South Minneapolis (Bloomington, Minnetonka, Franklin: apartment, job, furnishings)

[Slig]

North Minneapolis gets too much infamy on this forum. Nobody seems to want to mention North's slightly poorer neighbor, South Minneapolis. The Phillips neighborhood is still statistically the poorest neighborhood in the city. Despite having about 1/3 the amount of murders as North in the last 3-4 years, the area is still affected by crime, poverty and a isolation from the rest of the city, although some areas have undergone rehabilitation (namely the lake street corridor, the intersection of franklin and portland ave, the old sears building, etc). Not to mention all the arsenic was removed from the homes near Hiawatha, I think?

The reason I mention this area is because even though it is plagued with problems, I still absolutely love the location in relation to everything else. It is very close to the lakes, downtown, the light rail, the river, the airport, 35W and 94, etc. etc. I'd like to think the area has been improving but even on the news today I see that there was a police shooting on the 2700 block of Bloomington Ave and a guy got gunned down as he was fleeing the apartment building there. It's pretty apparent this area isn't cleaned out yet.

Anyways, I was wondering if anybody on here has any experiences about this area or any commentary on it. Anybody know where the concentration of subsidized housing is located or the specific streets to stay away from? I've always had the impression that Bloomington ave between around 24th street to 28th street wasn't safe but I'm not sure what the current status on other parts of that area is.

My own experiences is I like the Hispanic element on Lake street, lots of interesting shops and authentic Mexican restaurants there. Also, I used to buy my booze at Chicago Lake Liquors and I like that place, good selection

One time I was there and a guy knocked on my window asking for $1.40 so he could buy a 40. I thought that was pretty funny, yet a little sad.

[politikally]

I have to disagree, I think North Minneapolis has a well deserved reputation. Virtually once a week it's North Minneapolis that we see on the news. Not the south.

I've been to both parts of town on numerous occasions. I just don't see the obvious squaller in the south, like I do in the North. :-/ I'm sure there are poor people in the south, just like everywhere else in the downtown area, but we don't see the violence on the news.

I also would ask the question -- why on earth are the houses in the North only going for 50k-60k when in the south they average much MUCH higher? It's because the people can't sell the houses at a higher dollar amount, mainly because of the reputation and reality of the area.

So I have to disagree. I don't think North Minneapolis is getting a bad rap on this forum. I think it is getting an accurate rap.

[Slig]

Yes, I would agree that North is worse now than South but if you think the area that borders Franklin Ave from the North, Lake St from the south, 35W to the West and Hiawatha to the East is any less of a hood than any part of North than you are missing a few screws. That area was where the majority of the murders in Minneapolis happened from the mid 90's till 2001. Like I stated in my last post alot of renewel has gone on down there and as a result the area is steadily improving and yes, demand for housing there has increased as well.

However, the house price difference between North and South isn't always neccessarily demand. All those houses in North priced below 150k are priced that way for a reason, none of those houses are livable. You are talking about houses that are boarded up, need new roofing, furnace, plumbing, interior furnishings, etc. I know this because I was looking at houses in there for a while. There are houses like this in South too. I think there is just a little more incentive for people to throw down to fix the houses up in South because of the increased demand. All the city has to do is install a light rail through the northside, invest in renewal at major intersections like lowry/penn, broadway/lyndale, dowling/penn, etc. and the same exact thing will happen that happened in South.

P.S. there have been 14 murders in Phillips so far this year and 386 reported offenses of prostitution and 738 narcotics offenses in that precinct January through November (www.ci.minnesota.mn.us (broken link))

[JulietsKiss]

Hey--who wants to ride the 5 in the middle of the night?


The problems I see that are the worst in South are crazy drunk people, perverts (alot of guys hit on little girls, seriously) and robberies. Police arrest reports also show crack is moving back into the neighborhood. The Chicago Lake Transit Center is pretty scary--you see alot of drug dealing, perverts, drunks and crazy people hanging around. If someone asks for money, don't look at them & walk away. While you are digging for change you could be beat up or robbed. That sitting area outside of K-Mart on Lake Street also has some drama going on--they should just rip that up. Franklin Street is also a place known to be rough--especially near Chicago.

On an unrelated topic--has anyone seen those Somali businesses and cafes where there are only men inside? Has any woman gone into one--what happened?

[The Icy River Vagabond]

You like the "hispanic" element???? I don't.

[punkerdunker]

Originally Posted by The Icy River Vagabond

You like the "hispanic" element???? I don't.

oh for fun, .... why not?

[nick is rulz]

Phillips has its share of problems but it has improved greatly over the years. NPR actually recently ran an article about Bloomington Ave and the reverse in crime thats happened there.

My brother lived over there for a while...come to think of it he has lived on a lot of dangerous blocks (22nd and Irving, Franklin and Park, Bloomington and 24th)...but yeah it was pretty much a dump.

[2blessed2stress]

Originally Posted by politikally

I have to disagree, I think North Minneapolis has a well deserved reputation. Virtually once a week it's North Minneapolis that we see on the news. Not the south.

Well then. If it's on the news it MUST be true!!!!!!!!!

The job of the news is NOT information it is Ratings and sensationalism. Focus on the north side. Report EVERY bad thing that happens over north. It's what people WANT to hear. They want to be able to say "Yep. I knew that area was horrible" when truth be told they have never stepped foot in the area!

I live in Minnetonka, but I will tell you, it was not until the more recent revitalization of central-south minneapolis that I've felt comfortable in the area. I don't have a problem going into the "hood" but that's just me...

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by JulietsKiss

Hey--who wants to ride the 5 in the middle of the night?


The problems I see that are the worst in South are crazy drunk people, perverts (alot of guys hit on little girls, seriously) and robberies. Police arrest reports also show crack is moving back into the neighborhood. The Chicago Lake Transit Center is pretty scary--you see alot of drug dealing, perverts, drunks and crazy people hanging around. If someone asks for money, don't look at them & walk away. While you are digging for change you could be beat up or robbed. That sitting area outside of K-Mart on Lake Street also has some drama going on--they should just rip that up. Franklin Street is also a place known to be rough--especially near Chicago.

On an unrelated topic--has anyone seen those Somali businesses and cafes where there are only men inside? Has any woman gone into one--what happened?

I believe they put the men and women into separate rooms.

[JenLee]

I've worked in that area for over 25 years; and the neighborhood has made HUGE strides in the right direction over the years!

The 90's were indeed rough; but over the past 8-10 years, the Phillipps and Powderhorn neighborhoods have just gotten better each year. I've watched the different ethnic groups move into the area; then move out as they move up into a better socio-economic level.

The neighborhood is now cleaner; less gang symbols and tagging apparent; I don't see any people hanging out on the same corners in all weather at all hours of the day and night; and there is very little litter laying around on the street.