Barker and Hedges Real Estate BlogRecently posted or modified blog posts by tag - Northernhttps://www.barkerhedges.com/blog/Copyright BarkerHedges.com2013-07-10T09:22:11-07:00tag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2360Greening Minnesota ~ August 2011There are some great green initiatives and events happening in Minnesota, contributing towards a cleaner environment for residents. Read
about how local communities are working towards creating a more
environmentally-friendly world. There are more entries than usual this month! Prodded by a homeowner whose prairie plantings were mowed against his will, the city of Minneapolis has come up with a plan to let lawns go natural. Some suburbs have already taken the step of allowing natural plantings in place of grass, accepting their environmental benefits over the objections of some neighbors who think they look unkempt. The proposal defines the new type of landscaping as an intentional planting of native or non-native grasses, wildflowers, ferns, shrubs, trees or forbs. They're allowed to exceed the city's normal nuisance ordinance threshold of 8 inches in height, or grass that has gone or is about to go to seed. They can't include noxious weeds and have to be maintained to avoid "unintended vegetation." Unkempt turf lawns are specifically prohibited.Organizers of the Visa Gymnastics Championships, held earlier this month in St. Paul, teamed up with Xcel Energy Center officials to exclusively power Xcel, RiverCentre and Roy Wilkins Auditorium with wind energy for four days and go paperless at what President Steve Penny called USA Gymnastics' greenest event ever.The sustainability plan also included composting in Xcel Center lobbies. Instead of paper-based programs and bio packets, the revamped USA Gymnastics mobile site fed live scoring to smartphones, tablets and LED screens. Xcel Center has already emerged as one of the country's greenest arenas. Its "50-50 in 2" program, aimed at cutting trash and increasing recycling, has reduced trash by 1.2 million pounds and raised recycling rates from 15% to more than 50% by increasing the number of recycling and composting bins.Prodded by Hennepin County to boost its lagging recycling rate, north Minneapolis's Willard Hay and south Minneapolis's East Calhoun neighborhoods will get new carts that allow residents to toss all of their recyclable trash in one bin. Among cities in Hennepin, Minneapolis is the only one that won't pick up recycling unless the cans, glass, plastic, newspapers, cardboard, mixed paper and magazines are separated. The "seven-sort" method produces cleaner waste, but it also puts more of the burden on residents to think before they recycle. City and county leaders believe a test of the new recycling carts will help answer the question about whether it's the sorting or some other factor that hampers Minneapolis's recycling.Once a tiny jewel in the Minneapolis chain of lakes, Spring Lake has been squeezed by development, is surrounded by invasive species and pollutions has contributed toward its thick layer of chartreuse algae. But now the Spring Lake is now home to seven little floating islands built and launched to undo what humans have done to it. Made from recycled plastic bottles and planted with wildflowers, reeds and grasses, the floating islands act like wetlands on steroids, offering habitat for birds and butterflies, and below that they have habitat for fish. Thousands of such islands float on lakes, bays, treatment ponds and rivers from China to Montana, and many environmental experts say they are excited by their potential.A former lumberyard purchased for a future riverfront park contains lead, arsenic, mercury, petroleum and other hazardous compounds in its soil that will cost more than $1 million to clean up. The 11.3-acre parcel, along the Mississippi River north of the Plymouth Avenue Bridge, is seen as a key piece of a long-range plan by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to dramatically reshape the mostly industrial corridor north of downtown into recreational green space. The Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative, working with community groups to develop riverfront plans, calls the property a vital "entry point to the trail and park system for kayaks, bikes, skiers and runners," and a "significant urban hub."Unemployed veterans, workers with the soon-to-be shuttered Ford plant in Highland Park and out-of-work St. Paul residents will be targeted to receive "green jobs" skill training so they are qualified to work cleaning up one of St. Paul's many industrial brownfields. The two-year, $300,000 grant to train 90 workers comes courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The grant is one of 21 such job-training grants worth $6.2 million awarded nationally this year. The training prepares people to reduce environmental contamination. Those unemployed workers who receive training will become environmental field technicians and hazardous-waste-excavation workers. Their training will consist of six three-week sessions, with courses on hazardous materials management, energy management and reducing environmental releases and emissions. Other classes cover asbestos cleanup and hazardous waste excavation.The city of St. Paul's Public Pools Green Initiative was one of three environmental projects receiving a Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention. The initiative uses a species of sphagnum moss to reduce chemical use in public swimming pools. Gov. Mark Dayton highlighted the projects at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Eco Experience building during the opening day of the Minnesota State Fair. Other recipients include a partnership by Fairview Health Services and other nonprofits that has recycled more than 45 tons of "blue wrap," which covers operating-room supplies during sterilization, and a partnership that expects to recycle more than 150,000 tons of old roofing shingles into asphalt paving each year. The annual awards, which trumpet environmental efforts by businesses, nonprofits, governmental agencies and other institutions, have been given out since 1991.Xcel Energy workers will spend the next two months stringing high-voltage transmission line between 157 poles that were installed on 28-miles between Monticello and St. Cloud last year. But instead of the homeowner equivalent of going up and down the ladder and moving it around to string outdoor holiday lights, Xcel has gone airborne to get it done faster and more efficiently. It's the utility's first new major power line in three decades and the first of three segments that will be built along 231 miles between Monticello and Fargo by mid-2015. The new power line is needed to strengthen the grid and increase reliability. Demand for electricity is growing, especially in the St. Cloud, Alexandria and Fargo areas. And much of future power, will come from renewable sources like wind, which are abundant on the western side of the state of transmission lines that can accomodate the voltage don't reach that far - yet.This year at the Minnesota State Fair, there's something new at the Eco Experience: the Green Crossing, an intersection showcasing four concepts in green building. At Green Crossing, you can tour the Passive House, find ideas for "greening up" an existing home at the Common Cottage and the Tech Tower, and learn how to make life more sustainable at the Community Center. The Green Crossing on Randall Avenue will be open during the fair's entire run, through Sept. 5.Taking a step toward choosing more foods from local sources couldn't be easier or more delicious than right now. Lately the corn has been so good. As part of a healthful diet that is loaded with a wide variety of colorful vegetables, corn is a delicious addition to celebrate the height of summer flavors. To find the best sweet corn from a local stand or at the farmer’s market, ask the farmer when it was picked - you'll ideally want corn that was harvested within the past 24 hours for maximum sweetness and tender kernels. Local foods are fresher, having traveled fewer distances to arrive on our tables, have higher nutrient values having spent less time in transit, they come from local growers who live and work in our economic region and contribute to the health of our communities, and most of all - they taste better.Speaking of local foods, two Burnsville community gardens are growing vegetables and greens that are unknown to most Americans. The community gardening initiative, launched on the grounds of International Outreach Church in Burnsville, is also growing comradery as well. Hundreds of garden plots are available each year, and many of them were scooped up by immigrants from around the world. Russian, Hmong, Latino and African families, many of whom left gardens behind when they came to the United States, work the land side by side. The program has has since spread to another garden at the city's Wolk Park.A 70-acre undeveloped parcel of land with stunning vistas, hardwoods and grasslands in southern Maplewood will stay that way permanently now that the city has teamed up with a national nonprofit land conservation group to buy the site. According to a purchase agreement approved by the Maplewood City Council, the Conservation Fund will pay Lakeland Construction Finance of Eagan $1.9 million for land abutting the Fish Creek Natural Greenway. The tract is bordered by Interstate 494 on the east, Carver Avenue on the north and connected to open land owned by Ramsey County on the west and south. The Maryland-based nonprofit will hold the land for two years while the city raises enough money to pay for the property. Maplewood will keep 50 acres as park land, and plans to sell the northern-most 20 acres sometime in the future to help cover the acquisition cost.If
you know about green initiatives and other environmentally-conscious
programs and events occurring in the Twin Cities or Minnesota, please
leave a comment and let us know for September's Greening Minnesota issue!Related Links<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/blog/greening-minnesota-july-2011.html" target="_blank">Greening Minnesota ~ July 2011</a><a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/blog/greening-minnesota-may-june-2011.html" target="_blank">Greening Minnesota ~ May / June 2011</a><a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/blog/greening-minnesota-april-2011.html" target="_blank">Greening Minnesota ~ April 2011</a>2011-08-28T17:24:00-07:002013-07-08T07:52:00-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2298Trulia Says Cheaper to Buy Than Rent in MinneapolisIs it cheaper to <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/why-rent-buy-for-zero-down/">buy a home</a> than it is to rent a home? In some cities, renting is more expensive than buying! Trulia.com recently released its new Buy vs. Rent index, ranking the top 10 cities in the United States where buying a home makes most financial sense. Minneapolis (and by close relation St. Paul and most of the metro area) has landed on that list. Though <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">Minneapolis </a>didn't see the same huge spike in real estate prices that other communities experienced during the housing boom, once prices started dropping, home ownership became really cheap. In Minneapolis, the average listing price for a home placed on the real estate market is $153,844. A 30-year fixed rate mortgage for that amount locked in at the rate of 4.638% APR would result in a monthly payment of approximately $768. The average monthly price for renting a home in Minneapolis is $1,700. Other cities where it is cheaper to buy than rent include Miami, Fresno, Phoenix, El Paso, and Las Vegas. Curiously, Minneapolis is the only northern city which landed on this list, while quite a few landed on the list where it's much cheaper to rent than buy. Cities where it is cheaper to rent include Portland, Seattle, Omaha, Cleveland, and New York.Ultimately, the decision to buy or rent is up to an individual or family's financial situation. Though homeownership enables people to build equity over the long term, the costs of paying for a home go beyond the monthly mortgage payment. Though no equity is built by renting, sometimes personal lifestyles may make renting a better choice.Considering buying a first home? Contact the <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/first-time-home-buyers/" target="_blank">Twin Cities Realtors</a> at Barker & Hedges o see how they can help you determine if buying a home is the right step for you!2010-07-04T18:16:00-07:002013-07-10T00:43:32-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2291What’s in a Name? Carolyn Capalbo KnowsNorth Virginia real estate professional Carolyn Capalbo's phone has been ringing off the hook. Sounds like a REALTOR's dream, right? Unfortunately, this experience has been nothing short of a nightmare.North Virginia real estate agent <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=8940554505355784811" target="_blank">Carolyn Capalbo</a> had been working to build a reputation as a leader within the real estate industry. Through determination, persistence, and moxie, she positioned herself as one of the best real estate agents in the region. For her effort, she gained prominence within the local community and online. And then all of her hard work was thwarted due to a simple case of mistaken identity. In real estate, your name is your brand, your reputation. It's what people recognize. The success of a REALTOR is often defined by whether or not people know your name. What happens when someone with the same name is associated with something scandalous? In 2008 New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was forced to resign from office due to his association with high end escorts and prostitutes. The escort at the center of this scandal is Playboy cover girl Ashley Alexandra Dupre. And her mother's name is Carolyn Capalbo. Now, when a potential client performs a Google search for Carolyn Capalbo, instead of seeing the upstanding achievements of our heroine REALTOR, a wash of scandalous information appears on the screen. Real estate agent Carolyn Capalbo is not the mother of escort Ashley Alexandra. That's hard to distinguish, though, when scanning the online search results. The differences could hardly be greater between Realtor Carolyn Capalbo and her scandalous counterpart. Though she does have a daughter, she is 16, not 22, and her name is not Ashley. Her family resides in Manassas, Virginia, far from where her namesake doppelganger was last reported as living: Wall Township, New Jersey. Carolyn Capalbo is a top producing Northern Virginia REALTOR with Keller Williams Realty and a member of Northern Virginia Association of Realtors' Multi-Million Dollar Sales Club. She recently earned the Certified Distressed Property Expert designation, which gives her insight into foreclosure avoidance and short sales. She is in no way involved in a sex related press scandal. Carolyn Capalbo's effort to reclaim her online reputation has not gone unheard in the real estate industry. To help her out, REALTORS and real estate agents are collectively trying to help Carolyn regain her standing as a conscientious and involved member of the business community in terms of Google's search results. Rather than allowing the scandalous stories gain prominence over her livelihood, real estate agents and other helpful citizens are uniting to help restore her honor. If you are looking for an agent to assist you with buying or selling your Northern Virginia home, contact Carolyn Capalbo at 703.477.6022 or visit her at: <a href="http://www.just4real.com/">http://www.Just4Real.com</a> If you would like to also support this effort, please post on your blog or create your own <a href="http://www.carolyn-capalbo.com/" target="_blank">Carolyn Capalbo</a> tribute site. Help Carolyn Capalbo regain her online reputation! 2010-06-06T14:29:00-07:002013-07-09T01:51:17-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2287Minnesota's 10 Most Endangered Historic PlacesSt. Paul-based nonprofit Preservation Alliance of Minnesota will soon formally announced the buildings and sites on this year’s “10 Most Endangered Historic Places” list. Although the official announcement of the list isn’t until later this week, this year’s list surfaced early in the June issue of Minnesota Monthly.