Edina (locally /iːˈdaɪnə/ ⓘ ee-DY-nə, /ɪˈdaɪnə/ ih-DY-nə)[8] is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis.

Edina began as a small farming and milling community along Minnehaha Creek in the 1860s and became one of Minneapolis's first incorporated suburbs in 1888.

The city is known for its shopping, parks, and high quality of life and also has the nation's oldest indoor mall, the Southdale Center.

By the 1870s, 17 families, most of them immigrating as a result of the Great Famine of Ireland, had come to Minnesota and claimed land in the southwest section of what was then Richfield Township.

[14] The Baird and Grimes neighborhoods (both listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and the Country Club District (then known as Waterville Mills) in northeastern Edina were among the first areas to be established.

Several town meetings were held in the Minnehaha Grange Hall, during which the names Hennepin Park, Westfield, and Edina were suggested.

Minutes taken by Henry F. Brown, a farmer and future owner (1889) of the Edina Mill, are summarized as follows: A long debate ensued with regard to the name by which the corporation shall be called.

However, the chairman of the meeting called this motion out of order, at which time disorder ensued with Baird, Wilson, Ryan and Bull declaring their intent to no longer serve as members of the committee if a gag law was to prevail.

According to historian Deborah Morse-Kahn, the Quaker village that existed where Edina would be built included African American families of Civil War veterans and freed slaves "became very involved in community life—especially as farmland owners, civic and cultural leaders.

[23] In the early 20th century suburban development brought discriminatory policies that led to nearly all of the African Americans who had been living in Edina to move away.

[22][26][27][28][29]Other developments, like that built by N. P. Dodge Corporation just a mile away, followed suit in attempting to protect land values through racial policies.

[30] Though the Supreme Court ruled these kinds of discriminatory housing clauses unenforceable in its Shelley v. Kraemer decision of 1948, reports of discrimination persisted through the 1950s and 1960s.

[22][24] According to the Edina Historical Society's story about the first black family in Morningside (then a separate village) in 1960, attempts to keep them out included tactics like trying "to get [their] lot condemned for drainage.

"[24] In response, then-mayor Ken Joyce wrote a note dismissing the drainage concern and challenging citizens "to live the Golden Rule".

The Department also maintains eight miles (13 km) of scenic pathways for bicycling, walking, jogging, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

[59] Before streetcar service was abandoned in 1954, the Twin City Rapid Transit Company's Lake Minnetonka Line went through Edina paralleling 44th Street on dedicated right-of-way.

The E Line, an arterial BRT route, is currently planned to travel from the University of Minnesota through Downtown Minneapolis and Uptown to the Southdale Transit Center in Edina.

[61] The Dan Patch Line and successor Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway operated interurban service through Edina until 1942.

Under the Dan Patch Corridor proposal, commuter trains would operate between Minneapolis and Northfield with a station in Edina.

A feasibility study was conducted in 2000 and found that ridership would be high but there would be a significant cost to upgrade the corridor for commuter trains.

[62] In 2017 the Edina City Council conducted a study on the pros and cons of passenger rail on the Dan Patch Line.