Elliot Park, Minneapolis

Infobox neighborhood
official_name = Elliot Park
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mapsize = 200px
map_caption = Location of Elliot Park within the U.S. city of Minneapolis
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1= State
subdivision_type2= County
subdivision_type3= City
subdivision_type4= Community
subdivision_name= United States
subdivision_name1= Minnesota
subdivision_name2= Hennepin
subdivision_name3= Minneapolis
subdivision_name4= Central
established= Founded
established_date= 1849
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population_as_of = 2000
population_total = 6,476
population_density =
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population_metro = 3,502,891
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population_urban = 387,970
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population_footnotes=cite web| title=Twin Cities Region Population and Household Estimates, 2006| url=http://www.metrocouncil.org/metroarea/2006PopulationEstimates.pdf | format=PDF | date=2006-04-01 | publisher=Metropolitan Council | accessdate= 2007-07-24] cite web |title=Table 2: Population Estimates for the 100 Most Populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas Based on July 1, 2006 Population Estimates: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url=http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/cb07-51tbl2.pdf | format = PDF | date = 2007-04-05 |accessdate=2007-04-16]
timezone= CST
utc_offset= -6
timezone_DST= CDT
utc_offset_DST= -5
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latNS= N
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postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 55404, 55415
area_code = 612
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demographics = Elliot Park is a neighborhood within the larger Central community in Minneapolis, MN, USA. It is bordered on the north by the Downtown West and Downtown East neighborhoods, on the west by Loring Park, on the east by Cedar/Riverside, and on the south by Phillips. Its official boundaries are 5th Avenue South to the northwest, 5th Street South to the northeast Highway 55 to the east, the Interstate 94/Interstate 35W commons to the south, and 4th Avenue South to the west. The neighborhood occupies both the Downtown Minneapolis street grid (running parallel to the Mississippi River) and the South Minneapolis street grid (running north-south and east-west), creating many trianglar street corners where the two grids meet. Once the home of some of Minneapolis's wealthiest citizens, after World War II and the construction of I-94 and I-35W cut off the neighborhood, Elliot Park became one of the city's poorest neighborhoods by the 1970s.

History

Elliot Park is one of Minneapolis's oldest neighborhoods, with plots set for housing as early as 1856. It was close to industrial developments on the nearby banks of the Mississippi River, which made it a popular settlement for early Swedish immigrants.

The namesake for the neighborhood is Mr. Joseph Elliot, an area physician, who donated his farm land to the city in 1893. This land is the site of the current Elliot Park, and another generous donation of Mr. Elliot resulted in the founding of Steele Park - these were the city's first two parks.

It began to rise to wealth near the end of the 19th century, as Downtown Minneapolis began to experience rapid growth. The neighborhood at that time had the city's only two parks, which made it a fashionable area to live in. Several large mansions sprang up along Park Avenue.

However, during the next twenty years, as the city began to grow more and more quickly, the character of the neighborhood began to change. The need for higher concentrations of people transformed the neighborhood into an area of three and four storey brick apartment buildings. Of these, the notable Rappahannock Condominiums are among the oldest in the city.

The area began to decline in wealth in the mid-20th century, as the high housing density attracted lower income families. The construction of the interstate system resulted in large areas of the city being gutted, and between 1950 and 1970 the population declined by almost 54%. The freeway construction also resulted in the relocation of several area businesses, which changed the character of the commercial sector, and resulted in a much higher transient population. At one point, 53% of the community lived below the poverty line.

Despite these characteristics, the neighborhood's historical contribution to Minneapolis remains significant. Two of the neighborhood's buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places: The First Church of Christ, Scientist on 15th Street and the Hinkle-Murphy House at 619 S 10th Street. The neighborhood has been home to North Central University since 1936.

By the turn of the century, the neighborhood has begun to quickly gentrify, with numerous, high priced luxury condos encroaching on the neighborhood's borders with the Central and Downtown East neighborhoods.

External links

* [http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/neighborhoods/elliotpark_profile_home.asp Minneapolis Neighborhood Profile - Elliot Park]
* [http://www.ci.mpls.mn.us/council/ward7/ 7th Ward, City of Minneapolis]
* [http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/minneapolis/elliotpark/ Elliot Park Neighborhood, Inc.]
* [http://www.elliotparkneighborhood.org/ Official Website]