Minneapolis – Longfellow
What You Should Know About Moving Into Longfellow
The Longfellow neighborhoods stand out for their exceptional diversity, making them a distinctive part of Minneapolis. This diversity is prominently displayed in the local schools, where differences are embraced and celebrated. The neighborhood’s restaurants also mirror this cultural richness, reflecting a community that values and learns from its unique qualities. This diversity extends beyond racial and cultural aspects to encompass the coexistence of old and new. Longfellow hosts a range of businesses and organizations, some rooted in tradition since the neighborhood’s inception, while others bring a contemporary flair. The collective appreciation for these differences defines the community spirit in Longfellow. Comprising Longfellow, Hiawatha, Cooper, and Howe, these neighborhoods share a unified neighborhood organization known as the Longfellow Community Council.
History
The Longfellow neighborhoods were incorporated into the city of Minneapolis in the early 20th century and derive their name from the renowned poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His poem “The Song of Hiawatha,” which features Minnehaha Falls, inspired the neighborhood’s nomenclature. Between 1906 and 1920, the advent of the streetcar transformed Longfellow into a bustling “streetcar suburb,” making homes more accessible and affordable. This accessibility attracted a diverse array of residents, particularly Scandinavians, fostering the neighborhood’s affordability and diversity that persists today. Many early homes, primarily bungalows, were obtainable for $300 and a $5 down payment, catering to the working class. Cooper, named after frontier-focused writer James Fenimore Cooper, and Howe, named after social activist Julia Ward Howe, further enrich the neighborhood’s historical and cultural tapestry. Hiawatha takes its name from the central character in Longfellow’s poem, maintaining a connection to the neighborhood’s literary inspiration. These Longfellow neighborhoods, comprising Cooper, Howe, and Hiawatha, continue to embody diversity and affordability, echoing their early 20th-century development.
What Are The Benefits Of Buying A Home In Longfellow?
Buying a home in Longfellow offers a multitude of benefits, making it an attractive choice for prospective residents. Here are some notable advantages:
- Diverse Community: Longfellow is renowned for its diversity, both culturally and economically. The neighborhood has embraced its varied demographics, fostering an inclusive and vibrant community.
- Historic Charm: With roots dating back to the early 20th century, Longfellow exudes historic charm. The streets are lined with character-rich homes, including many well-preserved bungalows, reflecting the neighborhood’s architectural heritage.
- Affordability: Longfellow’s history as a “streetcar suburb” contributes to its affordability. The development pattern of accessible and reasonably priced homes has endured, making it an appealing option for a diverse range of residents.
- Cultural Connection: Named after poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and featuring streets named after literary figures like James Fenimore Cooper and Julia Ward Howe, the neighborhood maintains a strong cultural connection, offering a unique and enriched living experience.
- Proximity to Minnehaha Falls: Residents enjoy close proximity to Minnehaha Falls, a natural attraction immortalized in Longfellow’s poetry. The falls and the surrounding park provide a picturesque backdrop for outdoor activities.
- Community Engagement: The Longfellow Community Council unites the various neighborhoods, fostering community engagement. Residents actively participate in events, discussions, and initiatives, contributing to a sense of shared responsibility and pride.
- Culinary and Shopping Variety: The neighborhood’s commercial areas offer a wide variety of restaurants and shops, reflecting the diverse tastes and preferences of the residents.
- Renewed Community Focus: The establishment of the Seward Neighborhood Group in the 1950s played a pivotal role in revitalizing the community. This focus on community engagement and improvement continues to shape Longfellow’s identity today.
In conclusion, Longfellow stands as a unique and inclusive neighborhood with a rich history, diverse community, and a range of amenities, making it an excellent choice for those looking to buy a home in Minneapolis.
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
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