Hopkins

The Hopkins Raspberry Festival. Everyone in town will tell you it’s the big event. It’s been taking place for decades, and you can tell why. You can feel the excitement bubbling. You’ve stepped right into the heart of it. All around you, a symphony of music and laughter washes over the town. The aroma of fresh raspberries fills the air. It’s a taste of Americana. In the heart of Hopkins, Minnesota, the festival celebrates the town’s history and the delicious fruit that has become synonymous with it.
The festival is a celebration of Hopkins’ roots that began in 1887.  The Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, later known as Minneapolis Moline, was built then and brought in a flood of workers. The West Minneapolis Land Company was founded to build housing for the workers. But it wasn’t until 1893 that the town was officially incorporated. They named their new town West Minneapolis. It had only about 1,105 residents. Just a few decades later, the town renamed itself after Harley H. Hopkins, an early resident and postmaster. He’d allowed a train depot on his land, and it sported his town’s name, Hopkins. People kept calling it that, and the name stuck.
The festival was started in 1935 as a way to boost the town’s economy during the Great Depression. The date, July 21, was carefully chosen to coincide with the peak of the raspberry harvest. The event has become a vibrant, family-friendly celebration, featuring parades, sporting events, craft fairs, and of course, plenty of raspberries.
The Raspberry Festival is a perfect way to experience the charm of Hopkins. It’s a reminder that history can be sweet, and a chance to indulge in a little bit of the past. This is just one of the many reasons Hopkins is a great place to live.