The city of Minnetonka is a suburban community located eight miles west of Minneapolis in Hennepin County. The city has a land area of 28 square miles, and its 2000 population of 51,301 makes it the thirteenth largest city in Minnesota. Minnetonka enjoys an excellent location, with convenient access to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area via interstate highways I-494 and I-394. Interstate Highway 394 runs from Minnetonka east to Minneapolis, and is a primary commuter route to downtown Minneapolis. Its reversible high-occupancy vehicle lanes create a priority route for buses and car-pool vehicles during peak traffic hours.