<br /><br />Three of the listed sites are in the Twin Cities area: The Samuel J. Hewson House and the Wesley United Methodist Church in Minneapolis, and the Dairy Queen located at 1720 Lexington Avenue N. in Roseville.<br /><br />The rest of the buildings and sites on Minnesota's “10 Most Endangered Historic Places” for 2010:<br /> <br />• Great Northern Railway Depot, Princeton<br />• Dodd Ford Bridge, Amboy<br />• Jackson County Resource Center, Jackson<br />• Southeast St. Cloud Neighborhood, St. Cloud<br />• Todd County Courthouse, Long Prairie<br />• Garrison Concourse, Garrison<br />• Bessesen Building, Albert Lea2010-05-18T21:56:00-07:002013-07-09T01:07:30-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2284Greening Minnesota ~ April 2010This is the Land of 10,000 Lake and millions of trees. We take our environment seriously. Read on to learn about environmentally friendly news that happened recently around the Twin Cities and Minnesota!Anoka County Highway Department is working on ways to get fewer people driving on Highway 65 in Blaine. The county has received a $7 million Congestion Mitigation Air Quality grant from the Federal Highway Administration to improve mass transit on the corridor. With $1.5 million in matching money, the county has issued a request for proposals for consultants to help create a plan to ferry nine busloads of commuters from Blaine's northern edge into downtown Minneapolis and back.Also in Anoka County, employees may have saved a few jobs by saving energy (and money). First, lights were dimmed. Utility costs at the government center were reduced by $58,000 in 2009. In 2010, the county is expected to save more than $65,000. Next, Facilities Management and Construction team is changing the heating and cooling set-points in county building from 70/73 to 68/74. That means the heat will kick in at 68 degrees rather than 70 in the winter and the cooling system will trigger on at 74 degrees rather than 73 during the summer. Each degree of change will result in a 3% savings to the annual utilities budget of $720,000. The facilities management and construction team also has turned off most of the government center's lobby lights. The idea is to use natural daylight for lobby activities.Mulroy’s Body Shop at the corner of 39th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Southwest Minneapolis has the largest array of solar panels in the Twin Cities, generating 30% of the building’s power. The installation of the shop’s 174-panel, 40-kilowatt system was completed in early April as part of a project run by South Minneapolis-based Solarflow Energy. The company offers solar electricity leasing. The company is under contract with Xcel Energy for the project, which involves installing solar panels on 20 residential and five commercial properties in the metro. It is partially funded through an Xcel Energy Renewable Development Fund grant.Heartland restaurant will relocate from its Mac-Groveland location to the St. Paul Farmers Market. chef/co-owner Lenny Russo will be taking over much of the first two floors of the Market House at 289 E. 5th St. The menu will feature foods from the farmers' market and the restaurant will bring a watch-them-work butcher shop that will specialize in house-made charcuterie. Shoppers will be able to purchase locally raised foods, along with prepared products and grab-and-go lunch items produced in the Heartland kitchens.St. Paul officials recently awarded 10 recipients the annual Sustainable St. Paul awards recognizing innovative conservation initiatives. You can read about the recipients here. Saint Paul is a national leader in sustainable, urban living through acting locally to help reverse the negative effects of climate change. The City has implemented the Sustainable St. Paul initiative to focus development of a more natural, more urban, and more connected Saint Paul.Minneapolis-based Target is installing permanent recycling stations to its 1,740 stores in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The program allows shoppers to drop off traditionally recyclable items such as glass, plastic and aluminum, as well as items like cell phones, MP3 players and ink cartridges. Drop-off bins are in the front of each store.By the end of 2010, Brooklyn Center-based Caribou Coffee Co. will become the first U.S. coffee chain to commit to buying 100% of its coffee from growers that use sustainable farming practices developed by the Rainforest Alliance. Caribou currently buys about 80% of its coffee from farms certified by the alliance. The Rainforest Alliance is a non-profit group which works with farms that adhere to sustainable agriculture. The Rainforest Alliance uses 150 different criteria in certifying various agricultural and forest operations for sustainable practices, including soil conversation, minimizing waste and water use, protecting wildlife, curtailing chemical use and improving economic and social conditions for farm workers.2010-04-30T17:06:00-07:002013-07-09T12:49:29-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2250Doomsnow or Snowmagedon? Regardless, It's HereWill it be a white-out Christmas? If you've been paying any attention, you know that a snowstorm threatens to turn last-minute shopping and holiday travel into possibly dangerous tasks. The forecast indicates there could be the deepest Christmas snows on record across Minnesota and parts ot the midwest, with the storm already well started as I write this and expected to linger well into Saturday.The storm is capable of dropping 16 to 22 inches from Iowa to the Arrowhead. The heaviest snow is predicted for central and northern Minnesota. The snow will likely be heavy and wet, so be careful as there will probably be a lot of ice on the roads. Wind gusts could exceed 20 mph.Will it really be Snowmagedon? Will the Doomsnow hit us as hard as they say? Time will tell, but the weather forecast guarantees that snow emergencies will be declared in Minneapolis and St. Paul over the holiday weekend. That will require most cars parked on streets to be moved at least once or be towed away at significant owner expense. Though we have information readily available for <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/blog/minneapolis-snow-emergency-information/" target="_blank">Minneapolis </a>and <a href="http://www.saint-paul-real-estate.com/blog/saint-paul-snow-emergency-information/" target="_blank">Saint Paul</a> snow emergencies, residents of other cities will have to look up snow emergency rules for their specific community. No one wants to spend Christmas cash on getting a car out of the impound lot!Keep warm, travel safely, and have a happy holiday!2009-12-23T21:13:00-07:002013-07-06T13:39:34-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2211Photo Friday - Fall Colors Along the Mississippi RiverIt has been cold. It has even been snowy. And not only did we get a crummy summer, we've almost been gypped out of fall, too. <img src="https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/4000206172_b8a7dde783.jpg" height="332" width="500" />But there have still some great autum colors in the trees, even if they are a little harder to spot around the <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/twin-cities-real-estate/">Twin Cities</a> right now. <img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3439/4000201778_fe0fcb39e6.jpg" height="332" width="500" /><br />These pictures were taken along the Mississippi River in northern <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/" target="_blank">Minneapolis</a>. Or was it <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/saint-paul-real-estate/" target="_blank">St. Paul</a>? Actually I was standing on the bridge in between, so... take your pick! <img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3450/3999446129_e361d7322c.jpg" /><br /><br />There is still some time to see great color like this. The Minnesota DNR Fall Color Report map can give you a pretty good idea of where you can expect to see some nice fall colors. 2009-10-16T20:10:00-07:002013-07-09T03:36:53-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2196Photo Friday - Minnesota's Lake MinnetonkaLake Minnetonka is a 14,528-acre lake in Minnesota, located west-southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The lake is an irregular shape with many bays and islands, giving it about 125 miles of shoreline. The lake has been a resort destination throughout its recorded history. Some of the cities that surround <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/lake-minnetonka-real-estate/">Lake Minnetonka</a> include <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/st-bonifacious-real-estate/">St. Bonifacus</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minnetrista-real-estate/">Minnetrista</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/mound-real-estate/">Mound</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/spring-park-real-estate/">Spring Park</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minnetonka-real-estate/">Minnetonka</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/long-lake-real-estate/">Long Lake</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/wayzata-real-estate/">Wayzata</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/woodland-real-estate/">Woodland</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/deephaven-real-estate/">Deephaven</a>, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/shorewood-real-estate/">Shorewood</a>, and <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/excelsior-real-estate/">Excelsior</a>.<img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/3932640749_e46662c026.jpg" height="332" width="500" /> The first known people of European descent known to have visited the lake were two teenaged boys from Fort St. Anthony, later renamed Fort Snelling. Seventeen-year-olds Joe Brown and Will Snelling found the lake in 1822 when they paddled up Minnehaha Creek.<br /><br />Minnesota's territorial governor Alexander Ramsey gave the lake its name in 1852. American Indians in the area referred to it as minn-ni-tanka, which means “big water.” The first settlements were constructed around it the same year. The first hotel was built in 1853. <img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f2/TCRT_Trolley_Boat.jpg" height="332" width="500" /><br />In 1905, Twin City Rapid Transit first connected streetcar lines to the lake, which brought many more visitors. Soon steamboats that looked like streetcars, called Express Boats, were launched. The boats fell into disuse and were scuttled in the lake's deep water in 1926.For a time though, seven boats brought arriving streetcar passengers to over twenty different endpoints on the lake. One destination for the Express Boats was the Big Island Amusement Park. In its heyday, it was about the same size as Valleyfair, but it didn't have nearly the staying power as it lasted only about five years before it was shut down. Excelsior Amusement Park was a greater success on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, with seasonal operations running from 1925 through 1973. Crane Island was organized as a summer cottage retreat in 1907. A number of lots on the shores of the island and dedicated a commons area in the center of the island were plated. The island is now a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. <img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3933421696_a92d80759f.jpg" />
<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/lake-minnetonka-real-estate/">Lake Minnetonka</a> has remained a fairly popular destination, with tourist boats still operating in the warmer months. One of the old streetcar boats that had been scuttled in 1926, the Minnehaha, has even been raised and restored. And its even making trips to Big Island, which has been converted into a public park. Lake Minnetonka is popular for lake cruises and sailing. <img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3473/3932638289_a2e6afee77.jpg" />And of course, Lake Minnetonka is a popular fishing location with game species that include yellow perch, sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, and muskies. This spot in Wayzaya MN is popular for fishing from the shore. 2009-09-18T21:58:00-07:002013-07-10T07:11:24-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2143Photo Friday - Southeast Steam PlantThe Southeast Steam Plant, also known as the Twin City Rapid Transit Company Steam Power Plant, is a combined heat and power plant located on the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. It is owned by the University of Minnesota. Constructed in 1903 to provide electricity for the Twin City Rapid Transit street railway system, it supported the area's major form of public transportation for 50 years until Minneapolis converted entirely to buses in 1954. In the early 1950s, Northern States Power Company, which is now Xcel Energy, acquired the building and in 1976 the university purchased the plant.
<img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3540/3429701721_27384899a7.jpg?v=0" />
The university closed the Southeast plant to gut and rebuild the interior, and in 2000, reopened it and closed down its old coal-burning power plant. Completed in 2005, exterior rehabilitation won a local historic preservation award. Now it is among the cleanest burning power plants in the country, as the high temperature fires almost completely consume its fuels—natural gas, coal and wood waste. The plant has tested and been approved for oat hull biofuel, a renewable resource that would reduce each student's fees.
The Southeast Steam Plant heats 94 of the university's <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">Minneapolis </a>campus buildings — nearly all of them! It also cools 19 of those buildings and provides steam to the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Minnesota State Board of Health and Cedar Riverside People's Center. The plant's steam is transported through an 18 mile network of tunnels to the campus buildings and would be enough to heat 55,000 homes. Additionally, as the steam escapes, the pressure powers the plant and provides 20% of the university's electricity.2009-05-01T00:12:00-07:002013-07-08T19:12:00-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2129Photo Friday - Stone Arch BridgeIt's Friday, and I've decided that Friday's are going to be fun and photography related. Last week I showcased some fun photoblogs. Today, I'm going to showcase some of our own pictures from around the <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/twin-cities-real-estate/">Twin Cities community</a>.
<img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3579/3430513942_40ecd526da.jpg?v=0" alt="Stone Arch Bridge" height="332" width="500" />
The first post is going to be about the Stone Arch Bridge. The Stone Arch Bridge crosses the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls, between the 3rd Avenue Bridge and the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridgein <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-central-community/">downtown Minneapolis</a>, Minnesota. It was built originally in 1883 by railroad tycoon James J. Hill to be railroad bridge for his Great Northern Railway. There was also a passenger station on the west bank of the river.
<img src="https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3645/3430510318_1d265892e8.jpg?v=0" alt="Stone Arch Bridge" height="332" width="500" />
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 as a part of the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District. The bridge ceased to be used as a railroad bridge in 1978 (or 1965? I found two different dates for this) and fell into a period of disuse. It was repaired and adapted in the early 1990s to be a pedestrian bridge, which is its present use. As part of the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Trail, the bridge is very popular with walkers and bikers.2009-04-10T18:23:00-07:002013-07-09T07:13:16-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2089Minneapolis Near North Community HighlightsThe <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-near-north-community/">Near North Community</a> can be found on the north and west side of Minneapolis. It is bordered to the south by Bassett’s creek, to the west by Penn Avenue, to the north by Lowry Avenue North, and to the east by I-94, Lyndale Avenue North and the Mississippi River. Contained within it are six smaller neighborhoods.
