New Hope, MN

History of New Hope

The city of New Hope was originally a farming community called Crystal Lake Township. After the city of Crystal was incorporated in 1936, the rural residents of the township’s western half seceded from Crystal to form their own township. These residents were mostly farmers who were opposed to paying taxes for developments such as street lighting and sewer systems. The farmers chose the name New Hope for their new township as a reflection of the time.

New Hope had three distinct boundaries to the north, south and west, which is currently distinguished by 62nd Avenue North, Medicine Lake Road, and Highway 169 respectively. However, the eastern boundary shared with the city of Crystal was not as distinctive. Several residents along the border joined forces and asked to be annexed by the city of Crystal in order to benefit from the most modern city services available at the time. Others were content to maintain their independence from Crystal and remain part of New Hope Township.

The early 1950s showed rapid development for New Hope. In 1953, the city chose the fate it had previously avoided and was incorporated as a city to prevent losing more residents and land through annexation by Crystal. The farming community of New Hope was once again opposed to the move, but housing developments built between 1936 and 1953 had reduced the farmers to a minority. Upon incorporation, the city only had 600 residents, but the population grew rapidly over the next few years, and by 1958 there were over 2,500 residents. This rapid growth continued throughout the 1960s, and by 1971, New Hope had 24,000 residents.