St. Paul Neighborhood Tour
"Saint Paul is a wonderful city. It's put together in solid blocks of honest bricks and stones and has the air of intending to stay." - Mark Twain, 1883
Cathedral Hill / Crocus-Hill | East Side | Mac-Groveland
West Side | Merriam Park | Highland Park | Midway |
St Anthony Park | Just Over the Ford Bridge
Crocus Hill / Cathedral Hill
A rich heritage of history lingers along the streets and homes of Summit Hill.
Distinguished by its combination of financially secure, well-educated upper-
and middle-class families, spacious homes of Victorian and Edwardian architecture,
local pride and generous support for cultural activities.
Most of the homes sell for $200,000 or more. During the late 1970s and early
1980s, 25 to 35 percent of the apartments were converted to condominiums and
sold for $55,000 to $110,000. Even renters tend to sink their roots deeply into
the community. Normal turnover for tenants is about 18 months, but Summit Hill
tenants average three to four years.
More than half of the homes here may predate World War II, but many of these
older homes have been renovated and returned to their original quality. Such
housing attracts potential residents from other parts of the city or the suburbs.
Just over half of the housing is single-family, owner-occupied. Almost all homes
lie well within an affordable range.
There's a friendly, college-town feel to St. Paul's Macalester-Groveland neighborhood.
Ample homes with front porches line the winding streets skirting Macalester
College. Vast, green lawns lie like quilt pieces around the Mankato-stone edifices
of the University of St. Thomas campus. Students on bicycles, neighbors on foot
file by the College of St. Catherine.
At the neighborhood's heart is Grand Avenue, a thriving thoroughfare since the
early part of this century. The city directory of 1930 listed more than 250
businesses on the street, many tiny operations run out of people's homes or
apartments.
Houses range from smaller, two-bedroom and three-bedroom homes on the ease end
to luxurious Mississippi Riverfront residences in the half-million-dollar range
or more. More than three-fourths of the homes were built before 1940.
West Side
This ethnically and culturally diverse neighborhood sits on the southern edge of the city, separated from the rest of Saint Paul by the Mississippi River.
The West Side is made up of lifelong residents, juggling the influx of new folks, balancing the values and customs of different ethnic groups, spanning the economic range from rich to poor. It's a vibrant mix of people and their differing needs and customs. One resident says, "It is the relationships between people and the sense of ownership found and fostered in this neighborhood."
Merriam Park has a broad range of well-kept homes from modest to luxurious.
Though it has been part of the city of St. Paul for a long time, Merriam Park
retains its own distinctive middle-class character and sense of stability. Some
new development is occurring on the street corners of the neighborhood. They
help to enhance Merriam Park's felling of being a well-knit-together community.
Highland Park
Highland Park is a special neighborhood tucked into the southwest corner of
St. Paul. It is fronted on two sides by the Mississippi River, giving Highland
Park a naturally beautiful recreation area matched by few others in the state.
The quiet, tree-lined streets offer housing opportunities for the renter, the
new homeowner, the large family and the empty nesters.
Highland Park has a bustling "downtown" area, Highland Village, which offers
residents just about everything they need in goods and services. It is conveniently
located between the downtown areas of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and by the Twin
Cities' International Airport. With all Highland Park has to offer, it's no
wonder that many of the residents have stayed for years and years!
Midway
If affordable housing attracts residents to the community, thriving and revitalized
businesses and active community organizations - including a half-dozen churches
with long histories - help sustain its quality of life. Hamline University contributes
to that quality through its efforts to buy and sustain rental property near
the campus, expansion of community internships for students and leadership of
faculty and staff in community organizations.
Not so extravagant or spacious as homes in Summit Avenue or Ramsey Hill neighborhoods
to the south, Hamline-Midway dwellings nevertheless reflected a moderate prosperity
in their leaded and stained glass windows, rich woodwork and other quality details.
A remarkable core of these older homes has endured; about 70 percent of the
housing were built between 1890 and 1940. Their simple elegance, often affordable, remains one of the neighborhood's strongest features.
Battle Creek/ Highwood Hills
Battle Creek Regional Park, the centerpiece of this neighborhood, encompasses
846 acres, which begin at US Highway 61 and extend northeastward along ravined
Battle Creek, offering an extensive natural area within a suburban-like setting.
The area remained largely rural until the close of World War II, when single-family
homes, schools, parks and playgrounds began to replace farms and open space.
Decisions made in the 1960's, just before development was at its peak, helped
to preserve the natural beauty and amenities of the area.
Battle Creek's housing reflects the history of the community; two-thirds has
been built since 1970 and only 6 percent were built before World War II. Seventy
percent of the houses are valued at between $60,000 and $99,999. Two types of
housing predominate in the area. Single-family homes were built in the north
in the 1960s and early '70s on a typical gird street pattern and cul-de-sacs
and, in the south, on large lots. Large multiple-family apartment and condominium
complexes were built in the northern and central sections in the 1970's.
Como
Living with a tropical garden, a lake and a golf course minutes from your front
door is just a fantasy for most of us. But for Como residents, it's everyday
life. With a million visitors a year at the zoo alone, Como rates as the most-used
park in the seven-county metro area. The park is not the only source of pride
for Como residents. Residents treasure living in what they consider a highly
stable, well-kept community.
Como's rebounding population has been triggered by a significant increase in
new housing units, which grew by 14.4 percent in the 1970s and 17.2 percent
in the 1980s. About a third of its housing is rental, two-thirds owner-occupied.
The newer homes fit in well among an architectural mix of older housing styles,
spanning more that a century of construction that was spurred earlier by recreation
and rural ambiance and later by transportation that linked the once-isolated
Como area with the central city.
More than a third of North End housing was built before World War II, with
the very oldest, around Oakland Cemetery, dating to the 1880s. Today, North
End housing, nearly evenly divided between single and multiple family dwellings,
is less expensive than housing in nearby neighborhoods. The low-cost housing has made the North End a
desirable place for low-income families to live.
West Seventh Street Area
Although it's within the shadow of more affluent neighborhoods, West Seventh
retains its working-class character. Though not so elegant as mansions in nearby
Irvine Park and Ramsey Hill neighborhoods, refurbished West Seventh area historic
homes provide affordable and attractive housing for working people with a greater
range of income. It's not just the housing, but rugged endurance, ethnic pride
and comfortable neighborliness that draws them to the area.
St Anthony Park
Nestled next to the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus, St. Anthony Park offers serenity, civility and low rolling hills perfect for an afternoon of strolling. This neighborhood is like a small village unto itself, with its own post office, Speedy Market and every service imaginable. There is an eclectic smattering of architectural styles and other "treats" that make up this peaceful neighborhood which is so charming many residents never want to leave.
.
I know its in the "other" city but the Longfellow Community in Minneapolis
is so close (just over the Ford Parkway or Lake Street bridges) and is loaded
with affordable homes in a charming residential neighborhood. You will find
lots of bungalows, which have been rediscovered and appreciated for their thoughtful
design, cozy but open interiors and high-quality materials. Minnehaha Falls
and Park as well as all the Mississippi River Gorge Parks are right there for
your walking and biking pleasure.