<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-hawthorne/">Hawthorne</a> - The Hawthorne neighborhood is in the northeast corner of the Near North community in Minneapolis. The neighborhood is bounded by the Mississippi River on the east and Emerson Avenue on the west; Broadway Avenue is the southern extent and Lowry Avenue is the neighborhood’s northern boundary. The Hawthorne neighborhood is named after the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, born in 1804.
The Hawthorne neighborhood is also the home of Farview Park, the oldest park of Minneapolis, the Nellie Stone Johnson School, and the Orvin Olson Park near the Mississippi River.
Home to nearly 6,000 residents, Hawthorne is nearly twice the size of most other Minneapolis neighborhoods. Hawthorne is mostly residential, with many single-family houses. There are some multi-family dwellings available.
<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-jordan/">Jordan</a> – West of Hawthorne is where one can find the Jordan neighborhood. Jordan is bound on the north by Lowry Avenue North, on the east by Emerson Avenue North, on the south and west by West Broadway Avenue. It gets its name from a neighborhood junior high school, which was built in 1922 and named after Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Emeritus Charles Morison Jordan.
Jordan is mainly a residential neighborhood. Home prices in the Jordan area are well below the Minneapolis median price for single and multi family homes. Jordan homes are about evenly divided between rental and owner occupied housing. With a population of nearly 10,000, Jordan is one of the city's largest active neighborhoods and is represented by the Jordan Area Community Council.
<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-willard-hay/">Willard - Hay</a> – West of Jordan and all along most of the western edge of the Near North community is Willard-Hay. The Willard-Hay neighborhood is south of West Broadway Avenue and stretches from Penn Avenue to Xerxes Avenue. It gets its name from two elementary schools within its borders: Francis Willard, which was named after an American educator, author and reformer born in 1859, and John Hay, named after an American diplomat and author born in 1839.
This neighborhood is mainly a residential area and includes Willard-Homewood, which was built in the first quarter of the 20th century and is one of Minneapolis' first planned developments.
<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-harrison/">Harrison</a> – At the far south and along the southern border of the Near North community is the Harrison neighborhood. It is bound on the north by Highway 55 (Olson Memorial Highway), on the east by Interstate 94 and Lyndale Avenue North, on the south by Bassett’s Creek and on the west by Theodore Wirth Park. It is named for Harrison Elementary School, which in turn was named after William Henry Harrison – the ninth president of the United States.
Parcels of industrial land occupy the neighborhood east of Cedar Lake Road, while the western part is mainly residential. Housing in the Harrison neighborhood is affordable for both renters and owners. The neighborhood is home to Bassett's Creek Park and Theodore Wirth Park, both of which offer many recreational activities and opportunities.
<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-near-north/">Near - North</a> – Taking up most of the center of this community is the Near North neighborhood of Minneapolis. It stretches from the Mississippi River on the east to Penn, Knox, James and Irving avenues on the west, and from West Broadway Avenue on the north to Olson Memorial Highway and 11th Avenue North on the south. The Near North neighborhood is located in the northwest portion of the City of Minneapolis and north of downtown, hence its name.
With approximately six thousand residents, Near North is a neighborhood which is home to proportionately more families than most other Minneapolis neighborhoods.
Near North is home to several historical landmarks, including the Sumner Community Library, which opened in 1915. The library is built in the Tudor Revival style and is named for U.S. Senator Charles Sumner. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and registered with the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission. The library celebrated a grand reopening in January 2005 after a two-year renovation project.
Most of the Near North area was developed in the late nineteenth century. The architecture in the neighborhood reflects the styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are also several industries located along the banks of the river.
Sumner-Glenwood - Sumner-Glenwood is tiny sixth neighborhood in the Near North community of Minneapolis. It is roughly contained by 15 city blocks bordered to the north by 11th Avenue N., to the south by Glenwood Avenue, to the east by I-94, and to the west by both Girard Terrace and Emerson Avenue N.
The Sumner Field Homes, constructed in 1938, were the first federally subsidized homes in Minnesota. The homes were demolished in 1998. Plans are in place to rebuild the area, re-incorporating it into surrounding street grids. Buildings following the "New Urbanism" style will mix of affordable and market rate units, and will replace the old project housing. The new development is named Heritage Park, and it is possible the name of Sumner-Glenwood will be replaced by that name.
Browse other communities for <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">homes in Minneapolis</a>.2009-01-24T17:00:00-07:002013-07-06T12:00:40-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2062Departed Duluth, Boarding St. Paul, Next Stop ChicagoAmtrak ridership in Minnesota is up. The Empire Builder, which runs from Chicago, northwest to <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/saint-paul-real-estate/">Saint Paul</a>, and then west through North Dakota and Montana into Washington and Oregon, gained about 10% more riders in the 2008 fiscal year, which ended in September. At its largest stop in Minnesota, <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/hamline-midway-real-estate/">St. Paul's Midway</a> station, 147,791 people boarded or departed Amtrak trains in 2008, about 14,700 more than in 2007. At that record pace, a high-speed train service between Saint Paul and Chicago may be in the cards. In addition, a Northern Lights Express line between Duluth and Minneapolis is moving forward.Now on a sixth straight year of ridership growth, added services fill on the Empire Builder line fill up fast. It’s proof that people are using it. Proponents of the trains believe that if they can be faster and more efficient, even more people will choose to ride the rails as well.
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Overall, Amtrak gained nearly 2 million new passengers in the fiscal year. The high cost of gas is believed to be a major contributor to the influx of new rail travelers. Amtrak and other rail services’ sudden popularity has gained the attention of the federal government, even. President Bush recently signed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, legislation that provides $14.9 billion for Amtrak and passenger-rail funding over the next five years. That almost doubles current spending levels.
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One major feature of the legislation matches grants for state rail service, opening up a whole new horizon for passenger trains in Minnesota. A train traveling at the envisioned 110 miles per hour would make the trip from St. Paul to Chicago less than six hours. Officials in Rochester and Olmsted County would also be interested in linking to the proposed high-speed line as well. Add in the service expected to run the 150-mile trip from Minneapolis to Duluth, called the Northern Lights Express, projected to open in 2012. The proposed line would use existing rails to make their way up north.
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Furthermore, Amtrak is also studying a possible revival of the North Coast Hiawatha train, which from 1971 through 1979 brought riders through Minnesota, into central North Dakota and then on to southern Montana. The additional services would make stations would give more people the option to ride instead of drive. Think of how connected Minnesota would be and how easy it would be to get to our major cities.2008-12-10T21:43:00-07:002013-07-07T19:58:02-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2053A Boon to Twin Cities Arts GroupsWe love our arts here in the <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/twin-cities-real-estate/">Twin Cities</a>. As it turns out, people and organizations outside of the metro do, too! Eight Twin Cities arts organizations will share $5.3 million in grants from the New York-based Wallace Foundation. The money is intended to build audiences and spur student participation. In addition, the foundation will give $1.6 million to Arts Midwest and the Minnesota Community Foundation over four years to create a learning network to available to all Twin Cities arts organizations. A grand total of $6.9 million, it is the largest single-year commitment Wallace has made to local arts organizations.
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Six groups will receive grants of $750,000 over four years. They are MacPhail Center for Music, Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Ordway Center and the MIA. Northern Clay Center will get $500,000, and Mixed Blood Theatre won $300,000.
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In a separate announcement, the Wallace Foundation will bestow a $750,000 grant to <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">Minneapolis </a>public schools to strengthen arts education.
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Historically, the Wallace Foundation has provided significant funding for Twin Cities arts groups. The Walker received $2 million in 2006 and $1.25 million in 1994. The Children's Theatre Company, the Guthrie, the Loft Literary Center and Mixed Blood all have received Wallace money in the past.
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Read the full article posted in the Pioneer Press to find out how each arts organization is going to use their gift.2008-11-16T19:52:00-07:002013-07-09T19:39:57-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2039The Emerald Ash Borer ThreatThe Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is encouraging residents to take precautions against the spread of Emerald Ash Borer. If you haven’t heard about this pest yet, the Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic beetle that attacks only ash trees. The insect has already killed over 40 million ash trees across the country. A considerable amount of damaged has occurred in southeast Michigan. If allowed to spread, its effects could be similar to that of the chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease that devastated trees during the 20th Century.
The Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and probably arrived in the U.S. on solid wood packing material carried in cargo ships or airplanes originating in its native Asia. The Emerald Ash Borer was found in Ohio in 2003, northern Indiana in 2004, northern Illinois in 2006, and Wisconsin in 2008. It has also been found in parts of Canada, particularly, Windsor, Ontario.
Slowly, the Emerald Ash Borer creeps closer to Minnesota. The bad news is that it can be spread from region to region somewhat easily. Something as simple as firewood being transferred from a campsite can be a carrier of a creature that could destroy Minneapolis’ urban forest. More bad news is that there is no known way to cure the disease. The good news is that the spread of Emerald Ash Borer can be delayed or minimized with assistance from people like you.
If you’ve lived in the state for a day, you know what is at stake here. Minnesota has the potential to lose 867 million trees because it has one of the nation’s highest volumes of forestland ash on public property. In <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">Minneapolis </a>alone, 200,000 ash trees make up 20% of all trees on public and private land within the city.
The Emerald Ash Borer kills trees over a period of one to four years. The adult beetles cause little damage as they nibble on leaves. It’s the larvae, the insect’s immature stage, that cause the real damage. They feed on the inner bark of ash trees, disrupting its ability to transport water and nutrients up the trunk (think of how hard it is to sip through a straw with a hole in it!). This can cause the tree’s canopy to thin considerably, with many of its branches dying over a short time.
The Emerald Ash Borer adults can’t fly far, so the most likely way that EAB will reach Minnesota is by people moving ash logs, ash firewood or infested ash trees from nurseries. To help slow the spread of EAB Sievert recommends:
• Buying or harvesting your wood near the area where you are going to burn it. If you are buying firewood, ask where it came from. Avoid moving firewood from its area of origination. Especially avoid bringing wood into Minnesota from out of state. In Minneapolis, firewood dealers are required to be licensed by the City, so ask firewood peddlers for their City license.
• Watching ash trees carefully for tree canopy thinning or small “D” shaped exit holes left in the bark by Emerald Ash Borers. The earlier they are found, the sooner they can be addressed.
• If there is any suspicion that a tree is infested with Emerald Ash Borer, residents can contact the MPRB at 612-370-4900, or the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s "Arrest the Pest" Hotline at 651-201-6684; 1-888-545-6684 for Greater Minnesota.
Learn more about Minneapolis’ urban forest.2008-10-26T18:36:00-07:002013-07-06T14:10:07-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2032Saint Paul’s Como Park Neighborhood HighlightsLocated in the northwestern area of the City of St. Paul, the neighborhood known as Como Park is bordered on the north by Hoyt Avenue and Larpenteur Avenue, on the east by Dale Street, on the south by the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks and Maryland Avenue, and on the west by Snelling Avenue. This beautiful neighborhood is a primarily residential and recreational area. With Como Lake at its heart, its wonderful parks, and of course, the Como Park Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is known as Saint Paul's Garden District.
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Como Park was originally settled as farmland in the middle of the 1800's. Como Lake was named in 1848 and was incorporated into the city of Saint Paul in 1854. Real estate developer Henry McKenty, thinking that the Como Park area would be the perfect place for a resort, began construction on Como Road beginning in 1868. Though his real estate dreams were never realized, Como Road is still part of today’s Como Avenue, a major street running through the neighborhood.
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Because of its beautiful views and lakeside location, 256 acres of land on the west side of Lake Como were bought by the City of St. Paul in 1873. Twenty years later in 1893, the electric street car was introduced to Lake Como, which allowed St. Paul residents to travel the 3 miles to Como Lake Park in just 30 minutes. Shortly thereafter in 1897, the Como Zoo was built. This was followed with the Como Lakeside Pavilion, which was constructed between the years of 1905 to 1906. Finally, the Como Park Conservatory was built in 1915. Just as these significant structures were popular when they were first built, they continue to this day to be centerpieces of the neighborhood’s recreational venues.
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And what popular venues there are! Did you know that Como Park is the most widely used park within the Twin Cities metro area? Admittance to the Como Park Zoo is free. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, formerly the Como Park Conservatory, is the largest indoor, glass garden in the region. The Como Lakeside Pavilion is the site of live entertainment every week throughout the warm summer months. Black Bear Crossings, which can be found inside the Pavilion, serves sandwiches, desserts, coffee, and other café fare. The park also is home to miles of popular biking, walking and running trails.
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This is the neighborhood for you if you are a fan of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. The State Fair Grounds border Como Park on the west side. Most people know that the Minnesota State Fair takes place every year in August, but its not as widely known that the fair grounds are used throughout the year for technology fairs, antique sales, car shows, horse shows, and more.
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Como Park residents have access to St. Paul public schools. Chelsea Heights and Como Elementary are neighborhood elementary schools. Como Junior and Senior High are also within the Como Park area.
