The Purple Road: Minnesota Names Highway After Native Son Prince

Prince’s wide-reaching legacy is now cemented in the very roads of his home state of Minnesota. On Tuesday, Governor Tim Walz signed bill HF 717 at Prince’s Paisley Park home designating a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen and Eden Prairie as the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway, which will feature purple road signs in honor of the iconic artist.

Prince Rogers Nelson was born on June 7, 1958 in Minneapolis, where he grew up. Even after becoming a superstar in the late 1970/’80s with hits like “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” “Controversy,” “1999” and “Purple Rain,” Prince remained fiercely loyal to his home state of Minnesota. Prince’s 1985 album Around The World In A Day contained a song called “Paisley Park” and the LP was released on Prince’s new label, Paisley Park Records. In 1987, Prince realized the dream of Paisley Park by building his beloved home/studio of the same name in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Prince died tragically at Paisley Park on April 21, 2016. Seven years later to the day, the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway bill passed. Joining Governor Walz at Paisley Park to sign the bill were Prince’s sister Sharon Nelson, Prince’s longtime attorney and friend Londell McMillan and lead community supporters of the bill Sam Cook and Mark Webster as well as Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, Representative Lucy Rehm and Senator Julia E. Coleman.

More Prince celebrations are planned at Paisley Park, now a museum, for June — as Londell McMillan noted in a statement:

“Thank you to all those who made the “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway” a reality. 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 8th through 11th, as we Celebrate Prince.”

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