Minneapolis – Hale Page Diamond Lake (HPDL)
What you should know about moving to Hale-Page-Diamond Lake area of Minneapolis
The Hale-Page-Diamond Lake neighborhoods (HPDL) boast a distinctive history that continues to shape their character today. Despite major developments, including housing booms and the construction of I-35W, these neighborhoods prioritized preserving their picturesque parkland surrounding Diamond Lake, Lake Nokomis, and the Minnehaha River. Originally zoned as residential areas with later allowances for some businesses, HPDL retains a limited commercial and industrial footprint. This unique zoning has profoundly influenced the neighborhood’s culture, fostering an authentic and quaint atmosphere where local businesses and restaurants thrive. Residents, drawn from across Minneapolis, flock to enjoy the scenic parks in the area. The neighborhoods also maintain strong community ties, particularly with local churches. While the small-town feel has slightly waned due to population growth, community members actively counter this trend by organizing annual events that unite locals. Currently, HPDL remains a tight-knit community, and many residents are committed to preserving its intimate and authentic character.
History
The Hale-Page-Diamond Lake areas, originally inhabited by the Minnesota Sioux Indians, underwent significant historical shifts that have shaped their present identity. In 1805, a treaty between Lieutenant Zebulun Pike and Native Americans designated the region as the Fort Snelling Reservation. Over time, this land transitioned from Native American territory to settlers’ hands. By 1887, the Hale and Page neighborhoods were incorporated into the city of Minneapolis, while Diamond Lake remained part of Richfield. The 1920s witnessed a housing boom, propelling the development of Hale and Page alongside other neighborhoods, all while preserving the area’s natural beauty. In 1926, the HPDL area was officially zoned as residential, a designation largely retained to this day. Post-World War II, another housing boom in the 1950s completed HPDL’s development. The absence of a trolley system in HPDL during the automobile age established it as an upper-class enclave, transitioning to a middle-class, white-collar neighborhood with improved car accessibility. The construction of the I-35W freeway in the early 1960s displaced homes but heightened the commitment to preserving the neighborhood’s scenic landscape. Today, HPDL boasts an abundance of parkland, a testament to the careful balance maintained throughout its development. Despite witnessing considerable changes, these neighborhoods remain a close-knit community passionate about preserving their unique resources. The Hale Community takes pride in its namesake elementary school, focusing on art and music, while Page, named after Walter Hines Page, boasts Page Elementary School. Diamond Lake, named after the nearby lake, reflects the common Minneapolis tradition of neighborhoods deriving their names from local schools. For a more comprehensive exploration of the area’s history, interested readers can delve into a student essay from the University of Minnesota: Link to essay.
What are the benefits of buying a home in HPDL area of Minneapolis?
Buying a home in the Hale-Page-Diamond Lake (HPDL) area of Minneapolis comes with a variety of benefits, making it an appealing choice for those seeking a unique and community-oriented living experience. Here are several advantages to consider:
- Natural Beauty and Parkland: The HPDL area is renowned for preserving its natural beauty, surrounded by parkland encompassing Diamond Lake, Lake Nokomis, and the Minnehaha Creek. Residents enjoy access to these scenic areas, contributing to a tranquil and picturesque environment.
- Residential Focus: Zoned primarily as residential, the neighborhood maintains a predominantly residential character. This results in a quieter and more serene atmosphere, with limited commercial space, enhancing the overall quality of life.
- Quaint and Authentic Atmosphere: The emphasis on preserving natural landscapes and restricting commercial development contributes to a quaint and authentic neighborhood atmosphere. Residents value the genuine and unique character of HPDL.
- Local Businesses and Restaurants: Despite the residential focus, HPDL features local businesses and restaurants that add to the neighborhood’s charm. The local establishments contribute to a sense of community and provide convenient amenities.
- Historical Significance: The Hale Community is named after the Hale Elementary School, which, in turn, is named after the American revolutionist Nathan Hale. This historical connection adds depth to the neighborhood and creates a sense of pride among residents.
- Abundance of Parkland: HPDL boasts more parkland than many other neighborhoods in Minneapolis. The commitment to preserving green spaces ensures residents have ample opportunities for outdoor activities and recreation.
In conclusion, buying a home in the Hale-Page-Diamond Lake area offers a blend of natural beauty, community engagement, and a commitment to preserving the neighborhood’s authentic character. Whether you appreciate the abundance of parkland, the historical significance, or the close-knit community, HPDL provides a unique and enriching living experience in Minneapolis.