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There are a variety of Como Park homes, town houses, and condos from which home buyers could choose. Though there are no homes actually built on edge of the lake, many houses in Como Park have spectacular views of the Como Lake. About one-third of the single-family houses in Como Park were constructed after World War II. Though craftsman bungalows and ramblers are popular throughout the neighborhood, some 19th century Victorian’s here. There are also some newly constructed homes to be found in the neighborhood.
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The median home price of the area is a little above the Saint Paul real estate average. This is because homes next to the Como Park have appreciated in value significantly over the last few years. The median sales price of a single family home, townhome, or condos in Como Park during 2005 was $218,000. Recently, it was reported that the average price of a home sold in Como Park during September of 2008 was $201,134. For the year to date, homes have been selling Como Park for an average price of $208,089. That means that you’re certain to find a nice single family home a few blocks from Como Park for under $200,000.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/como-park-real-estate/">Homes in Saint Paul’s Como Park neighborhood</a>
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More <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/saint-paul-real-estate/">St. Paul Real Estate</a> Listings2008-10-15T15:25:00-07:002013-07-04T16:50:02-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:2017New Dog Park in the Twin CitiesSouth St. Paul opened its first off-leach dog park last month. The 6.3 acre site along the Mississippi River used to be a demolition landfill. The dog park is the first in northern Dakota County.
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The park itself is part of <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/south-st-paul-real-estate/">South St. Paul</a>'s long-term plan to transform the former 87-acre Port Crosby industrial landfill into a recreational area which has been named Kaposia Landing. The city purchased the former landfill for $1 million in 1999 and secured $4.5 million from the Legislature between 2004 and 2006 to prepare the area. Cleanup involved clearing trees and brush and then covering all 70 acres with 526,000 cubic yards of fill dirt.
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As a result, the park is wide open and ideal for dogs that need to run. The park is enclosed by a 4-foot fence and has two shelters and two disposal stations for dog waste. Another $6 million would be needed to carry out South St. Paul's long-term vision for Kaposia Landing, which include plans for ball fields, volleyball and bocce ball courts, an outdoor performing arts area, picnic areas and river overlooks
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The City of South St. Paul is asking dog owners to buy a $20 annual membership that will go toward maintenance and help officials compile a database of dog owners. Eventually, the database could be used as a way to notify owners of news and events at the park.
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The <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/twin-cities-real-estate/">Twin Cities</a> is generally a very dog friendly area. The City of St. Paul has one dog park. Minneapolis has seven, including one that opened a few weeks ago in downtown. However, dog owners would like to see more. Since they are relatively new, it will take some time for them to be built. But all that is changing. In 2006, there were about 700 dog parks in the U.S.; now there are close to 3,000. During August alone, 98 dog parks opened or were approved to be built.2008-09-18T17:07:00-07:002013-07-10T09:06:18-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1994New Arrivals at Local ZoosLooking for something to do this weekend? Head to one or both of the Twin Cities zoos!
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Three fisher kits born at the Minnesota Zoo are now on exhibit. The species resembles weasels and is found in Alaska, Canada and the northern lower 48 states. At one time, it was nearly extinct because of trapping and logging practices, but now they are doing well in mixed wooded and heavily forested areas.
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The zoo in Apple Valley is one of just four nationally accredited zoos in the country to exhibit fisher kits and the only one to rear a brood in the past three years.
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Born March 23, the two male and one female kits had been kept in an off-exhibit holding area with their mother as a health precaution. They are doing well and have started exploring their exhibit.
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Fishers are known for their tree-climbing, hunting and agility. Solitary creatures, they are constantly on the move. They are dark brown in color, good swimmers and like to travel close to the water. Fishers primarily eat small mammals and are one of the few animals that eat porcupine.
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A litter of kits, usually one to five in number, is usually born in March or April after a gestation period of 352 days.
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But that’s not all! The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory and Como Zoo in Saint Paul also has a new arrival. A Chilean flamingo is the first flamingo in the zoo’s history to have a baby chick. Como has been exhibiting flamingos since the late 1960s. The tiny bird hatched from its egg last week in the Zoo's Bird Yard.
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Due to their uncommon breeding practices, many zoos have failed to produce flamingo chicks. But with better research, zoos have been becoming more successful in recent years. In fact, during recent weeks the Lincoln Park and Denver Zoos both reported their first flamingo eggs in history as well.
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Como keepers attribute the success on a few other factors. The birds were outside slightly earlier this season and there was a wetter than normal spring. This hatchling is one of three eggs laid in late June. The other two appear not to be viable.
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Flamingo are most known for their remarkable pale pink to salmon and red coloring, but they don’t look this way when they hatch. Flamingo chicks are born white and turn grey after a few weeks. It is after a year or so, and with a proper diet, that they begin to develop their pink coloring. Alpha and Beta carotene pigments in a flamingo’s diet create the brilliant hues. These pigments are added to the diets of captive flamingos.2008-07-30T10:52:00-07:002013-07-07T05:51:44-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1970Green Thumbs for Blue LakesLake pollution often is measured in levels of phosphorous, long used to fertilize lawns. Although ban on the chemical for lawns went into effect in 2004, it is still a legal fertilizer for other types of gardens.
When excess nutrients build up in Minnesota lakes, it leads to a harmful domino effect on aquatic ecology. Phosphorous leads to algae blooms. Algae blooms can block sunlight to native aquatic plants and lead to temperature changes in the water. When the algae blooms die, the resulting bacteria causes a depletion of oxygen, which in turn kills fish and insects.
Being the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” you can understand why this topic would be important. As Minnesotans, we are awful fond of all forms of water recreation. No one wants to swim, boat, or fish in a green, stinky lake. All the more reason why this blog entry and Star Tribune article could pertain and appeal to you! Even if you don’t think you live close enough to a lake or stream to make a difference, you can make a contribution towards cleaner waters in Minnesota by starting in your backyard.
Take the Rice Creek Watershed, for example. Rice Creek cuts a 28-mile path through the northern Twin Cities metro area, from Columbus to New Brighton, before emptying into the Mississippi River in Fridley. But the area that feeds into the creek extends across 200 square miles of shoreline, tributaries and runoff sewers in 28 cities and four counties. That’s a lot of water and unfortunately, a lot of potential for pollution.
As Dawn Pape, environmental education coordinator for the Rice Creek Watershed District, puts it, "Everybody has lakeshore property now, because your street is connected to the nearest lake, river and stream somewhere. The whole metro area is connected to the Mississippi."
But there is hope! Rice Creek Watershed District's outreach program, Blue Thumb Planting for Clean Water, helps homeowners and gardeners to choose and place native plants to filter rainwater and prevent erosion through its website and live workshops.
Here is how it works: Native grasses and plants are used, like golden Alexander, blue flag iris, woodland phlox, prairie smoke, black-eyed susan, and native grasses. They’re planted in swaths along shorelines and downgrades, and span sometimes 20 feet across. The plants help to filter out the potentially harmful runoff of grass clippings, sediment, fertilizer and other substances that are polluting metro-area lakes.
The greenery is very beautiful, as wildflowers and tall grasses offer a colorful alternative to shorter grasses. When the summer is dry and hot, and your lawn reflects it, the native grasses and plants will still be green and blooming. The foliage will attract butterflies and song birds, and in some cases will prevent geese from setting up shop. And, unlike traditional gardens, there is little to no upkeep once the garden is planted.
Blue Thumb is offering grants to partially fund some projects. This year, the district had $22,500 each for projects in Anoka, Ramsey and Washington counties. Future funding will depend on residents' demand.
Since its inception four years ago, Blue Thumb has garnered 46 public, private and nonprofit partners. Since February, it has sponsored at least 45 workshops, educating thousands of people about preserving clean water through mindful gardening. Visits to the website, www.bluethumb.org, have doubled since this time last year.
For more information, go to www.bluethumb.org. Grants are administered by county conservation districts.
Don’t live in the Rice Creek Watershed District? Other watershed districts may offer clean-water gardening grants. For help finding a district, go to www.cleanwatermn.org or www.mnwatershed.org.
If you want to start your own rain or native garden, check out this link from the DNR which offers tips and information about planting native gardens in Minnesota. This link, also from the DNR, has information regarding rain or storm water gardens.2008-07-02T16:06:00-07:002013-07-09T13:03:48-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1966Saint Paul's Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood HighlightsDayton's Bluff is a neighborhood located on the east side of the Mississippi in the southeast part of the city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. The northern border of the neighborhood is Grove Street and the Burlington Northern Railroad. The southern border is Warner Road. To the west is Lafayette Road and Highway 3, and to the east is Highway 61.
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Dayton’s Bluff contains one of the widest varieties of history of any Twin Cities’ neighborhood. The history of the area goes back over 1,000 years when the Hopewell Native Americans used the area as a sacred burial ground. On the edge of the southern and highest part of Dayton's Bluff today, a series of seven large aboriginal burial mounds remain in Indian Mounds Park, overlooking the Mississippi River and the central part of the city. The park features walking paths, playgrounds and a picnic area.
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In 1857, Lyman Dayton, a well-known land and railroad speculator from Vermont, platted an "addition to St. Paul" on the Eastern border of the city. The area was separated from the early settlement along the river by a ravine, but this inaccessibility did not deter Dayton. A handful of other businessmen also built large and costly houses in the area. Farther to the south, beyond present day I-94 in the Mounds Park area, river-oriented residential development was also occurring. The earliest settlers had a spectacular view of the growth of the city at the Lower Levee and along E. Seventh Street. The area has since been referred to as Dayton’ Bluff, named after the man who built the first large home here.
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Located on the east side of St. Paul, Dayton's Bluff has a particularly high concentration of 19th century homes within its boarders. In the early 1800's, Dayton's Bluff was one of St. Paul's first affluent suburbs, as is evidenced by the many Victorian, Italianate and Queen Anne styles of architecture. Overall, most of the homes in Dayton’s Bluff were built in the 50s and before. Because of the deep and varied history, each block tends to have a great variety of housing styles and types. It is not uncommon to find a large three-story mansion anchoring a block with a collection of simple one- and two-story houses. The house prices in this neighborhood reasonable against the soaring prices of other communities.
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There is plenty of real estate available around Dayton's Bluff. Primarily the properties are single family homes, but there are multi family dwellings that house a few families each as well. Homes are setback from the street in a quite uniform manner and most houses have a small yard at the front. The steep slopes have required the construction of a variety of many retaining walls. Some handsome older walls are built of limestone or brick.
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Dayton's Bluff homes have been undergoing renovations and restorations in past years. Many of the original homes still stand and have celebrated their one-hundredth year of existence. The current interest in the revitalization of Dayton's Bluff focuses largely on the fine older buildings which are the record of the area's long history.
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The Dayton's Bluff Historic District was approved by the St. Paul City Council in August, 1992. The creation of the Historic District recognizes the historical and architectural significance of this early St. Paul neighborhood and is an important part of neighborhood revitalization in St. Paul's Dayton’s Bluff.
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Exterior alterations, new construction, and demolition of buildings within the Historic District boundaries are reviewed by the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission according to strict guidelines. A handbook intended for Dayton’s Bluff residents and potential residents which explains the criteria can be sent to you by calling 651-772-2075.
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The Dayton's Bluff Community Council and The East Side Neighborhood Development Company are active in the area's revitalization. The Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood Housing Service assists buyers financially with purchasing a home in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood.
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Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/daytons-bluff-real-estate/">Homes in Dayton’s Bluff Neighborhood of Saint Paul MN</a>Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/saint-paul-real-estate/">Homes for Sale in Saint Paul MN</a>2008-06-25T10:27:00-07:002013-07-07T20:51:33-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1965Minneapolis’ Northeast Community HighlightsNortheast community of Minneapolis is composed of 13 smaller neighborhoods. The Northeast community blends old architecture, classic housing, bustling commercial districts, and industrial work centers as well as new residential high-rises, suburban cul-de-sacs, and a popular art scene. The Northeast community is part bedroom neighborhood and part job center for the City of Minneapolis. The prominent features of Northeast include ornate churches and massive grain silos and mills, both of which help to create a unique skyline. Formerly known as the City of Saint Anthony before it was annexed into Minneapolis, Northeast is sometimes referred to as Nordeast, reflecting the history of northern and eastern European immigrants and their language influence.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-columbia-park/">Columbia Park</a> - The Columbia Park neighborhood in northeast Minneapolis is bound on the north by 37th Avenue Northeast, on the east by Central Avenue Northeast, on the south by 27th Avenue Northeast and St. Anthony Boulevard, and on the west by University Avenue Northeast, 4th Street Northeast and the Mississippi River. Phew! The Columbia Park neighborhood received its name for three reasons. The first has to do with the actual Columbia Park, an area park which has a challenging 18 hole golf course, playground area, walking trails, archery course, horseshoe pits and picnic areas. The second coincides with the park’s acquisition in 1892, which is referred to as the “Columbian” year, 400 years after Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas. Finally, the third reason is a nod to the adjacent suburb to this neighborhood, Columbia Heights.
