COMMUNITY GUIDE | 2023
NORWOOD YOUNG AMERICA
ROOTED IN SMALL TOWN VALUES
HISTORY / from Page 9
A merger of fate and future
pay a bonus to have the railroad tracks laid near town , so the rail line was run a mile to the south .
The original depot , which was built in 1872 , was called Young America Station . Sensing a business opportunity , Slocum and a number of other townspeople reestablished themselves near the station .
As time passed , it looked as though Young America might try to annex Young America Station , so those in the city that had developed around the depot had their town incorporated in 1874 through a special act of the state legislature . Young America Station became Norwood , the name of an early settler and friend of Slocum .
Slocum soon erected a large store building , grain elevator and building to house the Bank of Norwood . Slocum also was responsible for building the Methodist Church in 1876 . In his spare time , Slocum served as postmaster for Norwood and Young America during his residence in the area , which ended in 1888 when he relocated to Minneapolis .
TWO BECOME ONE
In 1974 a referendum to merge the two cities passed in Norwood , but not in Young America . The issue came up again in 1976 but didn ’ t gain enough support to bring it to the polls .
The effort to merge was resurrected in 1992 when the Norwood Young America Chamber of Commerce and the West Carver Partnership offered to fund a study on the merging of the two cities . Students from the University of Minnesota completed the study in 1993 and found that a merger would be of great benefit to both cities .
Starting in 1995 , committees were established to begin the process of merging . In September , the city councils decided that a combined majority of votes between both cities would decide if the merger would pass , rather than counting votes separately in both Norwood and Young America .
The question passed with a vote of 604 to 307 . During the following year , the Merger Commission met monthly in order to plan a smooth transition to one city for government employees and residents .
On New Year ’ s Day of 1997 , the two cities joined together to celebrate the birth of Norwood Young America with music , speakers , historic displays and fireworks .
Norwood Young America | Community Guide | 2023 | 11