St. Paul neighborhoods
Encyclopedia
Saint Paul, Minnesota
is noted for its neighborhoods. The city has been called "fifteen small towns with one mayor", owing to the neighborhood-based life of much of the city. Saint Paul is partially governed by not fifteen but seventeen City Districts. Some City District boundaries overlap well-recognized neighborhoods.
On Saint Paul's largely blue-collar East Side alone there are more than two dozen well-known, historically significant neighborhoods lumped together under the banner of four City Districts. District 4, for example has three historic neighborhoods: Dayton's Bluff, Swede Hollow, and Mounds Park. Districts 5 and 2, the most populous City Districts, have more than a dozen neighborhoods between them.
While Saint Paul has long been recognized for its citizen activism, some neighborhoods receive more individual planning attention than others, because tax funds are doled out to annually elected volunteer neighborhood boards based on City District boundaries, not neighborhood boundaries. These boards are collectively called District Councils.
The District Council system was established in 1975 to encourage grass-roots involvement. The Councils were also created to help spend federal funds through the recently created Community Development Block Grant
s. The District Councils share $1.2 million dollars from the city of Saint Paul. Money given to the District Councils ranges from $41,000 to $102,000. The councils also have other revenue streams such as grants and donations. Most councils have significant power on land use issues.
, and Whirlpool Corporation, which has entirely left St. Paul.
. The West Side is home to the largest Hispanic
community in the Twin Cities, centered along César Chávez
Boulevard.
, Thomas-Dale is colloquially known as Frogtown. Historically, Frogtown was a section of the current Thomas-Dale neighborhood bordered by University Avenue on the south, Van Buren Avenue on the north, Dale Street on the west and Western Avenue on the east.
community as well as the city's other Asian
communities, of whom Vietnamese
, Lao
tians and Cambodian
s are represented in large numbers. Summit-University also includes the historic Cathedral Hill
neighborhood, as well as what remains of "old Rondo" - a former neighborhood of the city. Rondo
was the center of Saint Paul's African-American community since the Civil War
, but was nearly obliterated by the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1960s http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/112rondo.html/. Famous Summit-University natives include baseball
great Dave Winfield
. Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald
was born in this neighborhood, although he is generally associated with the Summit Hill neighborhood where he later lived. Neighborhood website
, spanning the entire length of West Seventh St. or "Old Fort Rd." During the 1880s large populations of Irish, German, Czech, Slovak and (to a lesser degree) Scandinavian immigrants moved to the West End.
"Saint Paul has a rich history of active and distinct neighborhoods. To support neighborhood participation in governance, the district council planning process was created over 30 years ago." There are 17 district councils, and the district council of the West End is the Fort Road Federation/District 9 Community Council. "Responsibilities of the councils include: planning and advising on the physical, economic, and social development of their areas; identifying needs; initiating community programs; recruiting volunteers; and sponsoring community events." The Federation actually predates the District Council system in St. Paul. "...in 1973, a group of about a dozen community members banded together to create the West 7th/Fort Road Federation. They founded the organization on the principle that citizens acting together could maintain and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods and help commercial endeavors prosper once again. With a $5,000 start-up grant from the Christian Sharing Fund, the young organization headed down a path of community development and support that would continue for many years to come."
Today, several organizations and task forces serve the neighborhoods that make up the West End. Task forces of the Federation include West End Gardeners as well as the North High Bridge Park Task Forces; the West Seventh Business Association and its Enhancement coalition; the Irvine Park Historic District and Association
; Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota in its historic hall on the national historic register; and the West 7th Community Center.
. The Como Park neighborhood has many recreational facilities, including a golf course, bike path, various open fields, a pavilion, a municipal pool, and the Como Zoo, one of two zoos in the Twin Cities (the other being the Minnesota Zoo
). The Como area is also home to many of the city's ginkgo trees. There are several schools in Como Park, the public schools in the area being Chelsea Heights Elementary School and the Como Park Elementary School, the only school in the city to have its own planetarium. The primary secondary school in Como Park is Como Park Senior High School
, one of the highest rated schools in the state according to Newsweek.