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In addition to Columbia Park, the neighborhood also includes a smaller park, Hi View park, with a children's wading pool and basketball courts. Other highlights of the neighborhood include the walking paths along the Mississippi and the St. Anthony Parkway Bridge.
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The neighborhood has residential areas tucked away with industrial surroundings between the city of Columbia Heights and Columbia Park and its golf course. Its north end consists of a narrow strip of streets from Main Street to Central Avenue. Much of the housing here are stucco and brick Tudors and two-story colonials.
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The active neighborhood association is involved in planning activities for residents of all ages. Some of those activities include container gardening in community gardens, Tai Chi courses, and a monthly Procrastinators Night when all the procrastinators in the neighborhood get together to work on their unfinished projects.
Children in Columbia Park attend the Minneapolis Public Schools, which includes a strong magnet schools program and exciting opportunities for all students.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-waite-park/">Waite Park</a> - Waite Park neighborhood 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.
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Incorporated in 1887, Waite Park is a mainly residential neighborhood. However, the Shoreham Yards train repair facility still exists in the area. While the yards are still in use, the land is expected to be redeveloped in the future, providing for more homes in Waite Park. The variety of real estate available here makes the neighborhood great for single people, retirees, and small or large families alike.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-audubon-park/">Audubon Park</a> - The Audubon Park neighborhood is bounded by Saint Anthony Parkway, Stinson Boulevard, Lowry Avenue and Central Avenue. Stinson Boulevard is also the city’s border with St. Anthony. The neighborhood and its park are named in honor of John James Audubon, a great American naturalist and ornithologist.
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A majority of the houses in this somewhat hilly neighborhood were built in the 1940s.
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This Audubon Park neighborhood is perfect for the couple settling in the big city, the student looking to attend college in the city, a family looking to settle into a nice neighborhood, or even the retirees looking for a quiet place with conveniences.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-windom-park/">Windom Park</a> - The Windom Park neighborhood is bounded on the north by Lowry Avenue, on the west by Central Avenue, on the south by 18th Avenue and on the east by New Brighton Boulevard. Windom Park is named after William Windom, who served from the mid- to late-1800s as a U.S. senator from Minnesota and as secretary of the U.S. Department of Treasury.
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Windom Park is a mainly residential neighborhood. Single-family dwellings tend to predominate in the eastern quadrant and multifamily buildings can be found in the western quadrant, particularly in the vicinity of Central Avenue. Many of the homes in the west part of the neighborhood were built between 1895 and 1810, providing for some beautiful architecture. On the east side of Windom Park, most of the homes were built after World War II. Central Avenue, the neighborhood’s western border, is a very active commercial corridor. Many ethnic restaurants line the street here.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-northeast-park/">Northeast Park</a> - Northeast Park is bound on the south by Broadway Street and on the southeast by Interstate 35, on the north by 18th Avenue and New Brighton Boulevard, and on the west by Central Avenue. The city limits make its northeast boundary. This neighborhood takes its name from its geographical location within the City of Minneapolis.
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Northeast Park is roughly divided into three sections. The western section is mainly residential. The Quarry, a large regional shopping center, is in the center. The eastern section is home to the Hillside Cemetery and Honeywell International manufacturing.
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Northeast Park homes are typically single-family residences, and approximately one thousand people live here. Approximately two thirds of these homes were built before 1940, most of which were built around the turn of the century. With the Quarry acting as a buffer between the residential and industrial sections of the neighborhood, Northeast Park residents are largely unaffected by the presence of the industrial area.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-beltrami/">Beltrami</a> – The Beltrami neighborhood is bound on the north by Broadway Street, on the east by Interstate 35W, on the south by Hennepin Avenue East and on the west by Central Avenue and Harrison Street. The Beltrami neighborhood and its park are named after Giacomo Constantino Beltrami, an early 19th century Italian jurist, scholar and explorer. Beltrami Park has a playground, bocci courts, soccer and softball fields, tennis courts, a sand volleyball court and a basketball court.
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Large tracts of industrial land cover the southwestern part of the neighborhood, while the remaining land is dedicated to single-family dwellings interspersed with low-rise multifamily buildings. Though there is some industrial activity in the southwestern part of the neighborhood, Beltrami is an excellent place to settle down and enjoy life in Minneapolis. As with other neighborhoods in northeast Minneapolis, many artists have set up studios in Beltrami.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-saint-anthony/">St. Anthony East & West</a> – The St. Anthony East and West neighborhoods are two of the oldest in Minneapolis as they were part of the village of St. Anthony, established in 1849 on the east bank of the Mississippi River. St. Anthony Falls – the neighborhood’s namesake – was seen in 1680 by Father Louis Hennepin, a Jesuit who is credited with being the first European to explore the area that is now Minneapolis. He named the falls after his patron saint, St. Anthony of Padua.
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The St. Anthony East neighborhood extends from Broadway Street on the northern border to Central Avenue on the east and southeast, Second Avenue on the south, and then Fifth and Washington streets on the west. St. Anthony East has a number of churches, reminders of the area’s early history when people from different European countries moved into the area. These immigrants settled in neighborhoods around their churches, where they held together as tightly knit social groups.
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The St. Anthony West neighborhood is bordered by Broadway Street to the north and Second Avenue on the south. The Mississippi River makes up the western extent and Washington and Fifth Streets define the eastern boundary. St. Anthony West is host to Boom Island Park, a 14-acre riverside park. The neighborhood is also within walking distance of downtown and the University of Minnesota.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-sheridan/">Sheridan</a> - The Sheridan neighborhood, located in northeast Minneapolis, extends from Washington Street on the east to the Mississippi River on the west, and from Broadway Street on the south to 18th and 17th Avenues on the north. It is named for Civil War General Philip Sheridan. The neighborhood elementary and junior high schools and the local park are all named after General Sheridan as well.
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Historically, Sheridan has been a working class neighborhood, and was home to predominantly Eastern European immigrants in the early twentieth century. In the present day, Sheridan's center is a bustling commercial district which was once a main line for the neighborhood's streetcar line. This community is also home to many art galleries, and a stretch of 13th Avenue that runs through the area is known as "Arts Avenue". A large portion of the neighborhood was built for industrial use of the Mississippi River, but the river banks are slowly but surely developing into an area of recreational and residential buildings. The Sheridan neighborhood also has a sizable amount of small apartment buildings.
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Like many other Minneapolis neighborhoods, Sheridan residents are committed to improving their community. The Sheridan Neighborhood Organization has already had several successes, including funding the development of a public library, and the refurbishment of a theatre located on 13th Avenue. Current plans include programs for housing rehabilitation, and to increase the availability of affordable housing.
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Sheridan has recently seen an increase in the number of young families moving to the area, and the under-18 age group is the fastest-growing age group in this neighborhood.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-logan-park/">Logan Park</a> - Logan Park neighborhood in northeast Minneapolis is bound on the north by 19th Avenue Northeast, on the east by Central Avenue Northeast, on the south by Broadway Avenue Northeast and on the west by Washington Street Northeast. The neighborhood is built around Logan Park, which dates back to the 1800s and is named for Civil War general and U.S. Sen. John A. Logan. This 150-acre neighborhood is 40% residential with industry comprising nearly 30% and 11.5% dedicated to parks and recreational uses. Railroad tracks along Central Avenue divide the neighborhood into an industrial area and the residential district.
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There are just over 1,000 housing units in the Logan Park neighborhood. The neighborhood has many large Victorian houses. As compared to the average price of a home in all of Minneapolis, Logan Park's homes priced much lower. Rent here is also generally a bit lower, so it's ideal for a temporary situation as well.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-holland/">Holland</a> - The Holland neighborhood extends from 27th Avenue Northeast in the north to 17th and 19th Avenues Northeast in the south. Central Avenue Northeast is the eastern extent and University Avenue Northeast is the western boundary. The neighborhood and its elementary school are named after <a title="P4_399" name="P4_399"></a>Josiah G. Holland, an American educator and editor born in 1819 in Massachusetts. He was well known for <a title="P4_503" name="P4_503"></a>Timothy Titcomb’s Letters, a column he wrote for a newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts. The neighborhood was a popular destination for Eastern Europeans emigrating at the beginning of the 20th century.
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Located northeast of downtown Minneapolis, Holland is a thriving neighborhood of over 3,500 people. The middle class working neighborhood has a diverse population with many opportunities for recreation for all of its residents of any age.
The Holland neighborhood is predominately residential. There is a core commercial district with shops, restaurants and cafes along Central Avenue. The neighborhood has other amenities including Jackson Square Park, Edison Senior High School and a Minneapolis public library branch. Close to downtown, Holland residents are insulated from the hustle and bustle of the city but still have easy access to the cultural, social and other amenities of the downtown area.
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Housing prices are slightly lower than the median prices for similar housing in other parts of the city, making it a wonderful neighborhood for a “starter home.” Nearly 75% of the housing was built pre-1920s. The housing stock is about evenly divided between owner occupied single family homes and rental property.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-bottineau/">Bottineau</a> – The Bottineau neighborhood is bordered by the Mississippi River on the west and University Avenue to the east. Lowry Avenue Northeast is the northern extent of the neighborhood, which runs to 16th/17th avenues Northeast in the south. This neighborhood is named after the legendary pioneer, explorer and leader Pierre Bottineau who bought land here in 1845.
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Bottineau neighborhood has a rich history with the large number of ethnic groups that have settled in this area over the years. Today the community has a population of 1,254 people and is. The cultural richness is enhanced by the many amenities like the library, the large park that serves the neighborhood, and the close location to the downtown area of Minneapolis.
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While this neighborhood is a great place to raise a family, it is equally wonderful for the artistic community. Bottineau is a coveted destination for many artists to live and work
The Northeast Arts Association caters to the artists of the community, with a former industrial building having been converted into a number of studios for artists. A café and restaurant are open to the public while about 70 artists toil behind the scenes.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-marshall-terrace/">Marshall Terrace</a> - Marshall Terrace neighborhood is bordered by Saint Anthony Parkway on the north and Lowry Avenue on the south. The Mississippi River is the western extent, and 4th Street Northeast and University Avenue are the eastern extent. The neighborhood is named after Minnesota’s fifth governor, William R. Marshall, who served from 1866 to 1870.
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Large tracts of land in this neighborhood are used for industry, railroad tracks and utilities. About 20% of the land is residential with related commercial uses. Residential uses are restricted to the center of the neighborhood with utilities mainly along the river and industry and railroad tracks to the east.
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A popular feature of this area is Marshall Terrace Park, a large neighborhood park equipped with a number of recreational facilities including a picnic area, a baseball field, basketball court, a swimming pool, and summer activity programs for kids.
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Homes in Marshall Terrace are both affordable and attractive. The typical Marshall Terrace home is a single-family two or three bedroom residence with one or two bathrooms. Many of the residential streets are attractive, tree-lined areas, with nothing to suggest that an industrial area is close by.
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The Northeast Minneapolis community is a refuge for those who want to or need to live close to the Twin Cities metropolitan area, but who crave the comforts and relaxation that come with small town life. The average home sales price for a single family home or condo in Northeast Minneapolis, MN is about $177,04.Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-northeast-community/">homes in Northeast Community of Minneapolis MN</a>
Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">homes in in Minneapolis communities<br /></a>2008-06-25T09:26:00-07:002013-07-04T16:49:21-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1963Hennepin County Speeds Demolition of Problem PropertiesHennepin County commissioners voted last to allocate up to $1.25 million to the City of Minneapolis to speed demolition of at least 50 <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/twin-cities-real-estate/">Twin Cities houses</a>. The actions comes as concerns rise that some <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">Minneapolis neighborhoods</a> may become so scarred by boarded up and <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/blog/special-considerations-for-vacant-homes/">vacant houses</a> that they may not bounce back,
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For example, northern Minneapolis has 544 of the 925 boarded and vacant houses listed within the city. The effects were cited on streets such as the 2900 block of Dupont Avenue N., where several houses were burned and boarded up after they were foreclosed on or abandoned. Minneapolis commissioners worry that other residents in the area will leave, resulting in even more blighted and vacant homes.
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County officials will meet with their Minneapolis counterparts to negotiate an agreement that should allow the city to possibly double the number of houses it can tear down this year after they've been declared nuisance properties. Hennepin County evaluates properties for rehabilitation and chooses removal when area livability and safety can be improved with its destruction. At least 50 houses are to be demolished by the end of the year, with plans for the sites to be cleared and improved by next June.
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The measure passed 6 to 1, with Linda Koblick voting no. Koblick’s refusal argued that the plan should have been reviewed by board committees and faced public feedback before a vote was taken. She said that taxes paid by people all over the county shouldn't be earmarked just for a single city when there may be suburban properties that need attention as well.
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Other commissioners voted for the measure anyway, arguing that the sheer magnitude of Minneapolis' problem properties warrant action. An example of why this measure was introduced can be found at 2914 Dupone Ave N. A fire broke out at the vacant house at this location, but the city could not use its emergency powers to pull down the structure because it had not been damaged structurally. However, it had been damaged enough that it could not be rehabilitated.
