HPDL

Then and Now:

The Hale-Page-Diamond Lake areas were originally more of a bog and inhabited by the Minnesota Sioux Indians. In 1805 Zebulun Pike, a Lieutenant for the American Army made a treaty with the Native Americans, which established it as the Fort Snelling Reservation and an Indian Reservation. Over time the land was taken from the Native Americans and given to settlers. In 1887 the land that is both the Hale and Page neighborhoods today became a part of the city of Minneapolis, while what is Diamond Lake remained a part of the city of Richfield. In the 1920’s there was a housing boom that quickened the development of Hale and Page along with many other neighborhoods. But developers made sure to hold on to the natural beauty of the area. In 1926 the HPDL area was ruled as a residential zone and it mostly remains so today. After World War II there was another housing boom, which led to complete development of HPDL in the 1950s. The trolley car era never reached HPDL, so in order to live there and get to the city homeowners needed an automobile. This put HPDL at the front of the automobile age and established it as upper class, because those that could not afford to own a car could not live there. As the streetcar system developed and cars became more available, HPDL shifted into middle class, white-collar neighborhoods. Next came the building of the I-35W freeway in the early 1960s that displaced many of the homes in HPDL. Throughout the entire development process, the park board and the developers were careful to keep the beautiful landscape in the area safe and still today, HPDL has more parkland than almost any other neighborhood in Minneapolis. The Hale-Page-Diamond Lake neighborhoods have had a front row seat to the development that took place in their own back yard. These neighborhoods endured many changes throughout the years but have stayed a tight-knit community that is passionate about its resources.

The Hale Community is named after the Hale Elementary School, which is itself named after the American revolutionist Nathan Hale who uttered the famous phrase, “I only regret that I have but one life to give to my country” (or something very similar) after being captured as a spy by the British. Hale talks pride in its elementary school, which is an English Language Learners school with its focus on art and music, as it deservedly should.

Page, too, was named for its elementary school, Page Elementary School, which, in turn, was named after Walter Hines Page, an American editor, journalist, and ambassador to Britain during World War I. Apparently, it is common for neighborhoods in Minneapolis to be named after their elementary schools

Diamond Lake is named after the lake by the same name.

For a more in-depth study of the history of these neighborhoods you can read this essay by a student of the University of Minnesota:
http://www.cura.umn.edu/sites/cura.advantagelabs.com/files/publications/NPCR1021.pdf

Boundaries:

E Minnehaha Pkwy to the North, Cedar Ave to the East, E 62nd St to the South, and 35W to the West

Bordering Neighborhoods:

Windom, Tangletown, Field, Northrop, Wenonah, (Keewadin on the other side of Lake Nokomis)

Crime Stats:

We cannot guarantee the safety of any neighborhood but here are some online sources that speak to the crime levels and statistics:

Raids Online

Trulia Crime Stats

Home Sale Stats / Real Estate:

Housing types in the HPDL are widely varied. You can find a wide range of Tudor homes, Craftsman homes, Colonials, post-war bungalows, Ranch or Ramblers, and even a Lustron or two. There are plenty of 1940’s post-war story and a half bungalows.

As of 2015, the average home sales price was $304,677 with an average days on market of 27. The average year built was 1942 with 3.2 bedrooms, and 2.0 baths with a total finished sqft of 1896. For more up to date information on Nokomis Real Estate, please contact Steven Hong with RE/MAX Results.

Parks:

The Hale-Page-Diamond Lake neighborhood association has more parkland than most neighborhoods in Minneapolis. Lake Nokomis Park (2401 E Minnehaha Parkway, 612-370-4923) is probably the most well known park in HPDL. Lake Nokomis is one of only three lakes in Minneapolis that allows sailing. This feature draws many people to this park for many different water activities such as, sailing, fishing, swimming, boating, and hockey in the winter. The park also offers many sporting fields and courts, biking and walking paths, a grill and picnic area, fountains, a playground, public art and a community center. Pearl Park (414 E Diamond Lake Rd, 612-370-4906) is located near the shores of Diamond Lake. It, as well, has many sport courts and fields, ice-skating and hockey rinks in the winter, a picnic area, a walking path, a pool, and a play area. Todd Park (5600 Chicago Ave S, 612-230-6400) is not really smaller, but it has less to offer. It has a few sport fields and a tennis court, a playground and a walking path. It, too, is near the shores of Diamond Lake, which draws people in. Finally, Solomon Park (5798 14th Ave S, 612-230-6400) has a lot of open space with not a whole lot going on, but this is what most people like about it. The park offers archery and has a lot of great space for picnics. But mostly, people come here to enjoy the peaceful beauty of nature.

