Eden Prairie is an edge city 12 miles (22 km) southwest of downtown Minneapolis in Hennepin County and the 12th largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. As the seventh largest suburb, Eden Prairie and nearby suburbs form the southwest portion of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million residents. The U.S. Census Bureau recorded the city's population at 54,901 in 2000.

Composed of large lakes and ponds, the city has more than 170 miles (270 km) of multi-use trails, 2,250 acres (9 km²) of parks, and 1,300 acres (5 km²) of open space. Previously a bedroom suburb in the 1960s, the city is now home to more than 2,200 businesses and headquarters for Supervalu, ADC Telecommunications, MTS Systems Corporation and the Minnesota Vikings. Regionally known for Eden Prairie Center, it is also the hub for SouthWest Transit, serving public transportation to three adjacent suburbs. Eden Prairie was selected as the 10th best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006.

The name Eden Prairie is attributed to Elizabeth Fries Ellet, an East Coast writer who visited the area in 1852. In her travelogue book, Summer Rambles in the West. By Mrs. Ellet. she described the Minnesota River valley, which adjoins the current day City of Eden Prairie, as the garden spot of the territory.