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Having the building demolished requires a long process under a city ordinance which is designed to protect the owner's property rights while still giving the city the power to remove nuisance property. The intersection where it lies connects four blocks that had averaged six <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/property-for-sale/results/?foreclosure=true">foreclosures </a>per block during a two-year period through March of this year. As more blighted and vacant properties appear in the area, residents are likely to move, causing even more problems. If the cycle perpetuates, the area may not recover!
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The city now finances its property demolitions through a new revolving fund that also pays for boarded-building enforcement staff and other nuisance abatements, such as cutting of tall grass. Destruction of these properties also isn’t the only option. Most of the Minneapolis properties that are boarded and vacant will be rehabilitated instead.2008-06-23T19:30:00-07:002013-07-04T12:54:10-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1953Minneapolis Longfellow Community HighlightsLongfellow is a community in Minneapolis comprised of five smaller neighborhoods. They are Cooper, Hiawatha, Howe, Longfellow, and Seward. The community takes its name from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wrote about Minnesota and nearby Minnehaha Falls.
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The Longfellow community is bordered by the Mississippi River to the east, as well as the city limits. The community takes full advantage of the river as green spaces and various trails wind along the shores. The light rail creating its western border. Lake Street, a main thoroughfare and commercial corridor, cuts across the upper one-third of the community and Minnehaha Park, including Minnehaha Falls and Lock and Dam Number 1, anchor the southern corner.
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A transit station is conveniently located at Lake Street and Highway 55. The light rail connects the southern suburb of Bloomington and the Mall of America to downtown Minneapolis.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-hiawatha/">Hiawatha</a> - The Hiawatha 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. As with many Minneapolis communities and neighborhoods, the Hiawatha neighborhood is named for its elementary school. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the American poet born in 1807, made the names Hiawatha and Minnehaha famous in his poem, The Song of Hiawatha. . The light-rail transit line runs along Hiawatha Avenue. Parallel to this road, Minnehaha Avenue has a mixed commercial and residential use area which offers all the necessary amenities for shopping and entertainment. The rest of the neighborhood is mainly single-family houses. One-third of the neighborhood’s area is open land.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-howe/">Howe</a> - Howe neighborhood is bound on the north by 34th Street, on the east by West River Parkway, on the south by 40th Street and on the west by Hiawatha Avenue. Howe’s east side ends with the Mississippi River, and some of the neighborhood is in the Mississippi River valley. The neighborhood, like its elementary school, is named in honor of Julia Ward Howe, who was born in 1819 and penned “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Howe is an attractive residential community where the median income and home values are on a par or slightly above the median incomes and home values for Minneapolis proper. Most of the neighborhood is made up of residential homes. Many of the homes near the river have been upgraded pretty significantly. More modest homes farther west are also being renovated.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-cooper/">Cooper</a> - The Cooper neighborhood 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 and elementary school were 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 and green spaces cover the banks of the Mississippi River.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-longfellow/">Longfellow</a> – The Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis extends west to Hiawatha Avenue and east to 38th Avenue. The northern boundary is 27th Street and the southern boundary is 34th Street. The neighborhood is named after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the famous poet born in 1807. The neighborhood is served by the first light-rail transit corridor in Minneapolis, which runs along Hiawatha Avenue. There is a large concentration of multi-family rental housing in Longfellow. There is also an industrial area, which stretches along Hiawatha Avenue.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-seward/">Seward</a> – The Seward neighborhood ois bound on the north by Interstate 94, on the east by the Mississippi River, on the south by 27th Street East and on the west by Hiawatha Avenue. The neighborhood is named for William Seward, who served as secretary of state under Abraham Lincoln’s administration. Because of its close proximity to both the University of Minnesota and the Fairview-Riverside Medical Center, many residents of Seward are education or medical professionals. Of the neighborhood’s 390 acres, 54 percent are residential and almost 20 percent are industrial. The industrial uses are located along Minnehaha and Snelling avenues and 27th Street East in the southwestern portion of the neighborhood. Parks line the river and Seabury Avenue. Seward is connected to downtown, the airport and the Mall of America through the newly opened light-rail line.
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The Longfellow community boasts single-family and multi-family homes. Most of the homes along the River have been upgraded substantially, with re-development moving west on a block-by-block basis, capturing the more modest homes. The neighborhoods populations is diverse. It ranges from long-time residents to young families to students attending nearby schools. In June 2007, the average home sales price for a single family home or condo in Longfellow, MN was $224,735.
Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/blog/minneapolis-longfellow-community/">homes in the Longfellow Community of Minneapolis MN</a>Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">homes in Minneapolis communities</a>2008-06-06T13:50:00-07:002013-07-10T04:07:17-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1944Minneapolis’ Powderhorn Community HighlightsThe Powderhorn community of Minneapolis is just south of the Phillips community. Because the community has a strange L-shape, its borders are confusing and vary, but a map of Powderhorn can be found <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/images/minneapolis-powderhorn-map.jpg">here</a>. The area takes its name from Powderhorn Lake, a small lake shaped like a powder horn at the heart of the community. The lake, and the surrounding Powderhorn Park, is a central feature. At 65 acres, it is Minneapolis’ largest neighborhood park. It features a bandstand, ball fields, basketball courts, fishing dock, ice rink, walking paths, picnic areas with grills, horseshoe pits, and a community center with teen center. Powderhorn Park is also a name of one of Powerhorn’s neighborhoods. More about the neighborhood later. The population of Powderhorn is diverse, including residents of African-American, Asian, European, Latino, Somali, Tibetan and Scandinavian decent. Powderhorn community is within easy walking or bussing distance to downtown Minneapolis.
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Now, let’s begin to explore the neighborhoods of the Powderhorn community!
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-bancroft/">Bancroft</a> - The Bancroft neighborhood is located in the southern portion of Powderhorn. It lies between 38th Street East to the north and 42nd Street East to the south, and between Chicago Avenue on the west and Cedar Avenue on the east. The neighborhood was named after a school, as many other Minneapolis neighborhoods are. The Bancroft elementary school was named after George Bancroft, an American historian born in 1800. The Bancroft neighborhood is also home to the newly opened school, El Colegio/ CreArte center for the arts. The neighborhood provides convenient access to downtown via Interstate 35W, the Hiawatha Corridor, and the airport and Bloomington area via Cedar Avenue. For residents who like recreation, Bancroft lies just blocks north of Lake Nokomis, the Hiawatha Golf Course and the scenic Minnehaha Creek.
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Bancroft is a small but vibrant residential community. More than 80% of the structures within the neighborhood are single-family homes built before 1940. Many are primarily owner-occupied. The neighborhood also has some commercial development along Bloomington Avenue and 38th Street.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-bryant/">Bryant</a> - Bryant neighborhood is in the southeast portion of Minneapolis’s Powderhorn neighborhood. It is bound on the west by Interstate 35W, on the south by 42nd Street East, on the east by Chicago Avenue, and on the north by 38th Street East. The neighborhood was named for William Cullen Bryant, an American poet who lived from 1794 to 1878. The neighborhood area was incorporated by the City in 1887. By 1930 it was fully developed. In 2000, Bryant’s population was 2,789.
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The Bryant Unity Development Garden is located at East 40th Street and 3rd Avenue South. It was founded in 1994 by Bryant Residents Judy Anderson, local artist, and Sharon Parker, local publisher. Phelps Park, also located within Bryant’s boundaries, is home to a Boys and Girls Club.
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Bryant is a residential neighborhood with mostly single-family dwellings. There are some multifamily buildings interspersed mainly in its northwestern quadrant.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-central/">Central</a> - The Central neighborhood is bordered by Lake Street on the north, Chicago Avenue to the east, 38th Street on the south, and Interstate 35W to the west. The Central neighborhood is named after Minneapolis Central High School, which was one of the city’s largest schools. The school was built in 1878, closed in 1982, and razed shortly after.
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This is a residential neighborhood. Here, single-family dwellings are interspersed with multifamily low-rise buildings. There is a high proportion of renters in this neighborhood, though home ownership is on the rise in Central.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-corcoran/">Corcoran</a> - Corcoran neighborhood can be located between Lake Street East and 36th Street East and between Cedar Avenue South and Hiawatha Avenue. This neighborhood was named in honor of William Wilson Corcoran, who lived from 1793 to 1889 and who founded the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The light-rail stop at Lake Street gives the neighborhood an easy connection to Downtown, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America. Plans to develop the Lake Street corridor as a commercial thoroughfare are under way, and are sure to have a direct local impact. Corcoran is home to Minneapolis South High School.
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The Corcoran neighborhood is primarily residential. Housing in Corcoran is about evenly divided between rental property and owner occupied housing. About 60% of the real estate in the Corcoran neighborhood is devoted to single family detached homes.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-lyndale/">Lyndale</a> - Lyndale neighborhood of the Corcoran community of Minneapolis is bound on the north by Lake Street, on the east by Interstate 35W and Stevens Avenue, on the south by 36th Street and on the west by Lyndale Avenue South. To explain where the name Lyndale comes from is actually quite lengthy. The neighborhood was named for Lyndale Avenue, which in turn takes its name from Lyndale farm. The 1,400-acre farm, owned by Hon. William S. King, was named in honor of Mr. King's father, Rev. Lyndon King, an itinerant Methodist minister of northern New York. The Reverend was named for Josiah Lyndon, colonial governor of Rhode Island in 1768-1769. That’s a long line of naming!
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The Lyndale Neighborhood has over the past 30 years worked together to fight crime, promote economic development, provide youth enrichment programs, rebuild the neighborhood’s housing stock, and most importantly build community spirit. The Lyndale Neighborhood developed and operates under the “Lyndale Model.” This model is a nationally recognized asset based model of community organization which encourages individual residents to propose, develop, and lead programs for the neighborhood. This philosophy has helped Lyndale develop one of the strongest and most active neighborhoods in Minneapolis. Lyndale’s programs and activities involve over 1,000 Lyndale residents each year as both volunteers and participants.
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The neighborhood is predominantly residential, with about 36% of the real estate occupied by multifamily residential structures. This neighborhood is pretty evenly split between families and people living alone. Commercial uses of real estate tend to be concentrated along Lake Street.
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Random Fact: The Lyndale neighborhood has one of the highest populations of artists in the nation.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-powderhorn-park/">Powderhorn Park</a> - The Powderhorn Park neighborhood is bound on the north by Lake Street, on the east by Cedar Avenue South, on the south by 38th Street East, and on the west by Chicago Avenue. As noted previously regarding the name of the community, it is named after Powderhorn Lake. The neighborhood was annexed by the City in 1887. In 1986, its southern boundary was moved from 36th Street to 38th Street.The Powderhorn Park facility in the northwestern part of the neighborhood includes Powderhorn Lake, playing fields, playgrounds, and a park building that hosts community education classes. The park and lake are also used as the setting for the last act in the city's annual May Day parade, which is actually a <a href="http://www.hobt.org/mayday/index.html">traveling play</a> that has been put on by the <a href="http://www.hobt.org/">In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre</a> since 1975. As the parade moves south along Bloomington Avenue, participants wear a variety of costumes or manipulate giant puppets to produce a story based on sociopolitical themes. The story changes each year, but the emphasis is primarily on peace, environmentalism, current events, and more.
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Approximately 9,000 people live in this neighborhood. Powderhorn Park is a predominantly residential area consisting of single-family homes on narrow residential lots. There are also quite a few duplexes and brownstone apartment buildings. Most of the housing was built between 1905 and 1920.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-standish/">Standish</a> - The Standish neighborhood is bound on the north by 36th Street, on the east by Hiawatha Avenue, on the south by 42nd and 43rd streets, and on the west by Cedar Avenue. This neighborhood was named after a local elementary school, which had been called Miles Standish after Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem “The Courtship of Miles Standish.” The area was considered the outskirts of Minneapolis until mostly Swedish and Norwegian immigrants began building their homes here early in the 1900s.
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This neighborhood allows quick access to Downtown Minneapolis, St. Paul, and some of the best parks in the City. The new light-rail train line along the Hiawatha Avenue corridor connects the neighborhood with downtown, the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and Mall of America. New homes are being built along this corridor.
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Standish is a mainly residential neighborhood with a population of around 7,000. Oddly, it shares a neighborhood organization with the Ericsson neighborhood, though Ericsson is part of the Nokomis community. Signs within the neighborhood boundaries welcome visitors to "Standish-Ericsson."
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-whittier/">Whittier</a> - The Whittier neighborhood is bound on the north by Franklin Avenue, on the east by I-35W, on the south by Lake Street West, and on the east by Lyndale Avenue South. Having been originally settled in the 19th century, it is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. It was named for the influential American Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who lived from1807 to 1892 and was an ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery.
