This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2010) |
Thomas-Dale | |
---|---|
Nickname: Frogtown | |
Country | United States |
State | Minnesota |
County | Ramsey |
City | Saint Paul |
Area | |
• Total | 1.714 sq mi (4.44 km2) |
Population (2010) [2] | |
• Total | 17,049 |
• Density | 9,900/sq mi (3,800/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
ZIP code | 55101, 55103, 55104 |
Area code | 651 |
Website | http://www.frogtownmn.org/ |
Frogtown is a neighborhood in Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Built around University Avenue, the Thomas-Dale neighborhood is colloquially known as Frogtown (German : Froschberg, meaning "Frogmountain"). Historically, Frogtown was a subsection of the current Thomas-Dale neighborhood. It is bordered by University Avenue on the south, the Burlington Northern Railroad tracks to the north, Lexington Parkway on the west and Rice Street on the east. [3]
The neighborhood was first settled 1860–1880 as the downtown area outgrew its borders. Workers on the St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, now BNSF Railway, which was built just to the north of the neighborhood sought housing nearby. Minnesota's first successful locomotive run occurred on these tracks in 1882. Shortly thereafter the Jackson Street Railroad Shops were built just northeast of Frogtown. The Jackson Street Shops were then joined by other railroad related industries in the area including the Saint Paul Foundry, built near Como and Western Avenues, providing additional employment opportunities for residents. [3]
Residential development moved westward through the neighborhood as Polish, Scandinavian, German, and Irish immigrants took blue-collar jobs in the area. They built modest wood frame and brick houses on small lots in the neighborhood. Urban renewal has wiped out many of these homes, but working-class Victorian homes from the 1880s are extant, some adorned with arched window and door openings, brick window hoods, and frilly intact open porches.[ citation needed ]
The name "Frogtown" likely comes from the fact that the neighborhood was developed over several swamps and marshes, which were filled in over time. Archbishop John Ireland referred to the area as “Froschberg” or "Frog City” because of the many frogs in the area originating from the swamps. [4]
Commercial buildings lined University Avenue as street cars along the corridor were able to efficiently transport workers to employers. The line also became the first intercity street car line, connecting Minneapolis with Saint Paul in 1890. [3]
Hmongtown Marketplace, a 200+ vendor Hmong-American mall and cultural center, is in Frogtown along Como Avenue. [5] A Hmong cultural and business corridor along University Avenue in Frogtown is known as Little Mekong, named for the river many Hmong refugees crossed to Thailand. [6]
Today many view Frogtown as a new enclave for Vietnamese and now Hmong immigrants, who, in Saint Paul, comprise the largest urban contingent in the United States. [3] [7] Amenities include a full-service bank, gas station, community medical clinic, family services organizations, two parks, several Asian supermarkets, a traditional butcher shop, several convenience stores, the historic No.18 Fire Station.
Frogtown is the center of Saint Paul's immigrant communities, with very large populations of Hmong, Burmese, Vietnamese, Somali, and Ethiopian immigrants.
A profusion of immigrant-owned businesses line University Avenue, offering clothing, shoes, jewelry, household items, entertainment media (DVDs, CDs, video games) and groceries. Immigrants from Africa operate several Halal meat markets in the area, which also offer traditional African breads, spices and foodstuffs. Mexican-American immigrants operate small traditional Mexican carnicerías. The avenue is dotted with restaurants serving Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, Hmong, Vietnamese, Chinese-American, Somali, Ethiopian, and Mexican cuisine, some of it very authentic.
The METRO Green Line light rail, which opened on June 14, 2014, serves the neighborhood with stops on University Avenue at Victoria Street, Dale Street, and Western Avenue. [8]
St. Paul Public Schools serves Frogtown. [3] Some residents are zoned to Jackson Elementary, while some are zoned to Galtier Elementary. [9] Some residents are zoned to Ramsey Middle, and some are zoned to Washington Middle. [10] Some residents are zoned to Central High School, and some are zoned to Como Park High School. [11]
The Catholic parish of St. Agnes also serves the area of Frogtown with its comprehensive elementary and high school (Saint Agnes School), classes of kindergarten through senior high school. [12]
Saint Paul Public Library operates the Rondo Community Library adjacent to Frogtown. [13] The newly renovated Rondo Library opened in late August 2006.
Saint Paul is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center of Minnesota's government. The Minnesota State Capitol and the state government offices all sit on a hill close to the city's downtown district. One of the oldest cities in Minnesota, Saint Paul has several historic neighborhoods and landmarks, such as the Summit Avenue Neighborhood, the James J. Hill House, and the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Like the adjacent city of Minneapolis, Saint Paul is known for its cold, snowy winters and humid summers.
