NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA
COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025
HISTORY / from Page 9
A merger of fate and future
pay a bonus to have the railroad tracks laid near town, so the rail line was run a mile to the south.
The original depot, which was built in 1872, was called Young America Station. Sensing a business opportunity, Slocum and a number of other townspeople reestablished themselves near the station.
As time passed, it looked as though Young America might try to annex Young America Station, so those in the city that had developed around the depot had their town incorporated in 1874 through a special act of the state legislature. Young America Station became Norwood, the name of an early settler and friend of Slocum.
Slocum soon erected a large store building, grain elevator and building to house the Bank of Norwood. Slocum also was responsible for building the Methodist Church in 1876. In his spare time, Slocum served as postmaster for Norwood and Young America during his residence in the area, which ended in 1888 when he relocated to Minneapolis.
TWO BECOME ONE
In 1974 a referendum to merge the two cities passed in Norwood, but not in Young America. The issue came up again in 1976 but didn’ t gain enough support to bring it to the polls.
The effort to merge was resurrected in 1992 when the Norwood Young America Chamber of Commerce and the West Carver Partnership offered to fund a study on the merging of the two cities. Students from the University of Minnesota completed the study in 1993 and found that a merger would be of great benefit to both cities.
Starting in 1995, committees were established to begin the process of merging. In September, the city councils decided that a combined majority of votes between both cities would decide if the merger would pass, rather than counting votes separately in both Norwood and Young America.
The question passed with a vote of 604 to 307. During the following year, the Merger Commission met monthly in order to plan a smooth transition to one city for government employees and residents.
On New Year’ s Day of 1997, the two cities joined together to celebrate the birth of Norwood Young America with music, speakers, historic displays and fireworks.
NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA | COMMUNITY GUIDE 2025 | 11