MINNEAPOLIS 81
  • About
  • Neighborhood Tour Recaps
  • Media

Hiawatha Neighborhood Tour

7/31/2011

9 Comments

 
Picture

Neighborhood Profile

Picture
The Hiawatha neighborhood is located along the southeastern border of Minneapolis and is part of the Longfellow community. The neighborhood is named for its elementary school, Hiawatha. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the American poet born in 1807, made the names Hiawatha and Minnehaha famous in his poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The neighborhood extends from 40th Street on the north to 54th Street East on the south, and from the Mississippi River on the east to Hiawatha Avenue on the west and south. The light-rail transit line runs along Hiawatha Avenue, connecting downtown Minneapolis to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America in Bloomington. Minnehaha Avenue runs parallel to Hiawatha Avenue and clusters mixed and commercial uses, unlike the rest of the neighborhood with its mainly single-family houses. One-third of the neighborhood's area is open land: parks, including Minnehaha Park, and the Mississippi River's Lock and Dam Number 1.


Source: City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Profile

Tour Guides

Picture
L to R: Dean, Tricia and Brian, Minneapolis, MN.
Brian (@emoeby) has lived in the Hiawatha neighborhood for 10 years, He and his wife, Tricia started in a home on 46th Avenue and then moved so they could have more room to start a family. Brian and Tricia love the neighborhood so much that when they were house hunting, the never looked outside of the Longfellow Community. They have a son, Dean, who at the time of our tours was learning to walk. 

I was happy to have met Tricia and Dean but my main tour guide was Brian. He works as a Systems Analyst from home, a perk he enjoys as it keeps him in his community. In fact, on our second tour, I met him at Peace Coffee in the Longfellow neighborhood just to the north of his home. Brian's main interests are baseball, craft beer, scenic drives, BBQ, and learning about Minneapolis/MN history. He combines those interests on his personal blog, which he's had for more than 10 years, East-Lake Tumblr. He also contributes to a collaborative Twins blog.

Tour Routes

Picture
Our first walk was taken on July 10, 2011.
Follow our footsteps by accessing the Hiawatha route on MapMyWalk.com.
Picture
Our second walk was taken on July 27, 2011.
You can take this walk by accessing Hiawatha part two on MapMyWalk.com. 

Read More
9 Comments

Cooper Neighborhood Tour

7/25/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture

The Cooper neighborhood is located in southeastern Minneapolis. It extends from 38th Avenue South in the west to the Mississippi River in the east and northeast. From north to south, Cooper extends from the 27th street railroad tracks to 34th Street East. The neighborhood's name is derived from an elementary school named after James Fenimore Cooper, an American novelist born in 1789. A mainly residential neighborhood, Cooper's most important commercial corridor is Lake Street. Parks cover the banks of the Mississippi River.


Source: City of Minneapolis profile page

Tour Guides

Picture
Juston Elston and Lucy Reile.
Justin and Lucy were Cooper residents at the time when I started Minneapolis 81. They lived in a beautiful duplex which will be featured on the tour, but, they are now proud homeowners in the Minnehaha neighborhood!

Lucy works at the University of Minnesota in the College of Design as a career professional.  Justin just graduated from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and is now job searching and working for a landscaping company.  Justin and Lucy love to try new restaurants especially hidden gems around Minneapolis and St. Paul.  

Tour Route

Picture
Cooper tour started and ended at the Longfellow Grill.
To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit Cooper on MapMyWalk.com.

Read More
1 Comment

North Loop Neighborhood Tour

7/17/2011

3 Comments

 
Picture

Neighborhood Profile

Picture
North Loop neighborhood makes the northern part of the loop that encircles Minneapolis' downtown. The neighborhood extends from Plymouth Avenue on the north to Interstate 394, which makes the southern boundary. The western boundary is Interstate 94. The boundary continues along 12th Street North to Third Avenue North, then to Washington Avenue, and Hennepin Avenue. The Mississippi River is the northeastern boundary.

The neighborhood grew very fast in the last few years, as industrial buildings and old warehouses were converted for residential and commercial uses. This transformation was followed by new residential construction. The North Loop, which used to be industrial land, is now a vibrant residential neighborhood, very conveniently located near the downtown core.


Source: City of Minneapolis neighborhood profile

Tour Guides

Picture
Dave Lewis and Jan Elftmann with Emma. Minneapolis, MN.
I met Jan Elftmann at the Linden Hills Festival after I spent about 15 minutes admiring her art car. Jan is an Artist, ArtCar artist, Director of the ArtCar + ArtBike's of Minnesota, Curator of 801 Art Gallery, Educator of Art, Science and Engineering and a foodie! 

As Director of Art Cars of Minnesota her work involves directing, curating, producing, organizing, promoting, writing grants, and participating in the yearly activities of the ArtCars, including the ArtCar Parade cruise, with her ArtCars, the Cork Truck (needs a new engine and new tires) and the Holey Circle. As you can imagine, much has been written about Jan and her art cars and the article Holey ArtCars! by Norma Smith Olson is a great account of Jan's work in art and science within in the community and in schools. 

Jan's husband, Dave Lewis, is a fabulous, passionate cook, drummer and Art Buyer at Fallon, an advertising agency in Minneapolis. 

Tour Route

Picture
Walk through North Loop neighborhood. Minneapolis, MN.
To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit North Loop on MapMyWalk.com.

Read More
3 Comments

Waite Park

7/13/2011

6 Comments

 
Picture

Neighborhood Profile

Picture

Waite Park neighborhood, in the city's northeast corner, is bound on the north by 37th Avenue Northeast, on the east by Stinson Boulevard, on the south by Saint Anthony Parkway and on the west by Central Avenue Northeast. The neighborhood is named for Edward Foote Waite, judge of the District Court of Hennepin County from 1911 to 1941. In 1887, the city incorporated most of the land in the neighborhood. By that time the railroad had built a large repair facility, the Shoreham Yards. The facility is still in use, but the land it's on is expected to be redeveloped. Waite Park is a mainly residential neighborhood.

