When Roger Fazendin, our founder, first began selling residential real estate in 1951, Wayzata and Lake Minnetonka—headwaters of Minnehaha Creek—were very separated from the “Twin Cities.” Highway 12 was the two-lane connection, and farm fields hugged the highway on both sides. All around the lake were summer cabins, many of which had no central heating or indoor plumbing. You were as likely to see people in rowboats as you were motorboats. As with all the surrounding towns, there was a distinct “village” feeling. All were very much small towns where many of the inhabitants were second and third generation.
It wasn’t until the ’70s that that all began to change—and even then, not very rapidly. The change was driven by improved highways and national homebuilders moving into the area.
The lake has always been the centerpiece of all this. Lake Minnetonka is one of the largest lakes in Minnesota, and its shoreline is immense with all its bays and inlets. The Upper Lake and Lower Lake are different in many ways from each other. Depending upon which part of the lake you were talking about, city-supplied sewer and water arrived later rather than sooner.
Map sourced from the Lake Minnetonka Conservation District: https://lmcd.org/the-lake/maps/
The lake enjoys a national reputation for many things, like sailing. The sport goes back a hundred years. The fishing has always been good, with a wide variety of species. You won’t find many rowboats anymore, but water sports and boating are tremendously
popular. Lake Minnetonka no longer belongs to the towns around it, but to the entire metropolitan areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul. •
Click here to learn about the various communities’ real estate markets that surround Lake Minnetonka and beyond.