[DEV] Live Minneapolis - Saint Paul

Seward is a diverse, vibrant neighborhood located along the Mississippi River in south Minneapolis, close to downtown, the University, and Saint Paul. Seward’s sense of community and mix of residential, commercial, and industrial areas give the neighborhood the feel of an urban village within a large metropolitan area. Seward’s urban wilderness, the Mississippi River gorge has biking and hiking trails and is part of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway. Shops, restaurants, the Seward food co-op, arts and cultural organizations, and office space are located along Franklin Avenue—Seward’s primary commercial corridor. More than 250 artists make up the Seward Community Arts Network (that hosts the annual Seward Arts Festival), and two internationally recognized arts organizations, the Playwrights’ Center and the Northern Clay Center make their homes in the neighborhood. Seward is also home to an estimated 1000 new East African immigrants who have chosen to make the neighborhood home.

Boundaries and Zip Code

North: I-94
South:27th Street East (and the Midtown Greenway)
East: Mississippi River
West: Hiawatha Avenue

Zip code: 55406, 55404

Neighborhood Voices

If Seward were to secede from its surrounding neighborhoods, we would not only survive - without question - we would thrive. Seward has everything it needs to allow for all residents to fulfill every wish and every essential need - and will continue to develop in this direction!
- Annie

History

As one of the oldest neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Seward dates back to the first rapid expansion of the city in the late Nineteenth Century. Seward's history begins with its main commercial thoroughfare and cultural cornerstone, Franklin Avenue. Franklin originally ran along the southern border of the Town of Minneapolis, established in 1856. Over the next twenty-five years, the area expanded away from Franklin to the south and west. A major influence on the early growth of the neighborhood was the construction, in 1870, of the Iowa and Minnesota Division of the Milwaukee railroad, which runs parallel to Hiawatha Avenue on Seward's western border. Throughout the 1870s and 1880s, residential development remained confined to the area adjacent to the railroad and the industrial district. By 1930, the area had been built up into a fully developed neighborhood.

For more information about Seward’s history, see: http://www.sng.org/history.html

Housing Styles and Types

Seward has a mix of housing types—larger high and mid-rise apartment buildings are located near I-94; duplexes are available; and single-family homes from the late nineteenth-century and bungalows built before the World War II are found throughout the neighborhood.

Schools

Public Schools:

• Seward Montessori (K-8)
• Volunteers of America High School (Alternative, 9-12)

Charter Schools:

• Aurora Charter School (K-8)
• Lighthouse Academy of Nations (9-12)
• MTS Communications Arts High School (9-12)

For more information on Minneapolis schools, visit Live MSP's Schools page.

Public Facilities

• Matthews Park—wading pool, playground, hockey/broomball rink, playing fields, basket ball court and more.
• Matthews Recreation Center
• Mississippi Gorge Regional Park
• Grand Rounds Scenic Byway

Home Purchase/Home Improvement Incentives

For information about incentive programs that may be available in this neighborhood, visit Live MSP's Incentive Programs page.

Getting Involved

• Seward Neighborhood Group—SNG is the official neighborhood organization for Seward with a mission of making Seward a better place to live, work, and play. Get involved in one of the many SNG Committees, assist with the Youth Peace Garden, and/or be a part of one of the neighborhoods 50 block clubs.
• Seward Redesign—a neighborhood based non-profit organization that plans, advocates, and implements development that responds to community priorities and creates living-wage jobs, affordable housing, and quality goods and services.
• Seward Civic and Commerce Association-- provide a forum for Seward area businesses to plan, discuss, advocate and network for mutual benefit.
• Milwaukee Avenue Homeowners’ Association--formed in 1978 to manage the common areas owned by the homeowners’ association, and to preserve the architectural integrity of the buildings on Milwaukee Avenue (there are 78 single- and multiple-family Victorian homes in the homeowners association, with most built in the 1880s.)

News

• Seward Neighbors Forum on e-democracy.org.
• The Bridge—monthly newspaper delivered free to residents

Statistics

• City of Minneapolis Neighborhood Profile—Includes trend information on neighborhood demographics, economics, and housing, taken from the most recent census data
• Home Sales Information by Neighborhood—The City of Minneapolis Assessor’s Office allows you to search home sale prices by neighborhood. You choose the time frame that you want to compare (e.g. 1/1/2006 – 12/31/2008.)
• Minneapolis Crime Statistics—Crime maps, statistics, and reports compiled by the Minneapolis Police Department. Check out Interpreting Crime Statistics. to help you make sense of these resources.

Real Estate Listings

Search Realtor.com for listings. You can search for properties by either clicking on the map or entering the neighborhood name or zip code (noting that zip code boundaries span multiple neighborhoods) into the search bar.

OwnAHomeMN.org—Check here for listings of affordable homes sold by community developers. Note: not all neighborhoods have listings.

Contacts

Seward Neighborhood Group, Inc.
Mike Rollin, Community Coordinator, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
2323 E. Franklin Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
General e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone: 612-338-6205, x119

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