South Minneapolis Neighborhoods:
Linden Hills, East Harriet, King Field, Fulton, Lynnhurst, Tangletown, Armatage, Kenny, Windom
Hale Page Diamond Lake Real Estate
HPDL real estate consists mainly of single family homes. Most of these homes were built between 1930 and 1950, with many in the 40’s when we had a large housing boom, after the war. These 1940’s houses are what we call “Minimal Traditional” and are the typical 1.5 story home that is ubiquitous throughout South Minneapolis, like the first photo in this section. Many of these were built in the 40’s to serve the soldiers coming back from the war that wanted to settle down and start a family.Lake Nokomis Park - ( 2401 E Minnehaha Parkway, 612-370-4923, website)is one of the most well known parks in south Minneapolis. The park is right on the shores of Lake Nokomis and has so many different things to offer. There are sport fields and courts, walking, biking paths and skiing paths, a pool, a boat dock, a playground, art, fountains, a fishing pier, a grill and picnic area, an ice rink, and a horseshoe pit. But the community really enjoys the beach. It is one of the larger beaches on the Minneapolis lakes.
Sandcastle - ( 4955 W Lake Nokomis Pkwy, 612-722-5550, website)The Sandcastle is a particular favorite because it rests on the shore of Lake Nokomis. The American style food is served over the counter, which is perfect for a day at the beach.
In 2013, Minneapolis adopted their Climate Action Plan, which put into place a comprehensive set of emission reduction strategies. These strategies cover 3 areas: Buildings and energy, Transportation and land use, Waste and recycling. For buildings and energy, the goal is to reduce energy usage by 17%, and generate 10% of electricity from local, renewable sources. On the residential building side of things, Minneapolis is proposing a "home energy audit" as part of the Truth In Housing program (TIH or TISH, Truth In Sale of Housing). This would require sellers to have an energy score when listing their house for sale. They are proposing that the TISH inspectors be trained to perform this component of the inspection process. The end result of this energy score would be a single number, for example 37 on a scale of 1 to 100. 100 would mean that the house would have virtually no energy costs. Another part of this program is to make incentives for sellers to improve their homes energy-wise so that they can get a higher sale price due to energy efficiencies. If they don't, the buyers will at least have some knowledge about the energy efficiency of the house, making it an incentive to them to improve the house energy-wise. Also on the residential side of things, Minneapolis is proposing a "time of rent" energy disclosure for renters. Renters currently have no way of knowing how much their utility bills will be before renting a unit. The disclosure would be mandated so that renters could compare units on energy efficiency. This would give incentives to the landlord (owners) to improve their buildings to make them more attractive to the rental market. On the commercial side of things, some of them already have to do an energy score of sorts and disclose to purchasers. Minneapolis would like to extend that to all commercial buildings. They also have an Energy Reduction Challenge called the "Kilowatt Crackdown" to encourage commercial buildings to reduce usage. For renewable energy, Minneapolis is trying to create policies that promote renewable energy, develop a "solar-ready" certification, and encourage "net-zero" buildings. Making a building "solar-ready" adds virtually no cost at the time of construction, and would potentially have some value to purchasers. This would involve adding some structural supports and electrical conduit so that solar could be installed without adding structural support to the roof trusses, and/or digging in walls to add conduit. Both of these items can be added at a very low cost when in the construction phase. What is a net-zero building? Basically net-zero means the building (or house) would generate all the energy it needs to power the building itself. This generally means that the building is super insulated so that it requires less energy to heat and cool the building, as well as solar panels to generate the energy it needs. Oftentimes this type of building uses geo-thermal heat pumps to heat and cool the building, running off solar energy. You can read more about "Net-Zero" buildings at this link. You can read the entire action plan at the link below. Minneapolis Climate Action Plan: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/sustainability/climate-action-goals/climate-action-plan
JAN: Frost Fest - ( 414 E Diamond Lake Rd, 612-370-4906, website)Join us for the annual Frost Fest! The Kids Dance DJs will be here to get the party started with some "cool" and groovy tunes and contests. Food trucks and other vendors will offer a variety of menu options. The event features indoor and outdoor activities including reindeer sleigh rides, ice skating, carnival games, a cake walk, campfire with s'mores, and door prizes.
