CRYSTAL | ROBBINSDALE NEW HOPE | GOLDEN VALLEY
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025-26
Golden Valley, golden opportunities
Golden Valley is a first-ring suburb that was first incorporated as a village in December 1886. It was named for an abundance of yellow flowers visible at the time. The village later became a city in 1972. Today, around 22,000 people call Golden Valley home.
The city is bounded by Interstate 394 to the south, Highway 169 to the west, and New Hope and Crystal to the north. The downtown area at Highway 55 and Winnetka Avenue encompasses the Civic Center complex and includes a U. S. Post Office, library, banks, restaurants, retail and housing.
Golden Valley has community parks, neighborhood parks, nature areas, a regional park, seven special use areas and a community center. There are also three golf courses: public courses at Brookview and Theodore Wirth Park, and a private course at Golden Valley Country Club. Brookview includes a regulation 18-hole regulation course and 9-hole par 3, a driving range and teaching area, disc golf, golf shop, cross country ski trail, rental and gathering spaces, indoor playground, and a full-service restaurant.
Golden Valley operates under the council / manager form of government, and city council members, including the mayor, are elected at-large.
City elections occur in odd-numbered years. The council meets on the first and third Tuesdays each month and has a council / manager work session on the second Tuesday.
The community is part of the Robbinsdale and Hopkins school districts and has two parochial schools, a private school and the Perpich Center for Arts Education.
The city shares a“ Westopolis” with St. Louis Park. Westopolis is an entity that promotes and markets tourism in St. Louis Park and Golden Valley. Westopolis is, simply, the area closest to downtown Minneapolis without being in Minneapolis.
But in addition to urban proximity, the tourism group promotes that the suburbs are full of things to do. Prior to being named“ Westopolis,” the entity was called“ Discover St. Louis Park.”
Community Guide 2025-26 | Crystal • Robbinsdale • New Hope • Golden Valley | 7