Winter Park Highlights Minneapolis

Summer Park Highlights Minneapolis
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Restaurants:

HPDL has very few restaurants in the neighborhood, but what they do have is authentic. There are almost no fast food or chain restaurants in HPDL. Hot Plate is a unique little diner in Hale that is well known for its original breakfast dishes that are sometimes a bit quirky. Fat Lorenzo’s (5600 Cedar Ave, 612-822-2040) is an Italian restaurant that has been a favorite of the community’s for years with pastas, pizza, hoagies, and even Italian gelato! Sandcastle (4955 W Lake Nokomis Pkwy, 612-722-5550)is a cute spot right on the shore of Lake Nokomis! It serves an American menu with burgers, beer and even a wine list for a relaxing evening on the beach. The 5-8 Club (5800 Cedar Ave, 612-823-5858) is one of several restaurants in Minneapolis that claims to be the originator of the Juicy Lucy, a favorite cheese stuffed burger, and has a more pub like feel to it.
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Shopping:

There is not a whole lot for shopping in HPDL because it was originally zoned as a residential neighborhood and not commercial. HPDL is very local when it comes to shopping. There are three shops that are particular neighborhood favorites. Aqualand Aquarium Center (5355 Chicago Ave S, 612-825-5666) is long-time shop that displays and sells fish and aquarium equipment. Many parents in the community bring their children here to pick out a new pet, or just to look at all the colorful fish! The Nokomis Farmer’s Market (5167 Chicago Ave S, 612-207-7893) was only started in 2012 but it has quickly become a preferred local spot. It is open on Wednesdays from June to September and hosts a number of booths full of fresh foods, arts and crafts, plants and more. There are plans to even expand the market in the near future. Know Name Records (6009 Portland Ave S, 612-869-1070) has been around since 1977 and is one of the few stores left that sells vinyls, cassets, video tapes, cds and more. It has a hippie 70’s feel that excites both young and old for different reasons!
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Community Arts & Music:

Community Arts & Music:
The community members of Hale-Page-Diamond Lake enjoy free live music and public art. Most of the live music in HPDL takes place at their major events throughout the year. Every year in September the Lake Nokomis Park Community Center hosts the Monarch Festival. Obviously, there are butterflies that are brought in for the community to see and play with, but this is also a fun event because it has a whole lineup of live music and dance groups. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts also comes out to this event and guides people through the building of their own sculptures, ornaments, and paintings as well. There is also live music at both the Frost Fest in January and the Picnic in the Park in July each year. The community events committee works hard to bring in many local favorite artists and even some more well known groups when possible. There is art available for purchase at these events as well. The farmer’s market throughout the summer is a great place for local artists to display and sell their art pieces on a weekly basis. There is also a lot of public art throughout the parks in HPDL. The neighborhood has a famous large bunny sculpture in one of these neighborhoods. Finally, the community is working on a project called the Blooming Alley Tour. The goal of this project is to make use of the alleys throughout their neighborhoods. Some people will be planting gardens, some people will be creating different types of art, and there are many other ideas for what people will do. They are still in the process of making this a reality but it is all about finding creative ways to make the alleys beautiful.

Events:

There are two main events that the Hale-Page-Diamond Lake Community Association puts on every year. The first event, Frost Fest, takes place in January and seems to draw the entire neighborhood out even in the cold! There are games for kids, ice-skating, sleigh rides and food of course, as well as live music! When July roles around the community gears up for the other major event, the Picnic in the Park. It takes place in Pearl Park in the Page neighborhood. There is always food, games, live music and other fun and about 4,000 people show up every year! The Buckthorn Bust is another annual event in the neighborhood. It takes place in October and is an open invitation for anyone in the community to come out and work hard to rid the parks around Diamond Lake of Buckthorn, a huge weed that kills native plants around it. The equipment and training is provided for this project. Finally, the last main event that takes place yearly in HPDL is the Monarch Festival. It is a celebration of the monarch butterfly and its Mexican heritage. Children are encouraged to dress up as butterflies; there is Latin food, a parade, art activities, and the University of Minnesota even brings in real butterflies for the event.

Transportation:

The main form of public transportation in HPDL is the Metro Transit bus system. There are many different bus lines that run throughout HPDL and connect to other lines that can take you almost anywhere in Minneapolis. This is nice because it makes everything very accessible, whether near or far. The main lines that run through HPDL are numbers, 5, 14, 133, 111, 552, 553, 156, 554, and 558. These bus lines run mostly through the Hale and Diamond Lake neighborhoods, however, and there is not much for public transportation in Page. Current bus fare is $2.25 during rush hour and $1.75 at all other times. You can pay your bus fare in the fare box next to the driver as you board the bus.

Schools:

There are really only two schools in HPDL. Hale Elementary School (1220 E 54th St, 612-668-3760) is a public school in the Hale neighborhood. The school goes from Kindergarten to 4th grade and then is paired with Field Community School in the Field neighborhood, which houses the remainder, grades 5-8. Both schools are very diverse and offer core classes along with band and choir, sports, extracurricular math, science and spelling programs, and other such activities. The other school in the HPDL neighborhoods is Our Lady of Peace Catholic School (5435 11th Ave S, 612-823-8253). This is a private K-8 school also in the Hale neighborhood. It is a PeaceBuilders School, which means that it uses a violence prevention education program. This program builds good character in students and prevents bullying, making it a wonderful learning environment for all students. The school also offers extracurriculars such as sports, music, student council and quiz bowl. There is no High School in Hale, Page or Diamond Lake, which means that most students from these two schools attend public high schools such as Washburn, Richfield and Watershed. Or families can choose to send students to private high schools in the area such as Minneapolis Academy, Hiawatha Collegiate High School, and others. There are other daycare centers and education centers in the neighborhood as well.

Other Schools / Child Care:

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Places of Worship

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Necessities:

Getting back to the basics, what everyone needs, at one point or another:

Businesses:

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Services:

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Home Services:

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