Minnetrista is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The name Minnetrista is said to owe its origin to the Dakota language, in which minne means "water" and trista means "crooked." The city is generally rural and still has material agricultural activity, involving corn, beans, hay and horses. It lacks an identifiable downtown, so the nearby city of Mound mostly fills that role, along with the city of Saint Bonifacius. The city can be described as on or near the boundary between the suburbs and rural areas and it faces pressures in favor and against development. Local politics often involve this issue. The population was 4,358 at the 2000 census. Crown College is located along the southern border of Minnetrista.