, Hamline University
, as well as "Midway Center", one of inner-city Saint Paul's key shopping districts. Famous Midway natives include Peanuts
cartoonist Charles M. Schulz
and the band Heiruspecs
.
Saint Paul campus, bordering Southeast Minneapolis on the west and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on the east. It was the home to three Minnesota governors (William Marshall, 1866–70; Andrew McGill, 1887–1889; and Elmer L. Andersen, 1961–63). The area was originally set out as estates for the wealthy of Minneapolis in the late 1800s. It is centrally located in the Twin Cities, with abusiness district that contains independently owned shops and restaurants. A Carnegie Library, and the St. Anthony Park Elementary School are the focal points of the neighborhood. St. Anthony Park, known to residents as SAP, is home to two colleges, the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota and the Luther Seminary, and thus home to graduate students from across the world. The largest area park} is named for former St. Anthony Park resident Nathaniel P. Langford
, who was responsible for the world's first national park (Yellowstone).
forming the neighborhood's western border. Many residents of Union Park still identify their neighborhoods with the original names. Concordia University and part of University of St. Thomas are located in the district.
and the University of Saint Thomas. The neighborhood's western border is formed by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
, a public park with walking and biking paths atop the 100 feet (30.5 m)-tall bluffs along the bank of the Mississippi River
.
and St. Paul Academy and Summit School
http://www.spa.edu. The neighborhood also hosts the Ford Motor Company
Twin Cities Assembly Plant
where Ford Ranger
and Mazda B-Series
pickup trucks are produced. In April 2006, Ford announced the plant would close in 2007; the closing was subsequently delayed, and what will become of the ¼ square mile of prime real estate along the Mississippi is yet to be decided.
s.
Summit Avenue was originally conceived as a broad, Gilded Age
showcase street, and is lined with the mansions named after notable Saint Paul figures, such as railroad tycoon James J. Hill
. With its vistas of downtown and the Mississippi River
, Summit Avenue is thought to be one of the longest stretches of preserved Victorian mansions in North America. It has been home to artists such as F. Scott Fitzgerald
and his wife Zelda
, Sinclair Lewis
, August Wilson
, and currently Garrison Keillor
. More notorious residents have included 1930s-era gangsters such as John Dillinger
and members of the Barker-Karpis Gang.
)http://www.capitolrivercouncil.org/ and is home to Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild hockey team, Galtier Plaza
, McNally Smith College of Music
, Minnesota Swarm
, and Wells Fargo Place
. When the Wild are playing or there is some other event, downtown can become busier. There are exceptions. The downtown hosts very pleasant parks, most notably one of the oldest parks in the country in the jewel-like Rice Park. The streetscape has also been improved in some areas of downtown, including along Wabasha and St. Peter Streets, where a small collection of restaurants has developed. That said, the more nightlife-oriented bars have developed just outside downtown on West Seventh Street. The extensive skyway system connecting most of the office buildings has also contributed in removing foot traffic from the streets.
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
is noted for its neighborhoods. The city has been called "fifteen small towns with one mayor", owing to the neighborhood-based life of much of the city. Saint Paul is partially governed by not fifteen but seventeen City Districts. Some City District boundaries overlap well-recognized neighborhoods.
On Saint Paul's largely blue-collar East Side alone there are more than two dozen well-known, historically significant neighborhoods lumped together under the banner of four City Districts. District 4, for example has three historic neighborhoods: Dayton's Bluff, Swede Hollow, and Mounds Park. Districts 5 and 2, the most populous City Districts, have more than a dozen neighborhoods between them.
While Saint Paul has long been recognized for its citizen activism, some neighborhoods receive more individual planning attention than others, because tax funds are doled out to annually elected volunteer neighborhood boards based on City District boundaries, not neighborhood boundaries. These boards are collectively called District Councils.
The District Council system was established in 1975 to encourage grass-roots involvement. The Councils were also created to help spend federal funds through the recently created Community Development Block Grant
Community Development Block Grant
The Community Development Block Grant , one of the longest-running programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, funds local community development activities such as affordable housing, anti-poverty programs, and infrastructure development...
s. The District Councils share $1.2 million dollars from the city of Saint Paul. Money given to the District Councils ranges from $41,000 to $102,000. The councils also have other revenue streams such as grants and donations. Most councils have significant power on land use issues.
