The City of Richfield, Minnesota, population 36,557, is a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis and a historically residential community. The City benefits from its favorable location adjacent to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the cities of Minneapolis, Bloomington and Edina. Even lying as it does in the middle of an urban area, Richfield retains a small town flavor, hence our tag, “The Urban Hometown.”
Since 2000, the city’s population has shifted dramatically, becoming considerably more diverse. We have evolved from a predominantly white community to a community with a richness of many cultures and ethnicities, including Hispanic/Latino,African-American and Somali. Approximately 70% of Richfield Public School students are students of color, with more than 40 different languages spoken.
In 2017, the Richfield City Council and staff identified our City’s Core Values. These values guide the City, its staff, and members of the community. They include celebrating diversity and being equitable. We believe that our diverse culture is one of our greatest strengths and assets and we want to continue to strive to promote an environment of equity and inclusion.
The City of Richfield is in the beginning stages of our racial equity initiative. In 2018, we plan to be a part of the 2018 Racial Equity Cohort lead by GARE, in partnership with the League of Minnesota Cities. Through active participation in the cohort and engaging with the other member cities, we look forward to beginning our work on racial equity by learning, building capacity, developing a work plan that fits our organization and community, and laying the groundwork for its implementation.