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

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.

Follow our footsteps by accessing the Hiawatha route on MapMyWalk.com.

You can take this walk by accessing Hiawatha part two on MapMyWalk.com. 

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

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.  

To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit Cooper on MapMyWalk.com.

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

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. 

To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit North Loop on MapMyWalk.com.

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

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.

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.

To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit Waite Park with AJ on MapMyWalk.com.

To access the map and walk this route yourself, visit Waite Park with Shelley on MapMyWalk.com.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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

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!).