Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Brooklyn Park is the sixth most populous city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the west bank of the Mississippi River upstream from downtown Minneapolis in northern Hennepin County. Brooklyn Park is the second largest suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million residents. The population was 75,781 at the 2010 census.

The city is known for Edinburgh USA Golf Course, North Hennepin Community College and a campus of Hennepin Technical College. Brooklyn Park is a "bedroom community" of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Once Brooklyn Township, the township split in 1860 with the southeastern village incorporating into Brooklyn Center and Crystal Lake. Settlers from Michigan formally established the township and named it after their hometown of Brooklyn, Michigan.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.5 square miles (68.8 km²), of which, 26.1 square miles (67.5 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.85%) is water.

Interstates 94 and 694, U.S. Route 169, Minnesota State Highways 252 and 610, and County Road 81 are five of the main arterial routes in the city.

Demographics
According to the 2010 census, there were 75,781 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 52% (39,594 residents) White, 24% (18,480 residents) African American, 1% (379 residents) Native American, 15% (11,687 residents) Asian, 42 residents identifying themselves as Pacific Islander, 4% (2,7663 residents) from other races, and 4% (2,836 residents) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race totaled 4,481 residents in the city.

According to the 2000 census, there were 67,388 people, 24,432 households, and 17,346 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,586.1 people per square mile (998.4/km²). There were 24,846 housing units at an average density of 953.5 per square mile (368.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 71.44% White, 14.33% African American, 0.57% Native American, 9.22% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 1.49% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race totaled 4,481 residents in the city.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.88% of the population.

There were 24,432 households out of which 39.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,572, and the median income for a family was $64,297. Males had a median income of $41,276 versus $30,729 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,199. About 3.8% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Brooklyn Park is located in Minnesota's 3rd congressional district, and is represented by Erik Paulsen (R).

In the Minnesota Senate, Brooklyn Park is represented by Linda Scheid (DFL) and Ben Kruse (R). In the Minnesota House of Representatives, Brooklyn Park is represented by Mike Nelson (DFL), Debra Hillstrom (DFL), and Mellissa Hortman (DFL).

Brooklyn Park is served by a six-member city council, two members for every voting district within the city. The three districts are as follows: West, East, and Central. Brooklyn Park was served by Mayor Steve Lampi until his death on February 28, 2011 several weeks after being diagnosed with cancer. A special election with a ballot of 12 candidates was held on April 30, 2011. Jeff Lunde won a plurality of the votes and was sworn in as mayor on May 16, 2011. City councilman Mike Trepanier served as mayor pro tempore between the terms of Lampi and Lunde.

Notable people

 * Tim Laudner - catcher Minnesota Twins (Park Center High School)
 * Dave Lindstrom - catcher Detroit Tigers Minors / Texas Tech University (Park Center High School)
 * Pat Neshek - relief pitcher San Diego Padres (Park Center High School)
 * Kirby Puckett - lived in Brooklyn Park with his wife, Tonya (who is from Brooklyn Park), early in his career
 * Krissy Wendell- United States national women's hockey team Star, Standout Softball/Baseball Player (played in Little League World Series) (Park Center High School)
 * Jesse Ventura - Former State Governor, mayor of Brooklyn Park from 1991 until 1995.
 * Michael Kayser - U.S. Defense Attaché to Ireland (Park Center 1986)
 * Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor, radio host of A Prairie Home Companion and author, was raised in Brooklyn Park and graduated from Anoka High School
 * Tim Jackman - New York Islanders (Park Center High School)
 * John Jordan - Former Minnesota State Representative, Co-Founder/Inventor CitizenObserver.com, blogger at OurBrooklynPark.com

Education
Brooklyn Park is served by three school districts: Osseo Area School District 279, the Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 and Robbinsdale School District serves as the school district in the southwest corner of the city. Park Center Senior High School, Osseo Senior High School, Champlin Park High School and Cooper High School serve Brooklyn Park. Junior High Schools serving Brooklyn Park residents include Brooklyn Junior High, North View Junior High, Osseo Junior High, and Jackson Middle School. Elementary schools include Monroe, Birch Grove, Riverview, Palmer Lake, Edinbrook, Crest View, Fair Oaks, Meadowbrook, Park Brook, Woodland and Zanewood. Some students attend public schools in other school districts chosen by their families under Minnesota's open enrollment statute.

Colleges include North Hennepin Community College, Hennepin Technical College and Rasmussen College.