Did you know? Some interesting facts about Roseville, Minnesota
I love Super Target. It’s our family’s favorite store brand. I walk there daily over lunch. We shop there religiously. I was giddy when they announced their stores would open at 7 a.m. recently. “So what,” you ask?
Well, imagine my excitement when I learned that the first-ever Target (long before Super Target was a dream in a corporate executive’s brain) opened in Roseville, Minnesota. The Minnesota-based company actually opened its first Target in the city where we recently visited. Forget the Holy Grail! The store became my quest.
As we pulled into the parking lot, Lisa claims tears filled my eyes. Not true. Not true! I admit I was filled with joy in standing on the spot where the Dayton family said, “Let the bull’s eye be here” in 1962. I was a year-old when the first Target opened its doors. Wowza!
Today, it’s a Super Target. The original store was demolished and the Super Target took its place in 2005. A marker honors the original Target and all it did for the retail world. A side note: guess where the first Super Target opened. Guess. OK, I’ll tell you. It opened near 130th and West Maple Road in Omaha. It’s the Super Target I walk at over lunch. Oh yeah, baby! I saw the spot of the first Target AND I see the first Super Target every weekday. My life is goooooodd.
Roseville wasn’t content with just being the home of the first Target store. They had to be the site of the first-ever Best Buy store, another Minnesota-headquartered business. Oh, why we’re at it, toss in the first McDonald’s in Minnesota.
We learned a lot of interesting facts about Roseville from the Roseville Visitors Association. Did you know the first animal cemetery in Minnesota opened in Roseville in 1919?
Roseville loves its nature. The city has 28 parks with 44 miles of trails. The neat thing about Roseville parks is that no residence is more than ¼-mile from a park.
The hearty Minnesotans don’t back away from a little cold, either. The city is home to the world’s largest outdoor skating oval. The John Rose Oval has a refrigerated surface that is home to speed skating and outdoor hockey. We saw it prior to it being cold enough for frozen water. I can only imagine how neat it is to watch winter sports there.
Roseville was the filming location for a Coen Brothers (one of our favorite movie duos) film, “The Serious Man.” Hollywood also came calling for local Roseville residents Loni Anderson (“WKRP”), Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”) and Peter Krause (“SportsNight” and “Parenthood”).
Goldy the Gopher and his friends at the Rosedale Center can raise their Minnesota hats proudly at the indoor shopping center, combined with six other shopping centers, makes Roseville one of the busiest retail centers in the Upper Midwest.
When you visit Roseville, make sure you buy a lottery ticket (like we did). People have come to Roseville and left with millions of dollars…Roseville is home to the Minnesota state lottery office.
For more information on Roseville, its attractions and nearby attractions, please visit www.visitroseville.com.
