Elliot Park Area & Apartments (Minneapolis, Nicollet: section 8, rental, condos)

[msny80]

I was in TC this weekend apt hunting and found the Drexel Apartments which I really liked. Does anyone know anything about the apartment and the area in terms of liveliness and safety? It's in the Elliot Park neighborhood (10th & Park Ave). I googlemapped how to get to U of MN via bus, and it shows I have to walk 6 blocks to the Metrodome to catch a bus to the U. My question is, how walkable are these blocks for a female in terms of safety? Also, has anyone heard any reviews about this apartment itself?

[gweilo845]

Elliot Park is a bit of a weird area in that you'll have multi-million dollar condos right next to run-down section 8 apartments. It's generally safe, but I would be real careful about walking by yourself at night, especially if you are going to be carrying student accessories like laptop, ipod, etc.

[Camden Northsider]

I lived around 9th and Park Ave for a brief period of time (7 or 8 mos). I believe I had looked at the Drexel and liked them as well- the apts seemed pretty nice/clean and well-taken care of, and being that they sat a little back from Park Ave they were probably a little quieter on the inside than where I was at.

As for walkability, it was nice having the Band Box just down the road, and the convenience store as well (although you will pay an arm and a leg for anything at the convenience store), but to get to Downtown restaurants and/or the little business node off 11th & 15th Aves, it was a little bit of a hike unless you were wanting to go for a stroll. There were definitely conveniences to living in such a centralized location, but at that point in my life I was working long hours and spending a lot of time at my then-girlfriend/now-wife's apartment so I can't say I ever sought to really see what all the neighborhood had to offer. Although there are little pockets around there (as you walk towards the east from the drexel) where the streets aren't as busy so IMO becomes a little more "walkable", there aren't too many businesses/amenities in the general vicinity (including parks), and walking into downtown through all of the busy one-ways was never a pleasurable (or walkable in the sense of ped-friendly) experience for me.

I similarly worked in Elliot Park on the eves/weekends close by Augustana Care for 1.5 years, and between my time living and working there, it always felt fairly safe- you definitely want to use caution/watch your back and not take strolls into dark alleyways late at night, but for the most part the area was fairly well-lit and had enough people coming/going at all hours of the day (HCMC and other healthcare-oriented businesses, etc.) which I think helped in terms of safety.

Some downsides- no grocery stores anywhere in the immediate vicinity, and if your apt's washer/dryer breaks down, you may have to travel to find a laundromat (i used to when i lived in the area). Parking also can suck- most of the time when I was there you could generally find on-street parking within a block or two radius (so was better than my time near the wedge in Whittier), but snow emergencies, etc. could get complicated.

[Radical_Car]

Like gweilo said its weird as in the placement of housing

[vladlensky]

I don't mean to resurrect an old thread, but I wanted to throw in my recommendation for Drexel/Elliot Park area as a great place if you are new to Minneapolis or on a budget. There aren't a lot of reviews online, which is unfortunate, because I think this place deserves a decent write-up.

I actually moved to Drexel when money was tight, I was a grad student and needed a place that was both inexpensive, in a decently safe neighborhood (single female) and wouldn't require a 12-month lease. I had been priced out of Riverwalk Apartments in the Warehouse District at over 900/mo for a 1bed and a friend who was currently living there recommended Drexel. I ended up renting there for a little more than a year and then, after a 1 year stint overseas, I actually returned again and rented a different apartment for a little over 12 months.

Here's what I loved:

1. Month-to-Month lease: I can't overstate this enough, but finding an apartment right in the heart of downtown with month-to-month rent was a godsend. I didn't want to get caught up and have to break a 12-month lease if financial circumstances took a turn. Having the flexibility was great.

2. The neighborhood: I wasn't sold on Elliot Park initially, at least compared to Loring, Warehouse District and Uptown, but it isn't a bad place to live. I kept to the Northern side of Park/Chicago and didn't venture south (across 94) as that area tended to be rougher, but I felt safe on the street both walking and biking. I also parked my German car on the street there for over a year without any issues. The area is very walkable and I frequently walked/biked to downtown/uptown and even the suburbs.

3. The building: Drexel is old, like really old. It used to be a hotel at one point and there are a few interesting historical tidbits scattered about that add to the charm. If you like living in old buildings (think big windows, high ceilings, old iron radiators) you'll love it. Just be prepared for the other quirks like no A/C in the summer (the management has a nice rental program for window units though!) and other such things.

4. The management: I can't really say enough good things. This isn't a large property management company, so you get to deal with actual people. Run-of-the-mill apartment issues get resolved quickly. There are no large security deposits. Staff is both reasonable, accommodating and easy to deal with.



Here's what wasn't so great:

1. Petty theft - I probably had 3 bikes stolen while I lived at Drexel. Didn't matter what kind of lock it was, if I chained it to either the inner or outer gate, it was gone. I finally resorted to hauling my bike inside my apartment. Not ideal in a small 1br, but it worked.

2. The neighbors - On a few occasions, the Police showed up to resolve domestic disputes, post-bar fights and general arguments/noise complaints. It was annoying, but I encountered this much more while living in the Warehouse district, and I think that's just part of apartment life. I never saw any police presence for dangerous or violent crime.

3. No dedicated parking. Again, you can probably attribute this to the historical nature of the property, but there's no off-street parking for residents (a pain during snow emergency). However, when weather is good, on-street parking is relatively easy and yearly permits from the city are cheap. Be sure to obtain a guest permit so your friends can park though - all the surrounding streets are permit-only parking!

4. No Pets - This speaks for itself, but the apartment had (at least until 2010-ish as far as I know) a pretty strict no-pets policy.

[montymontage]

I live in Elliot Park area and have for about the last five years. I wouldn't really characterize it as lively compared to Warehouse District or Loring Park area but it is very convenient, fairly affordable, and overall rather pleasant. The Drexel Building certainly has some charm. The walk from bus to train station isn't too bad, unless you're carrying many things during a thunderstorm.

(Btw, you can also take a green line train to the UM at same place you'd catch a bus, that is downtown east station, near what was Metro dome. That might be more convenient--depending on what part of the University you're going to.)

As far as safety.....Overall, I'd say it's safe. I don't know what you're used to but I think you can expect, as a female at night, some degree of creepy cat-calling. If you know you're going to be often coming home at night, you might take a bicycle with you. You can attach it to front of bus; the trains have areas to stash it. You'd be able to zip around campus; get lunch off campus; and, at night, be home in a few minutes with ability to breeze by anybody with whom you don't wish to interact.

There is target for groceries (9th and Nicollet), maybe six blocks away from that location.