10 Fun Facts about Roseville
Did You Know?
Roseville is home to over 36,000 peopleāa thriving community with a rich history. In no particular order, here are ten fun facts about Roseville, Minnesota:
The Roseville Oval and the Roseville Fire Station are powered by geothermal energy, a sustainable, green energy source. (Check out the details in this 2013 Finance & Commerce article
A Civil War horse is buried in Roselawn Cemetery. Don the War Horse died December 18, 1886 . His owner was Lieutenant Colonel William Raney Marshall. Marshall served with the 7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War and was the fifth governor of Minnesota. (Learn more in this August 2021 article in the Pioneer Press)
Roseville contains 32 parks, 679 acres of parkland and open space, and 67 miles of trails and walkways (Find out more about Roseville Parks here.)
A view from a path in Rosevilleās Central Park, overlooking Bennett Lake. Photo Ā©2024 by Naomi Krueger. Roseville was home to the first Barnes & Noble outside of New York City, the first Target store in the country, and the first Dairy Queen in Minnesota. (According to Wikipedia.)
Roseville will be among the first cities in Minnesota to have an electric fire truck. The City Council approved the purchase in early 2024 and the new fire engine will be ready for service in 2025. (Learn more here.)
Roseville is named after Isaac Rose, one of the first European farmers to settle in this area, after the Dakota were pushed off the land. When the federal government ordered a land survey in 1850, Isaac Rose became the surveyor and Rose Township was named after him. (Learn more at the Roseville Historical Society.)
The 45th Parallel runs through Roseville, just one block north of Roselawn Ave. The 45th Parallel is exactly halfway between the North Pole and the Equator. A monument to this fact sits just north of Loren Rd on the east side of Cleveland Ave N. (Learn more at the Minnesota Museum of the Mississippi website.)
The Ramsey County Library in Roseville is the largest library in the County. In 2022, patrons checked out over 1.6 million materials from this library. (See more data on library usage here)
HarMar Mall opened in 1961 and was named after the husband and wife team who built it: Harold and Marie Slawik. In 1970, HarMar was home to the largest cinema in Minnesota. In 1981, the mall was damaged by a large tornado. And an indie rock musician, Sean Tillmann the leader of Sean Na Na, derived his stage name from the mall: Har Mar Stuperstar. (Read all about HarMar Mall history here.)
Actor Richard Dean Anderson grew up in Roseville. He is best known for his role as Jeff Webber in General Hospital, for starring in the original MacGyver, and for starring as Jack OāNeill in Stargate, SG-1, in addition to several films. (Learn more about his life and work here.)
