Highland Park- Affluent West Saint Paul Neighborhood and now home to City’s largest Jewish Population

 Much of the current day Highland Park neighborhood was compassed by the Fort Snelling reservation but by the mid 1850s the government opened up the  land for sale. Highland Park was part of  Reserve Township until 1887 when it was purchased by the City of Saint Paul. Highland Park however was one of the last Saint Paul neighborhoods to be densely populated, which began in the 1920s thanks to the opening of the Twin Cities Assembly Ford Plant. Following World War II, Highland Park experienced another population boom. This was also the time that Highland Park became the City’s primary Jewish neighborhood after most of the Jewish population moved out of Summit-University neighborhood. The most recent major development has been the redevelopment of the old Ford Plant, which closed in 2011, called Highland Bridge. The development will include up to 4,000 new housing units along with significant recreational amenities, some office, and mixed use town centers.

Highland Park also excellent at typical suburban amenities including great parks (including two of the oldest and largest parks in Saint Paul parks along the Mississippi River), good schools, great tree canopy, and one of Saint Paul’s safest communities. The bulk of walkable retail amenities are located at the intersection of Cleveland and Ford Parkway,  but will soon expand into the nearby Highland Bridge development. Much of the residential areas of Highland Park are disconnected from walkable retail & cultural amenities, especially the newer sections along the southern half of the neighborhood.

As the density of Highland Park is more similar to suburban densities, I hope to see more and more urban infill here. The new Highland Bridge development will certainly help but there are plenty of low-density areas of the neighborhood needing denser housing. Public transit is also sub-par in the southern half of Highland Park and Ford Pwky, Randolph, and Snelling have extensive autocentric areas.

Click here to view my Highland Park Album on Flickr

URBAN STRENGTHS:

• One of St. Paul’s safest communities.
• Generally good sidewalks throughout except the post-war developments along the southern edge of the district often have streets without sidewalks. ADA curb cuts are consistent in the large roads and Pkwys but hit or miss on residential streets.
• Quality urban development at Highland Bridge, the location of the old Ford Plant.
• Solid tree canopy throughout the neighborhood.
• Some very nice 1920s-1930s single family homes with plenty of tudors mixed in. Historic Commercial is generally bland except foot the Historic Movie Theater.
• High percentage of family households here.
• Excellent recreational trails along the parks adjacent to the Mississippi River. Also some east to west routes cutting through the neighborhood. Still a 50 min commute by bike to Dwtn.
• Extensive regional park ringing Highland Park’s western and southern borders along the Mississippi River. Dawson Park is a nice off spout penetrating much of the neighborhood. Lots of smaller parks spread throughout the neighborhood along with a Recreational Center that contains a pool.
• Good array of public & private schools covering all ages with generally good ratings. But because Highland Park is so large not everyone is within walking distance to a school.
• Decent number of rentals. Plenty of 1-beds leasing btwn $950-1Ks, 2-beds range in the1Ks & 2ks, and plenty of 3 beds.
• For sale options are often expensive but still a good amount moderately priced options. Good # of 1-bed condos ranging anywhere btwn the low 100Ks to the 300Ks, 2-beds sell anywhere btwn 200K-600K with a nice mix of SF homes and condos, 3-beds generally range btwn 200K-900K with some condo options and more expensive luxury townhomes.
• Good retail options mainly concentrated near the intersection of Cleveland & Ford Pwky. This includes several supermarkets & drug stores, a target, a hardware store, several clothing stores, a couple bookstores, a bike shop, several dessert joins/bakeries & gyms, a local post office & public library, plenty of churches and medical offices. Much of the neighborhood is not walkable to these amenities.
• Decent cultural amenities includes several restaurants, bars & cafes, a couple breweries, a performing arts theater at Saint Catherine’s University, and a historic movie house.

URBAN WEAKNESSES:

• Not great pedestrian activity.
• So so density for an urban district.
• Good amount of bland post war housing especially along the southern edge of the district and autocentric uses running along Ford Pwky and more of a mixed-bag along Randolph and Snelling Blvd.
• Public transit access is spotty with the best service along the western edge of the district.
• Majority White neighborhood with some racial diversity. Slightly better economic diversity.
• Decent access to Dwtn but still a 40 min transit ride.”