Shakopee, Minnesota


Shakopee is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Minnesota. It is located southwest of downtown Minneapolis. Sited on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the sixteenth-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with 3.6 million people. The population of Shakopee was 37,076 at the 2010 census.
The river bank's Shakopee Historic District contains burial mounds built by prehistoric cultures. In the 18th century, Chief Shakopee of the Mdewakanton Dakota established his village on the east end of this area near the water. Trading led to the city's establishment in the 19th century. Shakopee boomed as a commerce exchange site between river and rail at Murphy's Landing.
Once an isolated city in the Minnesota River Valley, by the 1960s the economy of Shakopee was tied to that of the expanding metropolitan area. Significant growth as a bedroom community occurred after U.S. Highway 169 was realigned in 1996 toward the new Bloomington Ferry Bridge.
The city is known for the Valleyfair amusement park and the Canterbury Park racetrack.

History

along the Minnesota River bluff, located within the present-day Veterans Memorial Park, have been dated between 500 and 2,000 years old.
Following the Dakota migration from Mille Lacs Lake in the 17th century, several bands of Mdewakanton Dakota settled along the Minnesota River. They continued the mound building tradition. One of these bands was led in the 18th century by the first Chief Shakopee. The original Shakopee acquired his name when his wife, White Buffalo Woman, gave birth to sextuplet boys. Shakopee means "the six." The Ojibwa nation began pushing into Dakota territory and reportedly Shakopee's band skirmished in 1768 and 1775. Shakopee died in 1827 at Fort Snelling.
The second man to be given the name Chief Shakopee was his adopted Ojibwa son, Eaglehead, a twin son born to Ozaawindib, or "Yellowhead." Ozaawindib gave this son to the Dakota, as he had another to take the hereditary chief's role. Explorer Joseph Nicollet recorded that Eaglehead had been chosen in 1838 to lead the band and assume his father's name.
By this time, Nicollet referred to the "Village of the Six," a permanent Dakota village south of the river, as acting as a boundary to the Ojibwa. However, historians have since situated it east of the present downtown. He noted the village and locality was commonly called the "village of the prairie". The Shakopee band lived in summer bark lodges and winter tipis. They followed the changes of the season when they planted their cornfields.
By the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, the Sioux tribe ceded land in 1851 and many relocated to Chief Shakopee II's village. The latter people had moved south to what was later assigned to them as the current Shakopee-Mdewakanton Indian Reservation in nearby Prior Lake. The band swelled to 400 people. Its leadership passed to Shakopee II's son Eatoka. He was called Shakpedan at the death of his father.
During the Dakota War of 1862, his warriors killed about 800 European-American settlers in an effort to regain their lands. Shakpedan was hanged at Fort Snelling in 1865 for his role in the rebellion.
Descendants of the Mdewakanton Dakota placed of Shakopee land into tribal land trust with the Department of Interior in 2003.
Meanwhile, in 1851, Thomas A. Holmes established a trading post west of the Dakota and platted Shakopee Village in 1854, named after Chief Shakopee II. The city quickly grew, incorporating in 1857. It surrendered its charter in 1861 due to conflicts in the Dakota War. As tensions lifted, the city incorporated again in 1870. The western end was left in township status and was renamed as Jackson Township, Minnesota in 1861, likely after President Andrew Jackson.
In November of 2017, it was discovered that then Shakopee superintendent Rod Thompson had used the district credit card to make 305 personal purchases, totaling over thirty thousand dollars. He was investigated by the FBI, and was charged with swindling and embezzlement. He resigned from his position as superintendent. He plead guilty to 19 counts of felony theft by swindling and embezzlement. He was sentenced to 24 months in prison, which he began serving in spring of 2019 in a minimum security prison in Duluth. He used the money he embezzled to purchase first class flights, TV's Jewelry, and a pair of $220 red cowboy boots.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of ; is land and is water.
U.S. Highway 169 and County Highway 101 are two of the main routes in Shakopee. Highway 169 and nearby State Highway 13 connect Shakopee to the rest of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul region. County Highway 101 serves as a major east–west connector route of historic downtown Shakopee.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 37,076 people, 12,772 households, and 9,275 families living in the city. The population density was. There were 13,339 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 77.0% White, 4.3% African American, 1.2% Native American, 10.3% Asian, 4.5% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.8% of the population.
There were 12,772 households of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.4% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.31.
The median age in the city was 32.2 years. 30.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 37.2% were from 25 to 44; 19.2% were from 45 to 64; and 6.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 20,568 people, 7,540 households and 5,360 families living in the city. The population density was 761.7 per square mile. There were 7,805 housing units at an average density of 289.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 91.61% White, 1.33% African American, 0.94% Native American, 2.41% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.14% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.40% of the population.
There were 7,540 households of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.12.
27.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 38.8% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.
The median household income was $59,137 and the median family income was $66,885. Males had a median income of $41,662 versus $32,244 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,128. About 1.8% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Shakopee Public Schools include five elementary schools, two middle schools and one senior high school, as well as a learning center. The schools are:
District Leadership
ISD 720 Board of Education:
Students in ninth through twelfth grade attend Shakopee High School. Students in sixth through eighth attend either Shakopee West or East Middle School and Students in K-5 attend one of the 5 elementary schools, in addition to this, there is also a learning center serving as a high school for troubled teens and, a Family Center for Early childhood education and preschool.
Shakopee is also the location of the Shakopee Area Catholic Schools.
Living Hope Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K-8 school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Shakopee.
The city of Shakopee also has a campus of the Globe University/Minnesota School of Business, a private career college offering programs in business, health sciences, legal sciences, multimedia and design, and information technology.

Politics

United States House of Representatives
State Legislature
Scott County Board of Commissioners
Shakopee City Council
Located in Shakopee is a relatively new soccer complex that has a growing program. There are also several regional attractions.

Notable people

Shakopee is the location of several attractions that are well-recognized throughout the state and even nationally.