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About 60% of the real estate in Whittier includes a wide variety of uses including eclectic restaurants and neighborhood businesses. In fact, the area is known for its diverse restaurants, coffee shops and Asian markets. Nicollet Avenue is even commonly referred to as "Eat Street"! The neighborhood is also home to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the Jungle Theater, the Children's Theatre Company, and the Hennepin History Museum. The neighborhood presently has a neighborhood action plan that maps out a strategy to continue to improve the neighborhood and attract residents back to the area.
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Blaisdell and Third avenues have some of the oldest houses in Minneapolis. Some of the homes along Stevens Avenue have been beautifully restored. Almost 40 percent of this neighborhood’s 348 acres are used for multifamily housing, and almost 90 percent of those housing units are renter-occupied.
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In June 2007, the average home sales price for a single family home or condo in Powderhorn, MN was $172,078.
<br />Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-powderhorn-community/">homes in the Powderhorn Community of Minneapolis MN</a>
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2008-05-28T10:42:00-07:002013-07-09T12:57:51-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1940Minneapolis' Camden Community HighlightsCamden is a community in Minneapolis, covering the upper western half of the north side. Its boundaries are 53rd Avenue North to the north, the Mississippi River to the east, Lowry Avenue North to the south, and Xerxes Avenue North to the west. The community is composed of seven smaller neighborhoods. It also contains the Camden Industrial Area and the Humboldt Industrial Area, neither of which are assigned to an official neighborhood.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-cleveland/">Cleveland</a> - The Cleveland neighborhood can be found on the very edge of the city of Minneapolis. Its boarders extend from Dowling Avenue North to Lowry Avenue in the south and from Penn Avenue in the east to Xerxes Avenue<a title="P5_319" name="P5_319"></a> to the west. The neighborhood is named after Grover Cleveland, who was born in 1837 and was president of the United States two times.
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The Cleveland neighborhood has a suburban feel to it, despite its location in the city. The residences which can be found here are mainly single-family detached houses. Cleveland has a larger proportion of owner occupied housing than most of Minneapolis. The price of homes here also tends to be less than the median Minneapolis price.
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The local neighborhood school, Lucy Craft Laney School, is a major draw for city residents. The K-8 school offers special programming for gifted and talented students, an all day kindergarten and classes in the performing arts and choir as well as Language Learner programming in the Hmong language.
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Located next to the school is Cleveland Park, a vital part of the Cleveland neighborhood. Its amenities include picnic areas, a tot lot and wading pool, an arts and crafts room with regularly scheduled activities, and playing areas for basketball, baseball and softball. The facility also has meeting rooms and rest rooms available to the public.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-folwell/">Folwell</a> – The Folwell neighborhood extends north to south from Dowling Avenue North to Lowry Avenue North and east to west from Dupont Avenue North to Penn Avenue North. The neighborhood was named after Folwell Park, which in turn was named for Dr. William W. Folwell, the first president of the University of Minnesota.
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Folwell Park is the neighborhood’s anchor. It is a very popular spot for recreation within the neighborhood. Also located at Folwell Park is the Folwell Recreation Center. It provides activities year round for residents. The regularly scheduled programs include youth mentorship programs, cooking classes, senior recreation programs and more.
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Folwell neighborhood first began development at the beginning of the 20th century. The housing stock is mainly single-family housing on small lots and set at a moderate price. Many of the homes here were built in the 1970s.
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The Folwell Neighborhood Association is very active, encouraging home ownership and responsibility in the neighborhood. It has programs for first time home buyers, assistance with repairs and renovations, and prizes for homeowners who beautify their properties with exterior improvements and gardens. They also run a volunteer organization that will help elderly and low income residents with exterior renovations.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-lind-bohanon/">Lind-Bohanon</a> - Lind-Bohanon is bounded on the north by 53rd Avenue North on the City's and extends east to the Mississippi River. An industrial area comes between Lind-Bohanon and the river, causing the neighborhood’s eastern border to shift at 48th Avenue North to Lyndale Avenue North. This border extends south to the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks. On the west, the neighborhood’s boundary is Humboldt Avenue North. Lind-Bohanon covers just over 500 acres and is smaller than one square mile. The neighborhood and its elementary school are named for Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish soprano born in the first half of the 19th century.
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The neighborhood has a low resident turnover rate, with some families residing there for two or three generations. The homes are generally modestly priced compared to the rest of Minneapolis. Since 1990, the value of homes has risen, but homes in this part of the city are still cheaper than the average home price in Minneapolis. Many homes here are in the $65,000 to $85,000 price range.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-mckinley/">McKinley</a> - McKinley neighborhood 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 after William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States. The North River Industrial Area is located along the river and extends to Interstate 94 just to the north of McKinley.
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Most of the homes in this area are original and were built between 1910 and 1930. Singly-family, two-story houses with wooden frames are the most common. Many are bungalows or stucco Tudors. There are a number of parks and business catering to families found in McKinley, making this a nice neighborhood for settling down with a family.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-shingle-creek/">Shingle Creek</a> - The Shingle Creek neighborhood is bound on the north by 53rd Avenue North, on the east by Humboldt Avenue North, on the south by 49th Avenue North and on the west by Xerxes Avenue North. Located in the northwest corner of Minneapolis, the neighborhood’s northern and western border is also the City limits.
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The neighborhood is named after the Shingle Creek, which runs from the north to the south through the eastern half of the neighborhood and flows into the Mississippi River. In 1852 the first shingle mill in Hennepin County was built near the mouth of the creek, hence the name of Shingle Creek. The creek is surrounded by parkland, where people have picnics and fish in the summertime.
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With around 3,300 people in residence, Shingle Creek's population is made up largely of families. Shingle Creek is dominated by 1950s-style residences, including compact three bedroom homes, and larger one-and-a-half story residences. The area has an owner-occupancy rate of more than 90%, which is much higher than the average of the rest of the city. A small number of commercial districts are located here, as well as an industrial corridor located along the Northern portion of 49th Avenue.<br /><br />
The Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association works with other local organizations and the government to refurbish and renovate older homes. A Homebuyer's Assistance Program is also in place attract first-time home-buyers to the neighborhood. The SCNA is also committed to protecting and preserving natural environments, especially its namesake.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-victory/">Victory</a> – The Victory neighborhood is located west of Penn and Newton avenues, east of Xerxes Avenue, between Dowling Avenue on the south and the Humboldt Industrial Area on the north. The neighborhood was named after Victory Memorial, a memorial to World War I veterans and fallen soldiers. Victory Memorial Drive is part of the Grand Rounds parkway and bike path circuit.
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In the early 20th century, the Victory neighborhood was home to factory and mill workers. Today, the neighborhood contains many homes from the 1920s and 1930s. Most of the homes here were built before 1970. Many of them are being lovingly rehabilitated. The older appearances of the homes in Victory give the neighborhood a pleasant atmosphere. The larger homes which dominate the area attract many families. Victory is also very popular with first time homebuyers.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-webber-camden/">Webber-Camden</a> – Webber-Camden extends from Interstate 94 on the east and Penn and Newton avenues to the west to Dowling Avenue on the south and Webber Parkway on the north. Webber-Camden was named after Camden, New Jersey. In fact, until 1995 the neighborhoods name was simply “Camden.” In that year, the neighborhood added “Webber” to the original name “Camden,” changing the name to “Webber-Camden.” This was for Charles C. Webber, who donated a portion of the land for Webber Park and whom the Webber Parkway is named after.
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The Webber-Camden community is a mixture of middle-class and working class homes coupled with some industrial zones. This mixture of homes and industrial areas makes Webber-Camden a great choice for people who work in the industrial area. Many middle-class families, singles and retirees also enjoy living in the Webber-Camden neighborhood.
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In June 2007, the average home sales price for a single family house, town home, or condo in the Camden Community of Minneapolis, MN was $123,873.
<br /><br />Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-camden-community/">homes in the Camden Community of Minneapolis MN</a>
Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">homes in Minneapolis communities</a>2008-05-21T11:51:00-07:002013-07-09T09:15:06-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1929Minneapolis' Nokomis Community HighlightsThe Minneapolis community of Nokomis can be found in the southeastern corner of the city. It is named for its major landmark, the 204-acre Lake Nokomis. Steeped in Ojibwe Native American history, Lake Nokomis and the surrounding community was named after Hiawatha's mother, the daughter of Nokomis. You may have heard of The Song of Hiawatha, written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, which immortalizes these people in poem form. The smaller Lake Hiawatha and Diamond Lake are also located here. The presence of the lakes offers residents of the Nokomis community beautiful scenic views, as well as a variety of recreational opportunities.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-regina/">Regina</a> - The Regina neighborhood is located in the northwest corner of the Nokomis community. It is bordered by 42nd Street East to the north, Chicago Avenue to the east, 46th Street East to the south, and Interstate 35W to the west. This neighborhood was named after the Regina parochial school, which is now the home of a Head Start program and a day-care center. This residential neighborhood contains mostly small single-family houses built before 1940. However, located at 43rd Street and 4th Avenue South in the center of Regina is the Town Oaks Townhome complex. This is the largest housing complex in the neighborhood, with 112 town homes. Built in the 1970s, it is also one of Minneapolis’ first modern townhouse projects.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-northrop/">Northrop</a> – In the northern part of Nokomis, just east of Regina, one can find the neighborhood of Northrop. Northrop is bounded on the east by Cedar Avenue, on the west by Chicago Avenue, on the north by 42nd Street, and on the south by Minnehaha Parkway. Like many other neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Northrop is named after an elementary school. Northrop Elementary, in turn, took its name from the second president ever to reside over the University of Minnesota, Cyrus Northrop. Homes in this area were mostly built prior to 1940. Many are two-bedroom homes made of stone, brick, and stucco. On the western boundary of Northrop at Chicago Avenue and 48th Street is an active business community, which is shared with the Field neighborhood located to the west. This busy area is home to many services, restaurants, banks, a theater and more.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-ericsson/">Ericsson</a> – East of Northrop, and still in the northern part of Nokomis, is the Ericsson neighborhood, which is bordered by 42nd and 43rd streets to the north, Hiawatha Avenue to the east, Minnehaha Parkway to the south, and by Cedar Avenue on the west. Minnehaha Creek runs west to east through the southern portion of the neighborhood. Lake Hiawatha to the north of Lake Nokomis is connected to the Chain of Lakes by Minnehaha Creek. The Ericsson neighborhood takes its name from John Ericsson, who was a Swedish engineer and inventor. He designed and built the U.S.S. Monitor for the United States Navy during the Civil War. This is a residential neighborhood with mainly single-family housing units. The greater part of Ericsson’s western half consists of recreational land, with Lake Hiawatha Park and Lake Hiawatha Golf Course atwo of the most prominent recreational sites here.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-field/">Field</a> – The Field neighborhood, located south of Regina and west of Northrop, is bordered by I-35W to the west, Minnehaha Parkway to the south, Chicago Avenue on the east and 46th Street East on the north. Again, Field is named after the local school, which in this case was named after Eugene Field, a popular writer of children’s poetry. The Field business community is prosperous and thriving. Much of the housing stock here has been very well maintained. The largely residential neighborhood of Field is full of small, pre-1940s two-bedroom homes constructed with stucco, brick, and stone. As discussed in the Northrop section, Chicago Avenue is the main commercial center for Field.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-page/">Page</a> – Directly south of Field is the Page neighborhood. Page is bound on the south by Diamond Lake Road and 55th Street, on the west by Interstate 35W, on the north by Minnehaha Creek, and on the east by Chicago Avenue. What is coming next? Oh yes, Page is named after a school. Page Elementary School was named after American editor and diplomat Walter Hines Page, who was born on August 15, 1855. The neighborhood is predominately residential, with most of the homes here having been built in the 1920s and 1930s. A majority of them are colonial in style and have two stories. At the heart of Page is the popular Pearl Park, which is commonly used for little league soccer, football, hockey and baseball.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-hale/">Hale</a> – East of Page and south of Northrop is the neighborhood we call Hale. Hale bound <a title="P4_103" name="P4_103"></a>by Minnehaha Creek on the north, Cedar Avenue on the east, 55th Street on the south, and Chicago Avenue on the west. This mostly residential neighborhood is named after the Hale elementary school. Are you surprised? The school was named after Nathan Hale, who was an American revolutionary born in 1755 in Connecticut.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-diamond-lake/">Diamond Lake</a> – South of both Hale and Page is the Diamond Lake neighborhood. This Minneapolis neighborhood is bound by Interstate 35W and Second Avenue South on the west, by Highway 77 and Cedar Avenue on the east, by Highway 62 on the south, and by 55th Street East and Diamond Lake Road on the north. The neighborhood is named after the lake found in its western end. The northeastern tip of the Diamond Lake neighborhood connects to Lake Nokomis recreation areas and parks. The Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport is located directly to the southwest, and the City of Richfield is directly south.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-keewaydin/">Keewaydin</a> – South of the Ericsson neighborhood and east of Hale it the Keewaydin neighborhood. Itis bordered to the north by Minnehaha Parkway, 54th Street East to the south, Cedar Avenue South to the west, and 34th Avenue South to the east. The Keewaydin neighborhood received its name from an Ojibwe legend mentioned in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. “Keewaydin” is Ojibwe for “northwest wind,” or “the home wind.” Most of Lake Nokomis can be found within the Keewaydin neighborhood’s boundaries. Homes here are affordable, with listing prices averaging about $80,000.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-minnehaha/">Minnehaha</a> - Minnehaha neighborhood is located in the Nokomis communinity of Minneapolis, just south of Ericsson and east of Keewaydin. The neighborhood is bound on the east by Hiawatha Avenue, on the south by 54th Street East, on the west by 34th Avenue South and on the north by Minnehaha Parkway East. Minnehaha received its name from an Ojibwe legend mentioned in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. Minnehaha means “laughing waters.” The famous Minnehaha Falls are located at Minnehaha Park in this neighborhood. Minnehaha Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Minnehaha Historic District.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-wenonah/">Wenonah</a> - Wenonah is located south of the Keewaydin neighborhood and east of the Diamond Lake neighborhood on the very edge of Minneapolis. Highway 62 is the southern border, 54th Street is the northern border, Cedar Avenue and Lake Nokomis on the west, and 34th Avenue on the east. Beyond the main southern border, a small piece of Wenonah extends into Richfield. This neighborhood is named after Hiawatha’s mother, the daughter of Nokomis, from a legend that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow attributes to Ojibwe people in his poem, The Song of Hiawatha. Most of the single-family homes located here were built between 1920 and 1970.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-morris-park/">Morris Park</a> – Finally, in the far southeastern corner of the Nokomis community, and the City of Minneapolis, is the neighborhood known as Morris Park. The Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base makes up its border to the south, 54th Street is its northern border, 34th Avenue is its western extent, and 46th Avenue runs along its eastern edge (and the city boarder). The neighborhood took its name from the daughter of Franklin Steele, Mary C. Morris. Franklin Steele was the first European-American settler on the east bank of the Mississippi River in what used to be St. Anthony, now part of Minneapolis. He also donated land to the University of Minnesota. A majority of the single-family homes in Morris Park were also built between 1920 and 1960.