Battle Creek
A neighborhood on the southeast side of the city, overlooking the Mississippi River and Downtown Saint Paul. Traditionally a bedroom community for 3M.Greater East Side
The Greater East Side is among the city's largest and most populous city districts — a grouping of largely middle-class areas, among them the Hillcrest, Hazel Park, Hayden Heights, Ames Lake, and Phalen Village neighborhoods — which bordered on (and traditionally supplied much of the workforce for) two company headquarters: the neighboring 3M Corporation, which has moved its corporate headquarters from St. Paul's Dayton's Bluff neighborhood to the neighboring suburb of MaplewoodMaplewood, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,947 people, 13,758 households, and 9,190 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,017.5 people per square mile . There were 14,004 housing units at an average density of 808.5 per square mile...
, and Whirlpool Corporation, which has entirely left St. Paul.
West Side
The "West Side" http://www.wsco.org/ neighborhood is actually in the eastern half of the city, to the south and across the Mississippi River from Downtown Saint Paul. It is called the West Side because it is on the west bank of the predominantly north-south river, adjacent to the suburban cities of South St. Paul and West St. PaulWest St. Paul, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 19,405 people, 8,645 households, and 4,875 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,874.2 people per square mile . There were 8,779 housing units at an average density of 1,752.7 per square mile...
. The West Side is home to the largest Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
community in the Twin Cities, centered along César Chávez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
Boulevard.
Dayton's Bluff
Dayton's Bluff http://www.daytonsbluff.org/ is a neighborhood located on the east side of the Mississippi in the southeast part of the city of Saint Paul. It has a residential district on an elevated plateau which is bounded by the ridges of the Mississippi River Valley. The name of Dayton's Bluff commemorates Lyman Dayton (1810–1865), for whom a village and a township in Hennepin County also were named. The area of the neighborhood that had views of the river valley and Downtown Saint Paul was purchased as early as the 1850s with most of the houses being built in the 1880s. On the edge of the southern and highest part of Dayton's bluff along the Mississippi River is the Indian Mounds Park. Within in the park is six remaining burial mounds from pre-historic era of the Hopewell moundbuilders. Dayton's Bluff is currently undergoing much renovation and restoration in past years.Payne-Phalen
The Payne-Phalen http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/stpaul/payne-phalen/ city district includes the Railroad Island, Phalen Park, Rivoli Bluff, Vento, Wheelock Park, and Williams Hill neighborhoods, and ranges from a blue-collar area to the south to a middle-class area north of Maryland Avenue, including upscale real estate around Lake Phalen.North End
The North End http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/stpaul/dist6/ is a blue-collar neighborhood built around the Rice Street corridor, a long, straight street that has many fast-food restaurants, bars and clubs. In the past, this neighborhood also housed junkyards and auto-wrecking lots. The state capitol building is at the southern edge of the neighborhood, between Cedar and Rice Streets on University Avenue.Thomas-Dale
Built around University AvenueUniversity Avenue (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
University Avenue in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region of Minnesota begins near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and extends westward into neighboring Minneapolis, where it passes the University of Minnesota, and then turns north to pass through several suburbs before ending in Blaine,...
, Thomas-Dale is colloquially known as Frogtown. Historically, Frogtown was a section of the current Thomas-Dale neighborhood bordered by University Avenue on the south, Van Buren Avenue on the north, Dale Street on the west and Western Avenue on the east.
Summit-University
"Summit-U" is an ethnically and economically diverse community http://www.communitydataworks.org/data/stpaul/nhood/dist8/8-Summituniversity.pdf. Among the many groups living in Summit-University are the HmongHmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
community as well as the city's other Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
communities, of whom Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
, Lao
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
tians and Cambodian
Khmer people
Khmer people are the predominant ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for approximately 90% of the 14.8 million people in the country. They speak the Khmer language, which is part of the larger Mon–Khmer language family found throughout Southeast Asia...
s are represented in large numbers. Summit-University also includes the historic Cathedral Hill
Cathedral of Saint Paul (Minnesota)
The Cathedral of Saint Paul is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota. It is the Co-Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, along with the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis. One of the most distinctive cathedrals in the United States, it sits on...
