Communities and Neighborhoods in St. Paul, MN

Saint Paul is noted for its neighborhoods; the city has been called "fifteen small towns with one mayor", owing to the neighborhood-based life of much of the city. But in fact Saint Paul is broken into not fifteen but seventeen City Districts. And while some City District boundaries perfectly overlap the boundaries of well-recognized neighborhoods, especially in wealthier areas, that's not the case throughout Saint Paul.

The city's seventeen City Districts include:
Downtown, Saint Anthony Park, Merriam Park, Highland Park, Battle Creek, Como Park, Dayton's Bluff, Greater East Side, Macalester-Groveland, North End, Payne-Phalen, Summit Hill, Lex-Ham, Summit-University, Hamline-Midway, Thomas-Dale ("Frogtown"), West Seventh ("the West End"), West Side.

The "West" Side neighborhood seems oddly located to the south, but is so named because it is on the west bank of the Mississippi River. And the "East" Side conglomeration of neighborhoods actually includes the entire eastern third of the city and its populace.

Friday, November 21, 2008