden retriever Liberty was purchased in 1974 from Avis Friberg who lived in the town.[7]
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