neighborhood, as well as what remains of "old Rondo" - a former neighborhood of the city. Rondo
Rondo Days
Rondo Days is an annual weekend festival held in mid-July in Saint Paul, Minnesota that commemorates the Rondo neighborhood, an African-American community that was split in two by the construction of Interstate 94 in the mid 1960s...
was the center of Saint Paul's African-American community since the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, but was nearly obliterated by the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1960s http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/112rondo.html/. Famous Summit-University natives include baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
great Dave Winfield
Dave Winfield
David Mark Winfield is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is currently Executive Vice President/Senior Advisor of the San Diego Padres and an analyst for the ESPN program Baseball Tonight...
. Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
was born in this neighborhood, although he is generally associated with the Summit Hill neighborhood where he later lived. Neighborhood website
West Seventh
West Seventh Street in St. Paul is also known as Fort Road, owing to its location on historic Native American and fur trader paths along the northern bank of the Mississippi River from downtown Saint Paul to Fort Snelling. This area is colloquially known as the "West End", and is different from the area across the river known as the "West Side". The West Seventh neighborhood was originally a series of European immigrant neighborhoods along the western bluffs of the Mississippi RiverMississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, spanning the entire length of West Seventh St. or "Old Fort Rd." During the 1880s large populations of Irish, German, Czech, Slovak and (to a lesser degree) Scandinavian immigrants moved to the West End.
"Saint Paul has a rich history of active and distinct neighborhoods. To support neighborhood participation in governance, the district council planning process was created over 30 years ago." There are 17 district councils, and the district council of the West End is the Fort Road Federation/District 9 Community Council. "Responsibilities of the councils include: planning and advising on the physical, economic, and social development of their areas; identifying needs; initiating community programs; recruiting volunteers; and sponsoring community events." The Federation actually predates the District Council system in St. Paul. "...in 1973, a group of about a dozen community members banded together to create the West 7th/Fort Road Federation. They founded the organization on the principle that citizens acting together could maintain and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods and help commercial endeavors prosper once again. With a $5,000 start-up grant from the Christian Sharing Fund, the young organization headed down a path of community development and support that would continue for many years to come."
Today, several organizations and task forces serve the neighborhoods that make up the West End. Task forces of the Federation include West End Gardeners as well as the North High Bridge Park Task Forces; the West Seventh Business Association and its Enhancement coalition; the Irvine Park Historic District and Association
Irvine Park Historic District
Irvine Park is a neighborhood just west of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota that contains a number of historic homes. The neighborhood was platted by John Irvine and Henry Mower Rice in 1849. At the center of the neighborhood is Irvine Park, a New England-style public square...
; Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota in its historic hall on the national historic register; and the West 7th Community Center.
Como Park
Como Park is a neighborhood situated around Lake ComoLake Como (Minnesota)
Como Lake is a lake up to deep in St. Paul, Minnesota. It, along with the neighboring Como Park, has been a recreation area for residents of the Twin Cities for more than a century. It was named in 1848 by local farmer Charles Perry. A pavilion sits on the west side of the lake, and plays host...
. The Como Park neighborhood has many recreational facilities, including a golf course, bike path, various open fields, a pavilion, a municipal pool, and the Como Zoo, one of two zoos in the Twin Cities (the other being the Minnesota Zoo
Minnesota Zoo
The Minnesota Zoo , is an AZA-accredited zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota. When it opened on May 22, 1978 it was fairly revolutionary in its exhibit design. The zoo, built in a suburbanizing rural area, had more space to house exhibits and was one of the first zoos to organize its animals by their...
). The Como area is also home to many of the city's ginkgo trees. There are several schools in Como Park, the public schools in the area being Chelsea Heights Elementary School and the Como Park Elementary School, the only school in the city to have its own planetarium. The primary secondary school in Como Park is Como Park Senior High School
Como Park Senior High School
Como Park Senior High School is a public high school located in the Lake Como area of Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving grades nine through twelve. Along with six other public high schools, Como Park comprises the Saint Paul Public Schools...
, one of the highest rated schools in the state according to Newsweek.
