Whether it be East Hennepin, The Northeast Neighborhood, or the “Nordeast,” as some locals refer to it as, what you need to know is merely this: Northeast is Minneapolis’ first community. The history that emanates from this area is vast. Anywhere you go, each structure you see, there’s a tale about it. It started in […]

The Nokomis community has a rich history that was heavily influenced by Native Americans and streetcar lines. While today is is home to nearly 38,000 residents, the Nokomis area was one of the later communities to be developed within the city of Minneapolis. It’s location in the southeast corner of the city meant that it […]

The Near North community can be found in the north-western side of the city of Minneapolis. A collection of six distinct neighborhoods, the community is known for being one of the quieter and more peaceful areas to live in Minneapolis. Residents enjoy the numerous parks and open spaces as well as the close proximity to […]

Like many other communities in Minneapolis, when the street cars stretched outward in the 1880s, development in Near North followed. The Old Highland area started to develop housing in the 1880s with the majority of the original housing stock developed by the time the 1920s. Most of the homes were larger and established by downtown […]

The city of Minneapolis did not obtain land south of Franklin Avenue until 1881 and 1883 when the last half of Longfellow annexed in 1887 from Richfield, of which it was once a member. The area’s development was mainly built from 1900 through the 1920s when streetcar and residential rail became available. Also, the arrival […]

The Central community is commonly referred to as “downtown Minneapolis”. This area is home to the famous Minneapolis skyline, a dynamic nightlife, and thousands of local businesses. The area wasn’t always this way, however. The Central community in Minneapolis started with humble beginnings and over time saw great expansion. A French explorer by the name […]

The Camden community is home to a wide array of parks and outdoor recreational spaces for residents to enjoy. There are 11 main parks throughout the community in addition to multiple small, natural areas. The parks include: Cleveland Park: A 1.4 acre park that was developed in conjunction with its neighbor, the Lucy Laney at […]

The Camden community is made up of four predominantly residential neighborhoods, which are Victory, Shingle Creek, Webber-Camden, and Lind-Bohanon. The Camden community is comprised of these four neighborhoods as well as the neighborhoods of Folwell, McKinley, and Cleveland near the southern border. The Camden community was initially a rural area north of Minneapolis, and was […]

Before Europeans settled the area of the Calhoun Isles Community, Dakota Indians populated Lake Calhoun. The first recorded village on the Lake was founded in 1928 thanks to Cloudman, a Dakota leader, and Major Lawrence Taliaferro who was stationed in Fort Snelling. The village, known as Eatonville, had a brief existence, but the village was […]

Overview of History of Minneapolis  Minneapolis is the largest city by population in the state of Minnesota, and the county seat for Hennepin County. The beginning and development of the city was due to the nearby vicinity of Fort Snelling, the first major United States military presence in the area, and by its position near […]

Overview of History of Edina The city of Edina, Minnesota was initially a part of the Richfield Township. By the 1870’s, close to twenty families, with many coming from Ireland because of the destructive Potato Famine, had come to the state to find land in the southwest area near Richfield. Settlers from New England and Germany […]

At one point, the area of Hanover, Minnesota was comprised of nothing more than woods, lakes, streams, and the occasional open space. The only inhabitants were the Dakota Indians, and they made use of the woods and water by providing themselves with plenty of game. However, all of this changed as a result of the […]

At one point, the area of Greenfield, Minnesota was comprised of nothing more than woods, lakes, streams, and the occasional open space. The only inhabitants were the Dakota Indians, and they made use of the woods and water by providing themselves with plenty of game. However, all of this changed as a result of the […]

Dayton, Minnesota started as an early settlement.  Like much of the surrounding area, Dayton was mostly an area filled with forests. Some of the trees that were common in the area were oak, ash, and birch. Other main geographical features were grasslands and marshes. However, the settlers were not as interested in the forests, and […]

The city of Maple Grove, Minnesota is located in the north-central part of Hennepin County. At one time, the Federal Government moved Winnebago Indians from Wisconsin to Maple Grove because “no one lived there”. That all changed in 1851 when Louis Gervais and Pierre Bottineau arrived and staked their claims. W.E. Evans, Harvey Abel, Patrick […]

The City of Shakopee is so rich in history, that it is difficult to discuss in a brief manner. The city was once nothing more than a small trading post in the middle of nowhere, but now is one of the most populated areas in the south metro. Shakopee has been home to Native Americans […]

Overview of History of St. Paul Saint Paul is the second biggest city in the state of Minnesota, the county head for Ramsey County, and home of the state capitol. The source and evolution of the city’s growth was a result of Fort Snelling, the first main United States military presence in the state, and […]

The first people living in the region now known today as Corcoran were members of diverse American Indian tribes. Father Louis Hennepin was the first man who explored the region in 1680. In 1849, settlers began to establish small communities all over Minnesota, one of them being modern day Corcoran. Benjamin Pounder was the first […]

The name Champlin was derived from the name of a U.S. Navy Commodore who was known as Stephen Champlin. He was active during the war of 1812 and he died in New York during the year of 1870. The area was first discovered when pioneers were captured by the Native American Indians of the Dakota […]

“This is Paradise,” Pierre Bottineau exclaimed, he took a look at the beautiful prairie and woods before him. Pierre was a man that was traveling through the area from North Dakota, and he was one of the first people besides the Native Americans to visit the location of Brooklyn Township. After he had visited and […]

The area known today as Brooklyn Center, Minnesota was originally owned by the government, and was not made public for residential use until after the treaty with the Dakota Indians had been set in place. This treaty allowed settlers to make their homes in the land that once belong to the Native Americans.  In the […]

St. Anthony, Minnesota started out as a township in 1861, and then became a village in 1945. It was officially a city in 1974, but the name of St. Anthony Village was so popular that the name stuck. The former St. Anthony township surrounded what is known as northeast Minneapolis. In 1887, Minneapolis completely annexed […]