The Source |Highway 5 in Minnesota Officially Renamed After Prince

In Minnesota, drivers now have the opportunity to travel on a road that has been named in honor of the late artist Prince. The highway, which spans a distance of seven miles, serves as a tribute to the musician in his home state.

Minnesota Highway 5 has been renamed the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway. This particular stretch of road goes past Prince’s Paisley Park residence and recording studio, located near Minneapolis, and passes through the regions of Chanhassen and Eden Prairie in Minnesota. Following the support of the Chanhassen City Council for a citizen action request to rename the road in fall 2023, District 47 Sen. Julia Coleman (R-Chanhassen) and District 47B Rep. Greg Boe (R-Chanhassen) created legislation to allow the Minnesota Department of Transportation to use the seven miles between Interstate 494 and Galpin Drive to honor the late musical icon.

The Senate voted on renaming the highway, and the majority of senators (55 out of 60) favored the proposal. Later on, the House of Representatives also voted in favor of the bill (HF 717), which proposed the renaming of the highway, and it was passed without any opposition on April 21, 2023.

The initial request for renaming the run of seven miles was submitted by Prince’s long-term friend and Paisley Park security guard Mark Webster in tandem with Chanhassen resident Bob Fminn. The supporting petition received nearly 3,400 signatures.

At the event on Tuesday (May 9), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attended to sign the bill making the renaming of the roadway official. Walz used purple ink in the signing. Joining Walz at the ceremony was Prince’s sister Sharon Nelson, Prince’s attorney and friend, L. Londell McMillan, Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Representative Lucy Rehm, Senator Julia E. Coleman, and more.

“Thank you to all those who made the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway a reality,” said L. Londell McMillan, Prince’s longtime friend and attorney, manager of Prince Legacy, LLC and owner of The Source, in a statement. “It’s a brilliant combination of public policy mixed with Prince’s purple magic. Prince was loyal to Minnesota and he brought international attention and a legendary funk music sound to this state. Drive on out to Paisley Park, check the purple signs, and join us for more celebration June 8 through 11, as we celebrate Prince.”

Celebration 2023 is headed to Paisley Park this June, marked for June 8-11; a tribute to Prince and his legacy will take over Minneapolis, MN. The Celebration will mark one of the most impactful cultural icons and his legacy through Celebration, an annual festival of live music, experimental programming, and commemorating Prince. This edition of Celebration follows the initial Celebration of June 2000, also held at Paisley Park. The event aligned with Prince’s birthday and was also a toast to the expiration of his publishing contract with Warner Bros. At the Celebration, Prince held a highly-publicized press conference announcing that he would be moving back to the utilization of his birth name, Prince.

The event aligned with Prince’s birthday and was also a toast to the expiration of his publishing contract with Warner Bros. At the Celebration, Prince held a highly-publicized press conference announcing that he would be moving back to the utilization of his birth name, Prince.

For more information, you can visit PaisleyPark.com/celebration2023.