Midway
Midway http://www.hamlinemidwaycoalition.org/ is a neighborhood which derives its name from being midway between the downtowns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. The Midway neighborhood includes the Twin Cities only passenger rail terminal Midway (Amtrak station)Midway (Amtrak station)
Midway Station is the Amtrak train station in Saint Paul, Minnesota, so named after the Midway area which is roughly halfway between the downtowns of St. Paul and neighboring Minneapolis. Its Amtrak station code is MSP and serves as the only intercity train station for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul...
, Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
, as well as "Midway Center", one of inner-city Saint Paul's key shopping districts. Famous Midway natives include Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
cartoonist Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
and the band Heiruspecs
Heiruspecs
Heiruspecs is a live rap/hip hop band based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, specifically the Midway neighborhood. The band's name is based on a deliberate misspelling of haruspex.Their album, 10 Years Strong, was released in December of 2007...
.
Saint Anthony Park
Saint Anthony Park http://www.sap.org/ is adjacent to the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
Saint Paul campus, bordering Southeast Minneapolis on the west and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on the east. It was the home to three Minnesota governors (William Marshall, 1866–70; Andrew McGill, 1887–1889; and Elmer L. Andersen, 1961–63). The area was originally set out as estates for the wealthy of Minneapolis in the late 1800s. It is centrally located in the Twin Cities, with abusiness district that contains independently owned shops and restaurants. A Carnegie Library, and the St. Anthony Park Elementary School are the focal points of the neighborhood. St. Anthony Park, known to residents as SAP, is home to two colleges, the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota and the Luther Seminary, and thus home to graduate students from across the world. The largest area park} is named for former St. Anthony Park resident Nathaniel P. Langford
Nathaniel P. Langford
Nathaniel Pitt Langford was an explorer, businessman, bureaucrat, vigilante and historian from St. Paul, Minnesota who played an important role in the early years of the Montana gold fields, territorial government and the creation of Yellowstone National Park.-Montana Gold Fields:On June 16, 1862...
, who was responsible for the world's first national park (Yellowstone).
Union Park
Union Park http://www.unionparkdc.org/, created from the merger between former Merriam Park, Snelling Hamline, and Lexington-Hamline District Councils, is a residential neighborhood featuring a large stock of early 20th-century housing, boutique-dominated commercial strips on Selby, Cretin and Cleveland avenues, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation AreaMississippi National River and Recreation Area
The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area protects a and corridor along the Mississippi River from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey, Minnesota to just downstream of Hastings, Minnesota. This includes the stretch of Mississippi River which flows through Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota...
forming the neighborhood's western border. Many residents of Union Park still identify their neighborhoods with the original names. Concordia University and part of University of St. Thomas are located in the district.
Macalester-Groveland
Macalester-Groveland http://www.macgrove.org/ is the neighborhood surrounding two post-secondary institutions, Macalester CollegeMacalester College
Macalester College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1874 as a Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian college. Its first class entered September 15, 1885. The college is located on a campus in a historic residential neighborhood...
and the University of Saint Thomas. The neighborhood's western border is formed by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area protects a and corridor along the Mississippi River from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey, Minnesota to just downstream of Hastings, Minnesota. This includes the stretch of Mississippi River which flows through Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota...
, a public park with walking and biking paths atop the 100 feet (30.5 m)-tall bluffs along the bank of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
.
Highland Park
Highland Park http://www.highlanddistrictcouncil.org/ is home to Saint Catherine University (formerly the College of St. Catherine) as well as two private preparatory schools, Cretin-Derham Hall High SchoolCretin-Derham Hall High School
Cretin-Derham Hall High School is a private, co-educational Catholic high school located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, it is co-sponsored by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet...
and St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul Academy and Summit School
St. Paul Academy and Summit School is a college preparatory independent day school in St. Paul, Minnesota, for students in grades K–12....
http://www.spa.edu. The neighborhood also hosts the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Twin Cities Assembly Plant
Twin Cities Assembly Plant
Ford Motor Company's Twin Cities Assembly Plant is located next to the Mississippi River in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest Ford plant still in operation, having been first built in 1924. Today, the plant manufactures the Ford Ranger pickup...
