Minneapolis Southwest Community Highlights

The Southwest Community of Minneapolis consists of several neighborhoods loosely bordered on the north by 36th Street and on the east by Interstate 35W, with city limits serving as western and southern boundaries. 

Linden Hills – In the northwest corner of Southwest Minneapolis is the upscale, well-developed Linden Hills neighborhood.  Linden Hills is bound on the north by 36th Street West and Lake Calhoun, on the east by William Berry Drive and Lake Harriet, on the south by 47th Street West, and on the west by France Avenue.  Linden Hills is one of the larger neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The neighborhood was named after the linden trees and rolling hills that can be found in the area.

Linden Hills first was developed during the 1880s to lure homebuyers into leave downtown for homes on Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet. Since that time, most of the original cottages have been replaced by a number of home types, like ramblers, colonials, Tudors, and bungalows. The Lake Harriet-Como Streetcar line passes through the neighborhood between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun.

Often referred to as “a small town in the City,” Linden Hills has excellent housing opportunities, interesting boutique shops, unique restaurants, and a variety of parks with many amenities.  The Linden Hills shopping district can be found at 43rd & Upton, offering an eclectic mix of shopping and eating venues which can’t be found any where else. The Linden Hills Co-op offers grocery alternatives and Great Harvest Bread Company has been a landmark in the community for years.  Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun are an easy walk from nearly anywhere within the neighborhood. The lakes provide a variety of activities, like swimming, sailing, and walking or biking ride along paths that connect to the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway.

East Harriet – To the east of Linden Hills, one will find East Harriet.  The East Harriet neighborhood is bordered by 36th Street on the north, Lyndale Avenue to the east, 46th Street to the south, and Lake Harriet and Lakewood Cemetery make up the western border. This neighborhood was named after Lake Harriet, which in turn was named in 1819 after the wife of Fort Snelling builder Col. Henry Leavenworth. It is because of him that much of the East Harriet neighborhood of Minneapolis is open green space. King was instrumental in setting aside the swaths of acreage that now makes up the park lands encircling Lake Harriet. His summer home used to be on land which is now Lyndale Farmstead Park. The Lyndale Park Rose Garden and the Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary are also located in East Harriet. The Lyndale Park Rose Garden is the second oldest public rose garden in the U.S. Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary is a great place to see migratory birds. The parks, lakes and outdoor trails of the East Harriet neighborhood offer green spaces for young and old alike to enjoy.

East Harriet’s parks and close proximity to Uptown has made real estate in this neighborhood in high demand. Many houses here were constructed between 1900 and the 1930s, are two-stories tall, and set back from the streets. The homes in East Harriet are split pretty evenly when it comes to apartments and single-family homes. The housing is nearly equally divided between owner occupied homes and rental housing. Because of the diverse housing mixture, East Harriet has a diverse population as well, like college-age students, professionals, and first-time homeowners.

King Field – Further east from East Harriet on can find the active and busy King Field neighborhood of Southwest Minneapolis.  King Field, also sometimes spelled Kingfield, is bounded by 36th Street to the north, Interstate 35W to the east, 46th Street to the south, and Lyndale Avenue to the west. The neighborhood is named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The diverse neighborhood of King Field offers social and cultural activities that foster fun, education and understanding for all. The neighborhood is active and busy, with activities that include a weekly Farmers’ Market on Sunday and community gardens. Emergency and neighborhood redevelopment grants encourage property maintenance and upkeep. Martin Luther King Park offers a wading pool, tot lot, two softball and baseball fields, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts and a walking path that provides hiking, walking and jogging for the community.

King Field is mainly a residential area, with about 75% of its single-family houses having been built before 1920. KingField is served by three to four dozen small businesses that include a grocery store, cafes, restaurants and coffee shops. With a population of nearly 8,000, King Field is one of the larger neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The King Field neighborhood prides itself on its tight knit community and diverse population.

Tangletown – South of Kingfield and on the far eastern side of Southwest Minneapolis is the neighborhood of Tangletown. The neighborhood is bound on the north by 46th Street, on the east by Interstate 35W, on the south by 54th Street and Diamond Lake Road, and on the west by Lyndale Avenue South. Minnehaha Creek crosses the southern part of the neighborhood.

The name Tangletown refers to the neighborhoods street layout, which does not follow a traditional grid. The name was changed in 1996 from the original name of Fuller, which was named after its elementary school. The school was torn down and the land converted into Fuller Park in 1977. It is now a center of community life, offering many activities and featuring a flower garden.

The average single-family home in Tangletown is 65 to 80 years old. Many have updated utilities, a porch or deck, and basement. 

Lynnhurst – West of Tangletown, south of East Harriet, and on the southeastern shore of Lake Harriet is the neighborhood of Lynnhurst.  The Lynnhurst neighborhood is bounded by 46th Street to the north, Lyndale Avenue to the west, 54th Street to the south, and Penn Avenue to the west. Minnehaha Creek runs from north to southeast, bisecting the neighborhood. It gets its name from Lynnhurst Park, located at the intersection of West 50th Street and West Minnehaha Parkway.

The Lynnhurst area was fields and pastures until the 1890s when people began settling on the land. Because the streetcars didn’t quite come that far, growth was slow, but the area began to develop more quickly in the first decade of the twentieth century. Land north and east of Minnehaha Creek was mostly developed by 1925, with the areas south and west of the creek developing during the 1930s and 40s. 