JUL: Picnic in the Park - ( 414 Diamond Lake Rd E, , website)The annual Picnic in the Park is a fun filled evening with something for everyone. This event features live a band, carnival games and a DJ for the kids, and an awesome line up of food trucks and concessions. In addition, there will be neighborhood resource booths, door prize drawings and much more fun for all ages. This will be one of the best community events of the summer - don't you dare miss it!
Lake Nokomis Park - ( 2401 E Minnehaha Parkway, 612-370-4923, website)is one of the most well known parks in south Minneapolis. The park is right on the shores of Lake Nokomis and has so many different things to offer. There are sport fields and courts, walking, biking paths and skiing paths, a pool, a boat dock, a playground, art, fountains, a fishing pier, a grill and picnic area, an ice rink, and a horseshoe pit. But the community really enjoys the beach. It is one of the larger beaches on the Minneapolis lakes.
Sandcastle - ( 4955 W Lake Nokomis Pkwy, 612-722-5550, website)The Sandcastle is a particular favorite because it rests on the shore of Lake Nokomis. The American style food is served over the counter, which is perfect for a day at the beach.
In 2013, Minneapolis adopted their Climate Action Plan, which put into place a comprehensive set of emission reduction strategies. These strategies cover 3 areas: Buildings and energy, Transportation and land use, Waste and recycling. For buildings and energy, the goal is to reduce energy usage by 17%, and generate 10% of electricity from local, renewable sources. On the residential building side of things, Minneapolis is proposing a "home energy audit" as part of the Truth In Housing program (TIH or TISH, Truth In Sale of Housing). This would require sellers to have an energy score when listing their house for sale. They are proposing that the TISH inspectors be trained to perform this component of the inspection process. The end result of this energy score would be a single number, for example 37 on a scale of 1 to 100. 100 would mean that the house would have virtually no energy costs. Another part of this program is to make incentives for sellers to improve their homes energy-wise so that they can get a higher sale price due to energy efficiencies. If they don't, the buyers will at least have some knowledge about the energy efficiency of the house, making it an incentive to them to improve the house energy-wise. Also on the residential side of things, Minneapolis is proposing a "time of rent" energy disclosure for renters. Renters currently have no way of knowing how much their utility bills will be before renting a unit. The disclosure would be mandated so that renters could compare units on energy efficiency. This would give incentives to the landlord (owners) to improve their buildings to make them more attractive to the rental market. On the commercial side of things, some of them already have to do an energy score of sorts and disclose to purchasers. Minneapolis would like to extend that to all commercial buildings. They also have an Energy Reduction Challenge called the "Kilowatt Crackdown" to encourage commercial buildings to reduce usage. For renewable energy, Minneapolis is trying to create policies that promote renewable energy, develop a "solar-ready" certification, and encourage "net-zero" buildings. Making a building "solar-ready" adds virtually no cost at the time of construction, and would potentially have some value to purchasers. This would involve adding some structural supports and electrical conduit so that solar could be installed without adding structural support to the roof trusses, and/or digging in walls to add conduit. Both of these items can be added at a very low cost when in the construction phase. What is a net-zero building? Basically net-zero means the building (or house) would generate all the energy it needs to power the building itself. This generally means that the building is super insulated so that it requires less energy to heat and cool the building, as well as solar panels to generate the energy it needs. Oftentimes this type of building uses geo-thermal heat pumps to heat and cool the building, running off solar energy. You can read more about "Net-Zero" buildings at this link. You can read the entire action plan at the link below. Minneapolis Climate Action Plan: http://www.minneapolismn.gov/sustainability/climate-action-goals/climate-action-plan
JAN: Frost Fest - ( 414 E Diamond Lake Rd, 612-370-4906, website)Join us for the annual Frost Fest! The Kids Dance DJs will be here to get the party started with some "cool" and groovy tunes and contests. Food trucks and other vendors will offer a variety of menu options. The event features indoor and outdoor activities including reindeer sleigh rides, ice skating, carnival games, a cake walk, campfire with s'mores, and door prizes.
JUL: Picnic in the Park - ( 414 Diamond Lake Rd E, , website)The annual Picnic in the Park is a fun filled evening with something for everyone. This event features live a band, carnival games and a DJ for the kids, and an awesome line up of food trucks and concessions. In addition, there will be neighborhood resource booths, door prize drawings and much more fun for all ages. This will be one of the best community events of the summer - don't you dare miss it!