where Ford Ranger
Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger is a pickup truck produced by the Ford Motor Company. The "Ranger" name had previously been used for a premium styling package on the F-Series full-sized pickup trucks since 1965. The name was moved to this line of North American compact trucks for the 1983 model year.In North...
and Mazda B-Series
Mazda B-Series
The Mazda B-Series is a pickup truck, first manufactured in 1961 by Mazda Motor Corporation. From the first B-Series, Mazda has used the engine displacement to determine the name. Thus, the B1500 had a 1.5 L engine and the B2600 had a 2.6 L engine...
pickup trucks are produced. In April 2006, Ford announced the plant would close in 2007; the closing was subsequently delayed, and what will become of the ¼ square mile of prime real estate along the Mississippi is yet to be decided.
Summit Hill and Crocus Hill
The Summit Hill neighborhood http://www.summithillassociation.org/ is roughly centered around the section of Summit Avenue between Dale Street and John Ireland Boulevard. "Crocus Hill" is the neighborhood adjacent to Summit Hill, and is bounded on the north by Summit Avenue and on the east by "Grand Hill", the hill formed by Grand Avenue as it descends towards downtown Saint Paul. The other two boundaries are St. Clair Avenue to the south, and Lexington Avenue to the west. These neighborhoods were the traditional home of the city's Robber BaronRobber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
s.
Summit Avenue was originally conceived as a broad, Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
showcase street, and is lined with the mansions named after notable Saint Paul figures, such as railroad tycoon James J. Hill
James J. Hill
James Jerome Hill , was a Canadian-American railroad executive. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwest, the northern Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest...
. With its vistas of downtown and the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, Summit Avenue is thought to be one of the longest stretches of preserved Victorian mansions in North America. It has been home to artists such as F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
and his wife Zelda
Zelda Fitzgerald
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald , born Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama, was an American novelist and the wife of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. She was an icon of the 1920s—dubbed by her husband "the first American Flapper"...
, Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
Harry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of...
, August Wilson
August Wilson
August Wilson was an American playwright whose work included a series of ten plays, The Pittsburgh Cycle, for which he received two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama...
, and currently Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
. More notorious residents have included 1930s-era gangsters such as John Dillinger
John Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. was an American bank robber in Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations...
and members of the Barker-Karpis Gang.
Downtown
Downtown Saint Paul is the 17th District Council (CapitolRiver CouncilCapitolRiver Council
CapitolRiver Council is one of the 17 district councils for the City of St. Paul, Minnesota. This organization advocates on behalf of all members in the downtown community to ensure citizen participation in efforts to support a safe, clean, vibrant neighborhood and a healthy economic...
)http://www.capitolrivercouncil.org/ and is home to Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild hockey team, Galtier Plaza
Galtier Plaza
Galtier Plaza, located in the Lowertown historic district of St. Paul, Minnesota, provides space for working, living, eating, and recreating in a self-contained project on one square city block....
, McNally Smith College of Music
McNally Smith College of Music
McNally Smith College of Music is a contemporary for-profit music college located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. McNally Smith offers a range of diplomas, associate's degrees, and bachelor's degrees in the areas of music business; performance in guitar, bass, drums, voice, keyboard, brass...
, Minnesota Swarm
Minnesota Swarm
Minnesota Swarm is a box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. The team plays on Treasure Island Field at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota....
, and Wells Fargo Place
Wells Fargo Place
Wells Fargo Place is an office tower in St. Paul, Minnesota. It stands at 471 ft. tall, and is currently the tallest building in St. Paul. It was built by Winsor/Faricy Architects, Inc., and is 37 stories tall. It is a concrete structure, with a facade of brown-colored granite and glass. It...
. When the Wild are playing or there is some other event, downtown can become busier. There are exceptions. The downtown hosts very pleasant parks, most notably one of the oldest parks in the country in the jewel-like Rice Park. The streetscape has also been improved in some areas of downtown, including along Wabasha and St. Peter Streets, where a small collection of restaurants has developed. That said, the more nightlife-oriented bars have developed just outside downtown on West Seventh Street. The extensive skyway system connecting most of the office buildings has also contributed in removing foot traffic from the streets.