Macalester-Groveland is a neighborhood and city planning district in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the United States. It is Saint Paul Planning District 14. The neighborhood is bounded by the Mississippi River on the west, Summit Avenue on the north, Ayd Mill Road on the east, and Randolph Avenue on the south.[1] The district contains Macalester College and the smaller neighborhood of Tangletown, as well as many homes, restaurants, and shops.
Neighborhood residents are more likely to be politically liberal. The neighborhood has a suburban feel, but it is a densely built environment with restaurants, coffee shops, and local bars.[2] The majority of the neighborhood's housing stock was built before 1939 and around 60% of residents own their homes.[3] As of the 2018-2022 American Community Survey, around 84% of residents were white.[3]
Snelling Avenue, Minnesota Highway 51, is a major north-south street in the community. There are transit stops on the Metro A Line in the neighborhood at Grand Ave, St. Clair Ave, and Randolph Ave.[4] The city of Saint Paul has been encouraging high-density housing along transit corridors and Snelling Avenue in particular.[5][6]
History
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The neighborhood began to develop in the 1890s as streetcars were extended to the area. Other areas began filling in during the 1920s which resulted in different development patterns.[7] The development in the 1920s and after is later than other parts of Saint Paul which resulted in buildings more oriented around private automobile travel and commercial areas mostly located at public streetcar corners.[8]
A subarea of the neighborhood is called Tangletown for the twisting streets that contrast to the gridded structure of the rest of the city. In the 1880s Macalester College moved to what was then the western suburbs of Saint Paul. Lots in Tangletown were intended to fund the endowment for Macalester College but that plan was not successful. The area developed gradually with many different architectural styles.[9]
Notable residents
editIn the 1920s, hundreds of neighborhood residents attempted to intimidate African-American civil rights activist, Nellie Griswold Francis, and her husband William T. Francis from moving into the neighborhood.[10] Charles Schulz grew up in the neighborhood as well as the nearby neighborhoods of Union Park and Highland Park.[11]
References
edit- ^ Macalester-Groveland Community Plan Retrieved February 2nd, 2024
- ^ Bornhoft, William (21 March 2023). "These Are The Best Places To Live In Minnesota: New Niche Rankings". Across Minnesota, MN Patch. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Macalester-Groveland | MN Compass". www.mncompass.org. Minnesota Compass. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Brandt, Alyssa; Healy, Michael; Kratz, David; Lau, Anthony (May 2015). "Snelling Avenue After the A Line" (PDF). Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Walsh, James (June 19, 2018). "St. Clair-Snelling development may be sign of fights to come". Star Tribune. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Melo, Frederick (14 September 2017). "St. Paul embraces denser development along South Snelling". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Martin, Judith A.; Lanegran, David A. (1983). Where we live: the residential districts of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Minneapolis: Published by the University of Minnesota Press in association with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota. pp. 4–5. ISBN 0816610940.
- ^ Zellie, Carole; Peterson, Garneth O. (2001). "Neighborhood Commercial Centers 1874-1960" (PDF). Landscape Research and URS / BRW. p. 14. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Martin, Judith A.; Lanegran, David A. (1983). Where we live: the residential districts of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Minneapolis: Published by the University of Minnesota Press in association with the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota. pp. 89–93. ISBN 0816610940.
- ^ Walsh, James (February 22, 2019). "Play about St. Paul's racist past sparks discussion and sold-out crowds". Star Tribune. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ^ Sturdevant, Andy (24 August 2016). "Charles Schulz's St. Paul: Little pieces of Schulziana are still scattered across the landscape". MinnPost. Retrieved 9 June 2024.