St. Anthony West, Minneapolis

Saint Anthony West is a neighborhood in the Northeast community of Minneapolis, MinnesotaHistoryThe historic neighborhood was established in 1849 on the banks of the Mississippi River as the Village of Saint Anthony Falls. These falls were seen in 1680 by Father Louis Hennepin, a Jesuit who is credited with being the first European to explore the area that is now Minneapolis. He named the falls after his patron saint, St. Anthony of Padua. The neighborhood merged with the new city of Minneapolis in the late 1850s.GeographyThe neighborhood is within walking distance of downtown and the University of Minnesota. St. Anthony West is also host to Boom Island Park, a 14acre riverside park. Broadway Street NE is the northern boundary, and the neighborhood extends to Second Avenue on the south. The Mississippi River makes up the western extent and Washington and Fifth streets NE define the eastern boundary.GrowthDespite its status as one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, Saint Anthony West is part of the transformation taking place along the river. Developers have discovered Northeast Minneapolis as a prime location for new upscale housing and commercial projects. To balance the new development in other Northeast neighborhoods, St. Anthony West residents in 2004 revived an arrangement with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to reclaim the 12acre B.F. Nelson site as a public open space along the Mississippi riverfront.