Chanhassen, MN

Chanhassen is a city located in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 36,521 at the 2010 census. Chanhassen is the principal city of the Chanhassen–Richfield– Maple Grove Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a population of 201,724 as of 2010.

The area that now comprises Chanhassen was originally inhabited by the Dakota people. In 1851, Colonel Henry Hastings Sibley led an expedition to found a new fort on the banks of the Mississippi River and named it for his friend and former commander-in-chief General Winfield Scott. The town began to grow around this fort in 1853 with settlers coming from nearby Saint Paul and Minneapolis. A post office called Chanhassen has been in operation since 1858.

Chanhassen's economy has traditionally been based on agriculture and manufacturing; however, its recent growth has been based on services such as health care and technology companies. The city's largest employers are Mayo Clinic Health System (with 10,000 employees) and 3M Company (with 6500 employees). Other major employers include Abbott Laboratories (4200 employees), General Mills (4000 employees), Medtronic plc (3000 employees), Honeywell International Incorporated (2500 employees), Ecolab Incorporated (2000 employees) and Xcel Energy Incorporated (1500 employees).

Chanhassen is home to two colleges: Saint Mary's University of Minnesota and Concordia University Twin Cities. There are also several private schools in town including Blake School, Canterbury School and Lakeville South High School.