Source: City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Profile

Tour Guides

Picture
AJ Hokland in front of her favorite tree.
AJ Hokland has lived in Waite Park for more than 17 years. She is the sole proprietor of a custom sewing business, Heart Held Designs, and works from home.  She also works occasionally as a wedding coordinator.  She spends a lot of her free time biking and going to see local rock bands.  This year, she and her kids are adding a rain garden to their front yard - lots of digging in the dirt.
Picture
Shelley Leeson on her front steps.
Shelley has lived in Waite Park since 2003 and Northeast since 1995 (Audubon Park previously. 
Shelley has three businesses (pet professional; Dog Beds for Less - Eco-friendly Pet Products; Shelley Sews), and is founder of theNortheast Neighbors & Business Association and its subsidiaries. To relax, she likes to ride bike, walk around the Columbia Golf Course and occasionally do some treasure hunting/metal detecting.

The Tour Routes

Picture
Tour route with AJ on Tuesday, 7/5/2011.
To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit Waite Park with AJ on MapMyWalk.com.
Picture
Tour route with Shelley on Saturday, 7/9/2011.
To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit Waite Park with Shelley on MapMyWalk.com.

Read More
6 Comments

Near North: Historic Old Highland Architecture Tour

7/9/2011

0 Comments

 
Note: This focuses on parts of a historic architectural tour organized by Preserve Minneapolis with the help of people who have lived in this part of Minneapolis for decades. While it gives you a feel for a wonderful community within Minneapolis, it does not represent the entire Near North neighborhood. My tour guide, Anne, knows a great deal about greater Near North and gave me an excellent overview by car due to time constraints. I will return for a walking tour to capture and experience the vibrant businesses, organizations, parks and citizens.  If you know someone who can speak to the rich culture of this neighborhood and would be willing to be featured on this blog, please encourage them to fill out the tour guide form!
Picture

Neighborhood Profile

Picture
Old Highland, a section of the Near North neighborhood.
A section of the Near North neighborhood, Old Highland encompasses over 30 square blocks.  The outer limits are defined by Plymouth Avenue, West Broadway, Aldrich avenue and Girard Avenue. The Old Highland Neighborhood Association was founded in 1974 and focuses on historic preservation of homes and buildings, commercial revitalization, neighborhood beautification, community building, and crime reduction.

Sources: Old Highland Neighborhood Association website and Facebook page.

Tour Guides

Picture
Anne and Lucien in their backyard. Minneapolis, MN.
Anne and her husband, Jeremy, have lived in their Old Highland home since August 2005. They welcomed their son, Lucien, in April 2010, and are expecting their second child in January 2012. Anne works with GIS (geographic information system) at Historical Information Gatherers, Inc. and Jeremy recently started a personal training business, Range of Motion Wellness.
Picture
L to R: Angie Nelson, Tammy Lindberg, and Brian Bushay.
Committed residents, otherwise known as Old Highlanders, gathered to practice for the Historic Old Highland Walking Tour on Saturday, July 16 at 10:00 AM. For more information and to register, visit the Preserve Minneapolis website. Angie Nelson's late husband, Charlie, founded the Old Highland Neighborhood Association to preserve the many large, historic homes of the area. Tammy Lindberg is an honorary Old Highlander as she was an intern in 2010 helping the neighborhood with research and documentation for Placeography and is currently an employee of Preserve Minneapolis. Brian Bushay is a long-time resident and carpenter who has had a hand in restoring many of the neighborhood's homes.

The Tour Route

Picture
We started at the Church of the Ascension and ended near Anne's home.

Read More
0 Comments

McKinley Neighborhood Tour

7/5/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture
McKinley Community.

Neighborhood Profile

Picture

McKinley neighborhood on Minneapolis' north side is bound on the north by Dowling Avenue North, on the south by Lowry Avenue North, on the west by Dupont Avenue North and on the east by the Mississippi River. The neighborhood and its elementary school are named for William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States. In 1996, with approval of the City Council, McKinley neighborhood annexed the North River Industrial Area. This area is located along the river and extends to Interstate 94. Many of the homes are two-story, single-family homes with wood frames; bungalows and some small stucco Tudors. Most of the houses were built between 1910 and 1930.



Source: City of Minneapolis Profile

Tour Guides

Picture
Jen and daughter, Eliza.
Jen N. and her spouse, Jane M. have lived in McKinley since 2003. They are proud parents of Eliza. They also both happen to be in the ministry. Our tour guide Jen, is a pastor at Salem Lutheran in south Minneapolis. When she is not pastoring, she likes to walk, eat, hike, camp, travel, and interact with people.  This summer she has a 6 week sabbatical and will be doing some work for a Lutheran retreat center in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state (Holden Village), a remote location that is difficult to access.  She's excited about the time out there (and is out there as I write this blog post!).  

The Tour Route

Picture
Map of our neighborhood tour through McKinley.

Read More
0 Comments

    Neighborhoods

    All
    Armatage
    Audubon Park
    Bancroft
    Cedar-Riverside
    Cooper
    Corcoran
    East Harriet
    Elliot Park
    Hiawatha
    Kingfield
    Linden Hills
    Loring Park
    Mckinley
    Minnehaha
    Near North: Old Highland
    North Loop
    Northrop
    Powderhorn Park
    Seward
    Sheridan
    St. Anthony East
    Victory
    Waite Park
    Willard Hay - Homewood

    Archives

    April 2012
    February 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011

  • About
  • Neighborhood Tour Recaps
  • Media