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Nokomis is largely residential, but there are a few commercial districts scattered throughout the community and near Lake Nokomis. As in many Minneapolis communities, the size and style of homes in Nokomis can depend on their location and distance from the lakes. Homes closer to the water tend to be older and larger, while homes further away were built more recently and smaller. Regardless of their size or age, most of the homes are neat and well-maintained. Generally, many single-family houses were built prior to 1940 and made of stucco, brick and stone. There are some townhomes and condos available here if you search, however.
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In June 2007, the average price of a single family home or condo sold in the Nokomis community of Minneapolis, MN was $234,666.
Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-nokomis-community/">homes in the Nokomis Community of Minneapolis MN</a>
Browse <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">homes in Minneapolis communities</a>2008-05-06T09:15:00-07:002013-07-08T23:41:32-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1915Saint Paul's Payne-Phalen HighlightsPlanning District 5, known as the Payne-Phalen neighborhood, is bounded by Interstate 35E on the west, the St. Paul city limits at Larpenteur Avenue on the north, the Burlington Northern railroad tracks on the east, and the Burlington Northern railroad tracks and District 4 on the south. District 5 is part of the “East Side” of St. Paul.
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The Payne-Phalen neighborhood carries historical significance for the city of St. Paul, as it served as one of the first immigrant settlements in Minnesota's history. The first residents of Payne-Phalen were temporary settlers who lived in log cabins along the banks of Phalen Creek and Trout Brook, which used to make up the southwest boarder of District 5. These creeks were filled in after the Civil War by railroad companies. Beginning in the 1840's and 1850's, the creek ravines were settled by Swedish immigrants. The area was eventually occupied by a diverse array of people, including Irish, Italians, and Poles, in various shanties and shacks. None of the current buildings in this old section of Payne-Phalen were built before 1956, however, when the City of St. Paul condemned the area in order to demolish and rebuild it. The Phalen Creek valley also served as the site for several early industries in the area, one of the most famous being Hamm's Brewery, which is now Olympia Brewery.
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The part of Payne-Phalen known as Railroad Island (because it is surrounded by railroad tracks) contains many of the oldest buildings found in District 5. Before the Civil War, this area contained the homes of some wealthy residents of Saint Paul. During the 1860's it was also settled by Swedes, Irish, and Italian immigrants. Within Railroad Island is the Benjamin Brunson House, one of the oldest documented houses standing in the city of Saint Paul. It is located at 485 Kenny Road and, built circa 1856, it is now a National Register and St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission site.
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Most of the architecture here is simpler and smaller than other Saint Paul neighborhoods, with few Victorians, Colonials and bungalows. Although many of the homes in Payne-Phalen have been altered over the years, there are still a few examples of Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival styles, as well as a large number of Victorian patternbook houses. A large concentration of modest nineteenth century houses as well as larger woodframe and brick houses are located in Payne-Phalen. Two of the most substantial Victorian mansions are the Adolph Bloom house at 416 E. Mt. Ida Street and the Nels Okeson House at 686 N. Bradley Street. A brick Victorian fire station designed by St. Paul architect Havelock Hand and built in 1890 is located at 676 E. Bedford Street. There are also a few Victorian commercial buildings along Lower Payne Avenue. Payne-Phalen has many single family dwellings as well as multi-family homes.
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Stores, banks, and businesses located along Payne Avenue and Arcade Street are housed in commercial buildings dating from about 1885 to 1920. Some of the commercial buildings on the 900 block of N. Payne Avenue are among the most architecturally significant in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood. Areas along Payne Avenue have been surveyed by the Ramsey County Historical Society as having potential to be named a historic district.
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The northern and eastern sections of District 5 were settled largely after World War I. The area north of Maryland Avenue and east of Earl Street contains a large number of bungalows dating from the 1920's, and Period Revival, Prairie style, and undistinguished ranch style and suburban houses dating from the 1930's and 1940's. The 1872 vintage Hinkel-Sullivan House at 531 E. Brainerd Avenue, a National Register site, is one representative of the few Victorian homes in the northern portions of the Payne-Phalen neighborhood.
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The Payne-Phalen neighborhood has several amenities to entertain year round. At Phalen Regional Park, there is a golf course and swimming beaches on the shores of Phalen Lake. There are also three miles worth of biking and running trails for use during the summer, which are also used for cross-country ski trails during the winter.
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Payne-Phalen offers both neighborhood elementary schools and public magnet schools. Phalen Lake Elementary is the neighborhood school. St. Paul residents have the choice to send their children to magnet programs like Farnsworth Aerospace Magnet School. There are also both public and private middle and high schools from which residents may choose.
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During 2005, the median sales price of a home in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of Saint Paul was $177,675. This figure includes all single family homes, town homes, condos, and lofts. Since the year 2008 began, there has been an increase in new listings of over 23% compared to last year, according to the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors’ Market Update for 100 Twin Cities Communities. The prices of homes in this area have gone down significantly due to the ample supply of homes for sale here, which means that there are homes here which can be purchased at quite a bargain. Single family homes here start as low as $19,900 and climb to over $500,000.
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Because of Payne-Phalen's deep history, the neighborhood is one of the most diverse, architecturally and socially. This diversity one aspect that residents say makes Payne-Phalen such a great neighborhood in which to live. With its entrenched history, affordability, and the effort which has gone into the redevelopment of Payne-Phalen, this neighborhood has been gaining in popularity with home buyers.
<br /><br />Browse homes in the <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/payne-phalen-real-estate/">Payne-Phalen Neighborhood of Saint Paul MN </a>Browse homes in other <a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/saint-paul-real-estate/">neighborhoods of St. Paul MN</a>2008-04-23T11:32:00-07:002013-07-10T09:22:11-07:00Matt Barkertag:barkerhedges.com,2012-09-20:1903Minneapolis' University Community HighlightsThere is both a community and a neighborhood with the University designation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This community is diverse in history, heritage, and has a wide variety of residents including retirees, families, singles, and students. Here we will touch briefly on each neighborhood within this the University Community.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-university-of-minnesota/">University</a> - This neighborhood is nearly at the center of the University community. The Mississippi River divides the neighborhood into the west bank and the east bank. The area flourishes because of the University of Minnesota’s presence. Actually, the school takes up a nearly the whole neighborhood. The University of Minnesota is one of the top public universities in the country. While there isn't very much available real estate in the University neighborhood, the houses, condos, and apartments are prime properties for investment.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-cedar-riverside/">Cedar Riverside</a> – East of Minneapolis’ Downtown, in the southwest corner of the University community and along the majestic Mississippi River, is the Cedar Riverside neighborhood. Also known as the "West Bank," this neighborhood is named after the intersection of the two main avenues here, Cedar and Riverside. Cedar-Riverside is nearly as old as Minneapolis itself. During the late 1890s, the area had a thriving community of Scandinavian immigrants, most of whom worked in the milling and lumber industries along the Mississippi. The neighborhood has changed a lot since then, and presently, Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse areas of Minneapolis. This diversity enhances the neighborhood’s mixture of restaurants, pubs and cafes, as well as the live music played at various small local venues.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-nicollet-island-east-bank/">Nicollet Island / East Bank</a> - The combined neighborhoods of Nicollet Island/East Bank include Nicollet Island, located on the Mississippi river east of Downtown, and the East Bank of the river. The Island was named after Joseph Nicollet, a French-born scientist and geographer who led three expeditions through Minnesota. Nicollet Island is a residential area which features primarily historical Victorian homes. In fact, all but two houses on the island date from 1864 to 1898. The expansive Nicollet Island Park is located at the southern tip of the island and hosts the Nicollet Island Pavilion and other historic points of interest. Most of the island is historic, though, and has been named as part of the St. Anthony Falls Heritage Zone. In contrast, the East Bank area has new housing developments and refurbished condominiums. East Bank’s Riverplace is a collection of commercial buildings, offices, retail stores, restaurants, and more. With approximately one thousand people, the Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood is relatively sparse in population.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-marcy-holmes/">Marcy Holmes</a> – East of Nicollet Island / East Bank, is the Marcy-Holmes district. Marcy-Holmes is named for two famous Americans: former secretary of state William L. Marcy and poet and novelist Oliver Wendell Holmes. Marcy-Holmes is ideally situated directly across the Mississippi river from Downtown Minneapolis, with the University of Minnesota on its east boundary, and within close proximity to the East Hennepin and Central Avenue commercial district. This area is a popular for U of M students to live. One of Minneapolis' oldest neighborhoods, Marcy-Holmes includes Florence Court, an area that has been designated as a historic landmark. Florence Court contains about 50 residential homes from the 1800s and early 1900s. These beautiful houses set the tone for the rest of the neighborhood. Various styles of apartment buildings and duplexes are also located here. In the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood is what is known as Dinkytown: an eclectic collection of small businesses, unique restaurants, bars, cafes, and more.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-como/">Como</a> – On the eastern side of the University community you can find the Como neighborhood. Como is named after Como Avenue, which in turn took its name from Lake Como in northern Italy, a popular tourist destination. This neighborhood is largely residential. Much of the housing stock in Como has been converted into student housing. The homes here consist of bungalows and Victorian from the early 1900s and styles popular during the 1920s, but there are a few newer duplexes and single-family houses.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-prospect-park/">Prospect Park / E River Rd</a> - Prospect Park is bordered on the east by the City of Saint Paul, on the west by the University of Minnesota, on the south by the Mississippi River, and the train tracks and the South East industrial area to the north. With its close proximity to the Downtown districts of both Minneapolis and St. Paul, most residences in this neighborhood are within walking distance of a plethora of entertainment venues, recreational activities, and shopping centers. Frequent local events foster a close knit community feeling. Residents of Prospect Park partake in the Fire and Ice Festival in February, the Spring Holiday Concert in April, and the Luxton Park Painter's Art Show in May, just to name a few. The neighborhood's most prominent and recognizable landmark is the "Witch's Hat" water tower, which was built in 1913. Prospect Park is also home to the Wiley House, which was designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
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The neighborhoods that make up the University Community of Minneapolis are unique each in their own way. They offer a range of housing options and diverse populations. From students to young professionals, new families to empty-nesters, there options for many types of people to call University home. Condos in this area start at around $100,000 and single-family homes start at around $120,000. In June 2007, the average home sales price for a single family home or condominium in University, MN was $247,762. A higher priced home in this area could sell for close to $1,000,000.
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-university-community/">Browse homes in the University Community of Minneapolis, Minnesota.</a>
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<a href="https://www.barkerhedges.com/minneapolis-real-estate/">Browse other communities in Minneapolis.</a>2008-04-08T17:33:00-07:002013-07-10T00:28:08-07:00Matt Barker