Lynnhurst is comprised of mainly single family homes, many of which are in the arts and crafts and prairie styles. Many colonial, Tudor and romantic revival houses can be found here as well. Most are still in excellent condition. Some duplexes and small apartment houses can be found along Lyndale, Bryant and Penn Avenues South. Most of its housing stock built before 1940.

Beautiful old homes, independent shops, local restaurants and coffee houses create an atmosphere that is hard to find in the more urban areas of the Twin Cities. The Lynnhurst neighborhood has almost 100 unique businesses and restaurants. A new neighborhood school, beautiful parks and convenient location make Lynnhurst one of the most coveted addresses in the metro area.

Fulton – West of Lynnhurst and south of Linden hills is the largely residential neighborhood of Fulton.  The Fulton neighborhood is bound on the north by 47th Street West, on the east by Penn Avenue South, on the south by 54th Street West, and on the west by France Avenue South. The southwest shores of Lake Harriet peak into Fulton’s northeast corner. Minnehaha Creek runs through the southwest corner of Fulton as well. The neighborhood takes its name from Robert Fulton, the engineer and artist who invented the steamboat in the 19th century.

Fulton borders neighboring suburb Edina, one of the Twin Cities’ largest and most popular suburbs. Along the border between Minneapolis and Edina in the Fulton neighborhood is a wonderful commercial district. The intersection of 50th St & France Ave is home to many small upscale boutiques and restaurants. It has even been referred to as “Minnesota’s Rodeo Drive.”

Real estate in Fulton is in high demand. The neighborhood is largely residential, with most houses built here in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Many of the homes within this neighborhood have been built in the styles popular during those eras. However, the style, size, quality, and price of Fulton’s housing stock are constantly evolving. In recent years, this neighborhood has experienced a lot of replacement housing, tear downs and whole house renovations, causing some changes in the dynamics of the real estate market in Fulton.

Armatage – In the southwest corner of Minneapolis is the neighborhood of Armatage.  The Armatage neighborhood is bounded on the north by 54th Street West, on the east by Logan Avenue South, and on the south and west by the city limits at Highway 62 and Xerxes Avenue South. The Armatage Neighborhood was originally part of Richfield, but was annexed to Minneapolis in the mid-1920s.

 

The neighborhood grew around the Armatage Community School, which was built in 1952.  It was named after Maude Armatage, who worked tirelessly to improve the civic, cultural, leisure time, and educational life of the Armatage neighborhood. She served as a member of the Minneapolis Board of Park Commissioners for 30 years and helped to develop one of the best park systems in the country. She was a pioneer of women’s rights and loved children. The Armatage neighborhood has grown and developed in this direction, with a focus on education, culture, leisure, and children.

Armatage neighborhood contains mostly single-family housing with some multifamily buildings. A majority of housing here was built between 1949 and 1969. A small percentage of the homes in Armatage were built before World War II. There isn’t much of a commercial district in Armatage, and most of the retail space consists of individual stores. Most of Artmatage’s stores are located along Penn Avenue South.

Kenny – East of Armatage and south of Lynnhurst is the Kenny neighborhood. The boundaries of the Kenny neighborhood are West 54th Street to the north, Lyndale Avenue South and Highway 121 to the east, West 62nd Street (Highway 62) to the south, and the alley between Knox and Logan Avenues South to the west. The neighborhood, its park and its elementary school were named for Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian nurse who developed the Kenny method of treating polio.

The center of Kenny Neighborhood, originally a gravel pit, is now Kenny Park. It’s a great green space which offers neighborhood residents many opportunities for outdoor activities. Also on the old gravel site are Anthony Middle School and Kenny Elementary school. The hidden-jewel of the Kenny neighborhood is Grass Lake, a 27-acre wetland located on the Southern end of the neighborhood.

The Kenny Neighborhood is largely residential. Many of the available homes are single-family houses built in the 1940s or later. The homes are generally larger than the houses in adjacent neighborhoods like Armatage and Windom. Many of the older homes have been renovated and updated. The Kenny Neighborhood Association is actively involved in revitalizing the area, and their efforts have paid off considerably in raising home prices in the neighborhood.

Windom – Finally, located in the southeastern corner of the Southwest Community, south of Tangletown and east of Kenny is Windom.  The Windom neighborhood of Minneapolis is bordered by Lyndale Avenue South and Highway 121 to the west, Diamond Lake Road and West 54th Street to the north, Interstate 35W to the east, and Highway 62 to the south. This highway is also at the southern city limit. The neighborhood was named after William Windom, who was a U.S. Senator from Minnesota from 1859 to 1869. He was also appointed to U.S. Secretary of the Treasury by President James Garfield and served in the same position under and President Benjamin Harrison.

Approximately 15 per cent of the land of Windom is a sizeable industrial area, however the rest of the community is residential with a few businesses.  The rest of Windom is a quiet residential community, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Many Windom residents love this neighborhood for its location on the outskirts of Minneapolis and its somewhat rural feel.

Windom’s housing stock is made up mainly of ramblers and bungalows built between 1940 and 1960.  A variety of apartments, retail, commercial, and industrial properties can be found in Windom as well.  Half of the housing units in Windom are owner-occupied and the other half are renter-occupied. In 2000, 1,092 units were occupied by their owners and 1,066 were being rented.