8500 Tower

Minicon is a science fiction and fantasy convention in Minneapolis usually held on Easter weekend. Started in 1968 and running approximately annually since then, it is one of the oldest science fiction conventions in the midwest United States. It is run by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, a non-profit organization that is "dedicated to furthering the appreciation of science fiction and fantasy literature". Minicon has had many guests of honor over the years, including Gordon R. Dickson, Poul Anderson, Clifford D. Simak, Lester del Rey, Frederik Pohl, Octavia E. Butler, Harlan Ellison, Larry Niven, and Terry Pratchett. Minicon should not be confused with MinnCon, a dark fantasy/horror convention founded in 1971 by fans living in St. Paul, Minnesota. MinnCon changed its name to Arcana in 1988 to avoid confusion but many area fans still refer to the convention by its older name. The term "minicon" is often used informally in science fiction circles for any small convention.

Hyland Hills Ski Area is a ski area in Bloomington, Minnesota, United States, just south of Minneapolis. It is owned and operated by Three Rivers Park District. As a popular destination located near the Mall of America, Hyland receives 160,000 visitors per year. While Minnesota's winters are cold, the average snowfall is low for a ski area (less than 60 in.), due to this, there is often use of Artificial snow to help maintain the viability of the slopes. In 2016 the chalet underwent a $13.3 million renovation that more than doubled the size of the previous. The new chalet is 36,000 square feet, and includes a gear shop, rentals, and a restaurant. The chalet is also open to hosting private events. Their rope tow, and terrain park are considered by many to be world-class.

Rasmussen University is a private for-profit university with multiple locations throughout the United States. It offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees as well as certificates and diplomas in career-focused areas at 23 campuses in Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, Florida, Wisconsin, and Kansas with many programs offered online.Presently, the school has more than 100,000 graduates.

Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) in Edina, Minnesota, United States, is a congregation within ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians with 5,388 members in 2012. CPC was founded in 1956. During Roger Anderson's ministry, the church began to grow rapidly. CPC became the largest Presbyterian congregation in the upper Midwest, and one of the largest Presbyterian churches in the nation, with membership passing 1,700. The former senior pastor, John Crosby, led CPC to be a congregation of over 5,000. In 2006, the church celebrated the 50th anniversary. The church was a leader in the movement to establish ECO as a breakaway movement from the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Braemar Golf Course is an 18-hole public golf course in Edina, Minnesota. The facility also has a driving range and a 9-hole par-3 course. The course is owned by the City of Edina, a first-ring suburban community of Minneapolis. Braemar was listed by Golf Digest as the number one public course in Minnesota in 1984, and has been ranked as one of the best public courses in the United States.In 1969, Braemar hosted the final edition of the Minnesota Golf Classic on the PGA Tour. In 1979, it hosted the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links.

Bush Lake is located in the southwest corner of the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, near its border with Eden Prairie in Hennepin County. It has an area of 172.2 acres (69.7 ha) and a maximum depth of 28.0 feet (8.5 m). The lake contains many fish, but primarily Bluegill, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Yellow Bullhead, Yellow Perch. The Lake is considered mesotrophic.Bush Lake is near Hyland Lake Park Reserve.

Valley View Middle School (formerly called Valley View Junior High School) is a three-year (grades 6-8), public middle school located in Edina, Minnesota, USA, a first ring suburb of Minneapolis. The school has a current enrollment of about 1,040 students. It, and its sister school South View Middle School, each take students from three of the six elementary schools of the Edina Public School System.

Centennial Lakes Park is a 24-acre (97,000 m2) park and man-made pond located in the southeast portion of Edina, Minnesota, United States. The park features more than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of paved pathways meandering around a 10-acre (40,000 m2) lake and interspersed with landscaped grounds, formal and informal seating areas, swinging benches and fountains. In addition, the park features a miniature golf course. There is a wide space for lawn bowling and paddleboats can be rented as well.

Wells Fargo Plaza is a high-rise office tower complex located at 7900 Xerxes Avenue in Bloomington, Minnesota in the United States. Standing at 300 feet with 24 stories of Class A rated office space, the main tower is considered one of the more dominant landmarks of Interstate 494. The tower connects to an auxiliary three story building through a central atrium. The tower was originally proposed in 1969 by the Rauenhorst Corporation. At the time, the plans included a revolving restaurant and a heliport. The Plaza was built in 1974. A turntable was installed for the revolving restaurant, but in 1977, the Rauenhorst Corporation converted the top floor into office space, as they could not find a restaurant tenant.It is currently the 56th tallest building in Minnesota, and was the tallest in Bloomington until 1988, when it was surpassed by the 8500 Tower. It earned a TOBY award in 2012 from the Building Owners and Managers Association of Minneapolis.After extensive renovations in 2010, the plaza was put up for sale in July 2015. DRA Advisors bought the property in November of that year, and currently owns the building through a joint fund with City Center Realty Partners.

United Christian Academy is a private, interdenominational Christian school for students in PreK through 12th grade. Founded in 2019, United Christian Academy was merged from Christian Life Academy of Farmington, Minnesota, Bethany Academy and Life Academy of Bloomington.United Christian Academy is currently located in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Normandale Community College is a public community college in Bloomington, Minnesota. The college serves primarily the communities of the southwestern portion of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. Established in 1968 as Normandale State Junior College with an initial enrollment of 1,358 students; today Normandale annually enrolls more than 14,000 students. Normandale is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

Edina High School is a four-year public high school located in Edina, Minnesota, United States, a suburb of Minneapolis. The current student population is 2,683. Edina High School was ranked as 486th best public high school in the United States according to U.S. News & World Report. Minnesota Department of Education certified Edina as a "Five Star School" and the U. S. Department of Education recognized it as a "National School of Excellence". Newsweek ranked the school #89 in their "List of the 1,200 Top High Schools in America", and the Grammy Foundation selected it as one of forty-two "Signature Schools" recognizing Edina's contributions to music education. Ninety-five percent of seniors go on to college and eighty-six percent finish in five years. 30% of Edina graduates responded in a recent survey that they conducted 10 years after graduation they had completed graduate school degrees or were pursuing graduate degrees.A second high school, Edina West High School, opened in fall 1972, next to Valley View Junior High School, and Edina High School was renamed Edina East High School. Due to declining student enrollment, the two schools combined eight years later. Edina East closed in spring 1981, and the building eventually became the Edina Community Center, the district administrative offices and Welcome Center, and the home of Normandale Elementary school, while Edina West became Edina High School.