BlockBefore

Richfield, Minnesota

26 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Richfield City. It lies in ZIP code area 55423. The Survey maps it on the Minneapolis South quadrangle. 36,994 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 840 feet above sea level.

Richfield within Hennepin County

On record in Richfield

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Population over time

3 figures

Richfield grew from 866 to 36,994 between 1860 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
1860866
201035,228
202036,994+1,766 (+5%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 26 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

63 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 63 fires within 5 miles of Richfield between 1998 and 2019, burning about 1,098 acres in total. None started naturally. 12 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Recreation and ceremony40
Arson/incendiarism12
Missing data/not specified/undetermined9
Debris and open burning1
Other causes1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
25 September 2008Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeBLACKDOG EAST
24 September 2000Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeBOARDWALK
26 August 2011Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeBASS PONDS 3
20 August 2008Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeIKES
17 August 2005Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeCLEVELAND
13 August 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeBLUE WATER
7 July 2013Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeCEDAR AVE 3
6 July 2006Arson/incendiarismunder an acreMinnesota Valley National Wildlife RefugeCEDAR PLANK

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Hennepin County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Richfield: 3 producers. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Edina PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Hedberg Pit & MillSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Mapco S and G PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Hennepin County

Storms near this place

49 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Richfield in 49 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 30 hail, 14 thunderstorm wind, 2 heavy rain, 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2009Tornado (EF0)Richfield$500,000A National Weather Service Storm Survey determined that an EF-0 Tornado tracked from near East 53rd Street and Park Avenue in South Minneapolis, to near the Convention Center in Downtown Minneapolis. Most of the damage was confined to large trees blown down, or damage to roofs and buildings/houses as the trees fell on the structures. Most of the eyewitnesses reported swirling above, and strong winds at the surface. At the widest and strongest portion of the tornado, wind speeds were estimated between 75 and 85 mph.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindRichfield$250,000Several trees were blown down or uprooted in Richfield. There was also significant tree damage in the Fort Snelling cemetery. At least 50 mature trees were damage or uprooted in the cemetery adjacent to the MSP airport.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindRichfield$1,000A large tree was uprooted in Richfield.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Measured by Hennepin County Meteorologist.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Measurement from state agency meteorologist's personal weather station.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Delayed report, time estimated from radar of 6 to 12 inch diameter branches down.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Measured by a meteorologist.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindRichfield-A large tree branch was down. A photo was provided.
August 2023HailRichfield-A picture was shared on NWS chat by an emergency manager of 2 inch hail.
August 2020HailRichfield-Trained spotters reported 1.00 to 1.25 inch hail from northern Richfield to the extreme eastern part of Bloomington, just south of MSP International Airport.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindRichfield-A few large tree limbs were blown down between 84th and 85th Street along Blaisdell Ave South in Bloomington.
May 2018Thunderstorm WindRichfield-A few large tree limbs were blown down near 40th Street and Nicollet, in South Minneapolis.
June 2014Flash FloodRichfield-Significant street flooding was reported by the public and law enforcement across the cities of Bloomington and Richfield as locally 4 to 6 inches of rain fell between 3 AM to 9 AM LST.
July 2013Heavy RainRichfield-A measured rainfall amount of 3.00 inches fell in less than 3 hours.
May 2013HailRichfield-Quarter size hail was reported at Highway 494, and Nicollet Avenue in Richfield.
August 2013HailRichfield-Golf ball size hail fell at the intersection of 76th and 11th Street in Richfield.
May 2011HailRichfield-Occurred near Interstate 35W and 54th St in South Minneapolis.
May 2011HailRichfield-Hail fell at 46th Street and Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis.
June 2010Flash FloodRichfield-Flood waters caused Nicollet Road South of American Blvd to close in Bloomington, Minnesota.
May 2008HailRichfield-Occurred at I-35W and 74th.
May 2008HailRichfield-Hail occurred at 35W and 74th.
May 2008Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Tree toppled at occurred at 35W and 74th.
September 2007Heavy RainRichfield-Heavy rain produced two feet of standing water at the intersection of 66th and Portland, where two cars were stranded.
July 2007HailRichfield-Hail decreased to nickel size at 1500 CST, then ended five minutes later.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Eight trees up to 12 inches in diameter and numerous branches were downed.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Branches up to 4 inches in diameter were downed.
June 2002HailRichfield-At Highway 62 and Interstate 35W.
June 2001Thunderstorm WindRichfield-About one dozen trees downed.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindRichfield-Trees blown down. Estimated windspeed.
July 1997HailRichfield-Hail reported at intersection of Interstate 35W and highway 62. Strong winds also knocked down numerous trees.
July 1997HailRichfield-Hail reported just west of MSP International Airport.
August 2023HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2022HailRichfield-no account filed
August 2020HailRichfield-no account filed
September 2020HailRichfield-no account filed
August 2013HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2012HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2012HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2012HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2012HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2011HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2011HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2011HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2011HailRichfield-no account filed
May 2010HailRichfield-no account filed
July 2008HailRichfield-no account filed
July 2008HailRichfield-no account filed
September 2007HailRichfield-no account filed
August 2007HailRichfield-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Hennepin County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Bloomington3.0 miles26
Edina3.6 miles26
Oxboro4.0 miles26
Atwood4.5 miles26
Calhoun Beach4.9 miles26
Saint Louis Park5.7 miles26
Kenwood Gables5.8 miles26
Minneapolis6.7 miles26

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on RichfieldAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q988916The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 650061. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.