Wayzata

The City of Wayzata is located 11 miles west of downtown Minneapolis nestled along the shores of picturesque Lake Minnetonka. Known as the "jewel of Lake Minnetonka", Wayzata is a smaller city, home to approximately 4,120 residents and is bordered by Orono to the west, Medina and Plymouth to the north, the city of Minnetonka to the east and Lake Minnetonka south.

 

Wayzata is easily accessible via US Highway 12/ Interstate 394 and MN Highway101, a north/south thoroughfare that passes through the city.

 

Nestled into the scenic shores of Wayzata Bay, Wayzata is one of the best places to see one of Minnesota's most popular lakes - Lake Minnetonka. At over 14,000 acres, Lake Minnetonka is made up of numerous bays, inlets and channels and features over 125 miles of shoreline. The lake is one of the most popular lakes in the region for boating, sailing, fishing and swimming. Wayzata Beach is one of the more popular beaches in the area and conveniently located in the heart of the city. While Lake Minnetonka is the main recreational amenity, The Luce Line State Trail is a 63 mile long former railroad that is used for biking, hiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and skiing. The limestone surfaced trail runs from Plymouth 30 miles west to Winsted with a parallel tread way for horseback riding.

 

Wayzata is known throughout the region for its shopping, entertainment and restaurants. Wayzata is home to more than 150 unique retail specialty shops, antique stores, children's stores, upscale boutiques, salons, fine jewelry, home furnishing stores and commercial businesses. The city features several popular restaurants, ranging from upscale elegant to casual, most notably, Sunsets and North Coast along the waterfront. Other dining establishments include Gianni's, Volany Bistro, Bluepoint, D'Amico & Sons, and Frankie's Pizza, Pasta & Ribs.

 

Bay Center is currently being developed on the eastern side of downtown Wayzata. This new pedestrian friendly development will feature a unique mix of retail and specialty shops, restaurants, office space, residential housing units and even a limited service hotel.

 

Several businesses call Wayzata home and the city's leading employers are the Wayzata Public Scholl System, Wayzata Auto Center, Coldwell/Burnett Realty, Wayzata Country Club, TCF Financial and Edina Realty.

 

Wayzata is served by the Wayzata Public School System (ranked 9 out of 10 by greatschools.org) which features seven elementary schools, three middle schools, and Wayzata High School, which was on the list of Newsweek Magazine's "List of the 1300 Top High Schools in America" in 2008. Additionally, four of the district's seven elementary schools have been named "Blue Ribbon Schools" by the U.S. Department of Education during the last three years.

 

Wayzata is a good mix between home owners and renters, with owner occupied homes making up 54% percent of all households in Wayzata with the remaining 46% of households classified as renters. Average median household income for Wayzata is $65,833 per household.