Best Web Design in Shakopee, MN (2026)

Web Design for Shakopee, Minnesota

Shakopee is the county seat of Scott County, set on a bend of the south bank of the Minnesota River just southwest of Minneapolis. Named for Dakota Chief Shakopee II, it grew from a river-and-rail trading town into an industrial and entertainment powerhouse. Today it is home to Valleyfair amusement park, Canterbury Park racetrack, the nearby Mystic Lake Casino, and the world's largest single-site malting plant.

AppWT works with Shakopee, MN businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Shakopee

Also known as. Dakota name "Tinta Otonwe," meaning "village of the prairie". Named for Dakota Chief Shakopee II (Sakpe means "six"). Widely known as the Twin Cities' amusement and entertainment gateway, home of Valleyfair.

History. Chief Shakopee II of the Mdewakanton Dakota kept a village here, known in Dakota as Tinta Otonwe ("village of the prairie") Thomas A. Holmes established a trading post in 1851 and platted Shakopee Village in 1854, named for the chief The city incorporated in 1857, surrendered its charter in 1861 amid tensions surrounding the U.S.-Dakota War, then reincorporated in 1870 Shakopee grew as a commerce-exchange point between river and rail at Murphy's Landing The city was well known in the late 1800s for its lime and brick industries Its economy shifted with the 1960s development of Valley Green Industrial Park, the metro area's largest ready-to-occupy industrial park

Local economy. Top employers (2023) include Amazon (about 2,500), Valleyfair amusement park (about 1,721), Emerson Electric (about 1,563), School District 720 (about 1,315), and Cyberpower Systems (about 1,160) Rahr Malting Co., which came to Shakopee in the 1930s to be near barley growers, now runs the largest single-site malt production facility in the world The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community operates Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, one of the largest casinos in the Midwest and a major regional employer Canterbury Park brings horse racing and a card club to the local economy

Culture and community. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival, held near Shakopee, recreates a fictional 16th-century England-like kingdom and is one of the country's largest Shakopee Derby Days, the annual summer festival held the first full weekend in August, with a parade at Lions Park Valleyfair, the Upper Midwest's largest amusement park with 75+ rides, Soak City water park, and the fall Valleyscare event Mystic Lake Amphitheater, billed as Minnesota's largest outdoor music venue Downtown boutiques, an old-fashioned bakery, and biweekly summer classic car shows Notable people include Maurice Stans (19th U.S. Secretary of Commerce), Jack Bergman (congressman and retired Marine lieutenant general), and pro hockey player Amy Menke

What makes Shakopee distinct. Rahr Malting operates the world's largest single-site malting facility here, feeding the beer industry Shakopee is home to Minnesota's only women's prison, which opened in 1920 as the State Reformatory for Women The city gave up its charter entirely in 1861 during the Dakota War era, then re-incorporated nearly a decade later Derby Days was canceled in 2016 while police investigated the festival's finances The city is named for a Dakota chief whose name, Sakpe, literally means "six"

Shakopee Landmarks and Local Life

• Valleyfair amusement park
• Canterbury Park racetrack and card club
• The Landing - an 88-acre historic village on the Minnesota River portraying life from 1840 to 1890 (formerly Murphy's Landing)
• The Shakopee Historic District - with burial mounds built by prehistoric cultures 500 to 2,000 years ago
• Mystic Lake Casino Hotel - operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community minutes away in Prior Lake
• Scott County Historical Society Museum - featuring the historic 1908 Stans House