Minneapoils Neighborhoods: The Runners-Up
With housing stock like this, who wouldn't want to live in Fulton?
Image credit: Photo by David Bowman
Editor's note: What follows is a listing of the Minneapolis neighborhoods that rounded out our top 30, as ranked with the help of the University of Minnesota's Center for Urban and Regional Affairs.
For a full explanation of the way the neighborhoods were ranked, read our introduction to this series. View our list of top ten Minneapolis neighborhoods, as well as the top ten neighborhoods in St. Paul.
Think we missed the mark? Let us know what makes your neighborhood great on our Facebook page, or tweet us @metromag using the hashtag #tchoods.
11. Elliot Park
N, S, E, W: 5th Street S., I-94, I-35W, 5th Avenue
Zone out for a minute in Elliot Park and you might think you’ve been teleported to a Brooklyn-esque urban oasis. This south-of-Downtown niche, home to the iconic Band Box Diner, is at once cozy and bustling. Major healthcare employers (Hennepin County Medical Center, Augustana Care Center, Benedictine Health Care Center of Minneapolis) and North Central University are all within walking distance of the neighborhood’s storied brownstones and converted mansions. The mid-1980s brought an impressive revitalization effort to this diverse community, adding small businesses and affordable homes to the area, and it’s now one of the city’s most sought after up-and-coming neighborhoods.
12. North Loop
N, S, E, W: Plymouth Avenue, I-394, 3rd Avenue N./Washington Avenue/Hennepin Avenue/Mississippi River, I-94
If it’s comfortable fast-food establishments, strip malls and little pink houses you’re looking for, you’ve not only come to the wrong place—you’ve come to the opposite side of the universe. The North Loop neighborhood (part of Minneapolis’s Warehouse District) is home to unique retail and restaurants (Local D’Lish, martinpatrick3, Bar La Grassa, Haute Dish, Minneapolis Farmers Market) you won’t find anywhere else. This walkable—and bus-, light rail- and bike-friendly—neighborhood also sits near two interstate freeways and Downtown, making cultural destinations like Target Field and Alliance Francaise accessible to urbanites and suburbanites alike.
13. Hiawatha
N, S, E, W: 40th Street, 54th Street E.,Mississippi RIVER, Hiawatha Avenue
Hiawatha is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream: Roughly one-third of the area is open land, including Minnehaha Park (home to Minnehaha Falls, Sea Salt fish shack and the Historic Longfellow House) and the Mississippi River Lock and Dam Number 1. The remaining two-thirds aren’t too shabby, either: block after mellow block of single-family homes with curb appeal to spare, plus the always-dependable Parkway Pizza.
14. Fulton
N, S, E, W: 47th Street, 54th Street, Penn Avenue, Edina Border
Bordering Lake Harriet, Fulton scores well in retail and restaurants (W. 50th Street bisects the neighborhood, running from Penn to its tony intersection at France). Its housing costs are relatively high, but for good reason: There’s nothing wrong with well-maintained, turn-of-the-previous-century homes lining leafy, quiet streets. Fulton also tops the list in Minneapolis schools; the upper and lower campuses of Lake Harriet School ably serve the younger set, while Southwest High is commonly included in lists of top public schools in the state.
15. Tangletown
N, S, E, W: 46th Street, 54th Street/Diamond Lake Road, I-35W, Lyndale Avenue
Downtown Minneapolis is a mere 10 minutes away from this residential outpost (that is, if you can untangle yourself from its spider web-like layout). Tangletown’s other perks include Fuller Park, King’s Wine Bar, Ramsey Fine Arts Elementary, Washburn High and unique and varied housing: 100-year-old Tudors and Colonials, the city’s largest collection of Lustron metal houses (pre-fab steel houses built in the ’40s to house WWII vets) and newer homes along Minnehaha Creek.
16. Wenonah
N, S, E, W: 54th Street, Highway 62, 34th Avenue, Cedar Avenue and Lake Nokomis
You won’t find much retail activity in Wenonah proper, but who has time to shop when beautiful Lake Nokomis is just outside your front door? Located in deep-south Minneapolis and extending into Richfield across Highway 62, Wenonah is a laidback hideaway with a great neighborhood school and park (Lake Nokomis Community School-Wenonah Campus and Bossen Field, respectively) and nicely priced homes dating back to the 1920s. If you must spend your money here, do it on scratch breakfast treats at Nokomis Café.
17. Lyndale
N, S, E, W: Lake Street, 36th Street, I-35W, Lyndale Avenue
Lyndale encompasses the stretch of W. Lake Street east of Lyndale, with excellent Mexican grub and an ever-changing roster of retail. It also benefits from its central location (including easy access to 35W on its eastern border) and restored turn-of-the-previous century housing that varies between single-occupancy and multi-unit apartments and condos. A stretch of Nicollet runs through the hood, offering cafes and restaurants. Slake your active-living jones at Painter Park and the Blaisdell YMCA.
