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Population
History
Historical Facts
Brooklyn Park, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in the northwest section of Hennepin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Metropolitan area—sixth-largest in the state. The city occupies approximately 17,020 acres—27 square miles, bounded on the south by Brooklyn Center, Crystal and New Hope, Champlin on the north, and Maple Grove and Osseo on the west.
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Brooklyn Park is about 85 percent developed, with the next area of growth under development north of Highway 610. Brooklyn Park is easily accessible (about 10 miles northwest of downtown Minneapolis) via I-694, Hwy. 10, County Rd. 81, Hwy. 169 and Hwy. 252. Access has been improved with Hwy. 610, a four-lane freeway linking the city to I-35W in Blaine. Eventually, 610 will connect with I-94 in Maple Grove.
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Population
The city has approximately 72,525 people as of 2005, up from 67,388 counted in the 2000 Census. Projections put the population at 78,000 within 5 years. (Population Projection Table)
The median age of residents is 27.6 years. More than 30 percent of those living in the city are children under age 18.
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History
What is now Brooklyn Park was part of the Missouri Territory in the early 19th century, under the protection of a treaty with the Dakota Indians. The early pioneers began settling the territory west of the Mississippi River in 1852, after the federal government opened up the territory to homesteading.
Early in 1852, the territorial legislature set in motion the law that organized Hennepin County. In the spring of 1852, the first claims to land in the new territory that would become Brooklyn Township were staked.
There were no roads, only trails forged by the Ojibway who lived in the area. Washington Getchell and his son Winslow were among the settlers who staked a claim to what is now called Getchell Prairie in the southern part of the township. Around the same time, Pierre Bottineau and another group of settlers established claims on Bottineau Prairie, which later became Maple Grove and Osseo.
On July 2, 1852, Ezra Hanscom, a native of Maine, established his claim near the Getchells and completed his home in July 1853.
In late 1853 and early 1854, settlers from Michigan staked claim to this area and named it Brooklyn Township, after their home territory of Brooklyn, Michigan.
Hanscom was one of the first actual settlers of the area. The Hanscom home, located near Shingle Creek where it now crosses Noble Avenue, was the site of the first town meeting, on May 11, 1858, when Brooklyn Township elected officers. Brooklyn Township was originally an area larger than the Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center of today. In 1860, two tiers of sections were cut off in the south, forming the towns of Brooklyn Center and Crystal Lake. What was left was known as Brooklyn Township.
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Historical Facts
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1854 - First school established
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May 11, 1858 - First Township officers elected
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August 13, 1941 - First Planning Commission formed
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February 1954 - Incorporated as a village (population 3,868)
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May 5, 1954 - First village council meeting held
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September 13, 1966 - Voters select “Council/Manager” form of government
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September 1969 - Brooklyn Park becomes a charter city
 The Brooklyn Historical Society is an organization of local citizens interested in researching and preserving the history of the Brooklyn Township heritage. Its mailing address is:
Brooklyn Historical Society
Post Office Box 29345
Brooklyn Center, MN 55429-0345
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