18. Prospect Park-
E. River Road N, S, E, W: S.E. Industrial area, Mississippi River, Emerald Street, Oak Street
Not to get all Tolkien on you here, but we bet if Minnesota were ever to experience a sudden hobbit influx, Frodo and his pals would settle in Prospect Park. Lush, green spaces like Luxton and Tower Hill parks are the kid-friendly icing on this idyllic neighborhood’s proverbial cake, while proximity to I-94, Highway 280 and the U of M sweetens the deal for city commuters who still want a tranquil neighborhood to call home. Hilly, tree-lined streets—which are ranked quite safe, by the way—set the scene for an abundance of quaint corners and one-of-a-kind, architect-designed homes.
19. Field
N, S, E, W: 46th Street E., Minnehaha Parkway, Cedar Avenue, Chicago Avenue
Field is nicely ensconced along Minnehaha Creek, within convenient range of both Lakes Nokomis and Harriet. Its center for eating and shopping is 38th and Chicago, but this is primarily a cozy, residential city neighborhood with easy access to nearby retail and dining zones. It scores high on recreation (Minnehaha Parkway, with paths for running, biking, skating, and McRae Park), diversity and schools.
20. Minnehaha
N, S, E, W: Minnehaha Parkway E., 54th Street E., Hiawatha Avenue,
34th Avenue S.
Longfellow Gardens—with its native shrubs, grasses and flowers—is the jewel in Minnehaha’s crown, but other shiny figurative stones abound in our last-best Minneapolis neighborhood: Oxendale’s Market, Skylanes Bowling, Minnehaha Books and Italian eatery Al Vento. Think of ’Haha as a more bustling, less green-spaced version of its sister, Hiawatha.
21. Whittier
N, S, E, W: Franklin Avenue, Lake Street, I-35W, Lyndale Avenue
Whittier encompasses Nicollet’s Eat Street and claims local cultural beacons such as the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Jungle Theater and the Children’s Theatre Company—it’s also a great mix in terms of architecture and diversity (one count has its residents representing 30 countries).
22. Hale
N, S, E, W: Minnehaha Creek, 55th Street, Cedar Avenue, Chicago Avenue
Hale scores high in schools thanks to Hale Elementary; it’s also situated with access to Minnehaha Creek’s extensive recreation options.
23. Standish
N, S, E, W: 36th Street, 42nd and 43rd Streets, Hiawatha Avenue, Cedar Avenue
The 38th Street Light Rail station opens up transit options for Standish residents; the neighborhood also contains the Roosevelt Community Library, which is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
24. Linden Hills
N, S, E, W: 36th Street W./Lake Calhoun, 47th Street W., William Berry Drive/Lake Harriet, France Avenue
Linden Hills contains what it terms its own “downtown,” with a bakery, butcher, places to dine and tyke meccas Creative Kidstuff and Wild Rumpus.
25. Windom
N, S, E, W: Diamond Lake Road/W. 54th Street, Highway 62, I-35 W, Lyndale Avenue S.
On the Richfield border, Windom is a low-crime, residentially focused neighborhood that benefits from its proximity to inner-ring suburbs.
26. Bryn Mawr
N, S, E, W: Bassett Creek/Theodore Wirth Park, Cedar Lake Park, Bryn Mawr Meadows, Theodore Wirth Park
Scenic Bryn Mawr tops the recreation index, with access to bucolic Wirth Park and Bryn Mawr meadows; Fast Freddie’s Pizza is the city’s best pizzeria named after an amalgam of Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers.
27. Keewaydin
N, S, E, W: Minnehaha Parkway, 54th Street E., 34th Avenue S., 34th Avenue S., Cedar Avenue S.
High marks in schools and recreation—with Keewaydin Elementary School and a border on Lake Nokomis—combine for a family experience.
28. Ericcson
N, S, E, W: 42nd and 43rd Streets, Minnehaha Parkway, Hiawatha Avenue, Cedar Avenue
On the west side, Ericcson borders Lake Hiawatha Park and Golf Course; on the east it has access to Light Rail. Sometimes location is everything.
29. Northrop
N, S, E, W: 42nd Street E., Minnehaha Parkway, Cedar Avenue, Chicago Avenue
The business hub of Chicago Avenue and 48th Street includes Pepito’s and the Parkway Theater; it’s also home to McRae Park and a southern border with Minnehaha Creek.
30. Phillips West
N, S, E, W: 22nd Street E., Lake Street, Chicago Avenue, I-35W
With the Midtown Exchange on its southeastern tip symbolizing a vibrant international neighborhood, Phillips West combines retail and restaurant access with affordable housing for a bustling and accessible part of the city.
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