University Avenue is a street that runs through both Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. It begins near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and extends westward into neighboring Minneapolis, where it passes the University of Minnesota, and then turns north to pass through several suburbs before its main portion ends in Blaine, Minnesota, although there are stretches of road designated as University Avenue that are north of the Blaine terminus, the final stretch ending near Andree, Minnesota. For many years, the road carried U.S. Highway 12 and U.S. Highway 52, and University Avenue is still a significant thoroughfare in the area.
Dale Street station is a light rail station along the Metro Green Line in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is located along University Avenue on both sides of the intersection with Dale Street. The station has split side platforms, with the westbound platform on the north side of the tracks west of Dale and the eastbound platform on the south side of the tracks east of Dale.
Northeast is a defined community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis that is composed of 13 smaller neighborhoods whose street addresses end in "NE". Unofficially it also includes the neighborhoods of the University community which have "NE" addresses, and the entirety of the Old Saint Anthony business district, which sits on the dividing line of "NE" and "SE" addresses. In the wider community, this business district, which is the oldest settlement in the city, is often identified as the heart of Northeast, in part because it lies across the Mississippi River from Downtown Minneapolis. Northeast is sometimes referred to as "Nordeast", reflecting the history of northern and eastern European immigrants and their language influence.
Como is a neighborhood within the Southeast quadrant of Minneapolis. The neighborhood is also sometimes referred to as Southeast Como to help differentiate it from the Como Park neighborhood in neighboring Saint Paul. Its boundaries are East Hennepin Avenue to the north, 33rd Avenue Southeast to the east, the Southeast Industrial Area to the south, and Interstate 35W to the west. Como is also part of the University District in Minneapolis, with its location near the main Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota.
Saint Agnes School is a Private, Roman Catholic PreK-12 School in the Frogtown Neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and is affiliated with the Church of St. Agnes in Saint Paul.
Saint Paul, Minnesota, consists of 17 officially defined city districts or neighborhoods.
The Church of Saint Agnes is a Catholic church of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The parish was founded in 1887 and the current church building was completed in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Saint Paul is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, the county seat of Ramsey County, and the state capital of Minnesota. The origin and growth of the city were spurred by the proximity of Fort Snelling, the first major United States military installation in the area, as well as by the city's location on the northernmost navigable port of the Upper Mississippi River.
Summit-University is a neighborhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that stretches roughly from University Avenue in the north, Lexington Parkway to the west, Summit Avenue to the south and to the east along John Ireland Boulevard, Kellogg Boulevard and Marion Street. Summit-University, Selby-Dale, St. Anthony Hill, Cathedral Hill, Woodland Park, Crocus Hill, Ramsey Hill, Hill District, Historic Hill District, Uni-Dale, North Quadrant, and Central Village all refer to parts of the neighborhood that is broadly known as Summit-University.
Selby Avenue is a street in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that runs east–west from Summit Avenue near downtown toward the Mississippi River. The street runs through the Summit-University and Union Park neighborhoods. The street, especially between Dale Street and Snelling Avenue, has been associated with Saint Paul's black community. The far eastern end of the street has historically been more densely developed and architecturally significant.
The Unidale Mall is a shopping mall located at the intersection of University Avenue and Dale Street in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. The mall is in the Summit-University neighborhood just across from the Frogtown neighborhood. The Rondo Community Outreach Library is west across Dale Street. The Dale Street station on the Green Line is also at the intersection.
Union Park is a neighborhood in Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Created as a merger of several historic neighborhoods including Merriam Park, Snelling-Hamline, Parts of Midway, Densoyer Park, and Lexington-Hamline, it is bordered by University Avenue on the north, Lexington Parkway on the east, Summit Avenue on the south, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area on the west. Despite the merger, many of the historic neighborhoods hold onto their original identity, especially in Lexington-Hamline and Merriam Park.
WFNU-LP is a community low-power broadcast radio station licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving Frogtown and much of Saint Paul on 94.1 MHz. The station has a hyper-local focus on the Frogtown community and surrounding neighborhoods. Programming is varied, with multiple genres of music to local talk with community members. WFNU-LP broadcasts from an antenna on top of the Frogtown Square building on the corner of University Avenue and Dale Street in Frogtown.
The Rondo neighborhood, or simply Rondo, is located within the officially designated Summit-University district in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The boundaries of the historically black neighborhood are sometimes referred to as Old Rondo. For much of the 20th century, Rondo was an important cultural and residential center of the black community in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan region. The core of Old Rondo was demolished between 1956 and 1968, to make way for the construction of the Interstate 94 freeway. At least 650 families were displaced from the neighborhood, as well as many businesses and community locations. The neighborhood, although scarred by highway construction, remained a notable area in Saint Paul with a strong sense of cultural identity. Popular media and historians have the explored the impacts of highway construction and gentrification on Rondo residents past and present. In the 2000s, residents and public officials have discussed ways to reconnect the former community.
The North End is a neighborhood in Saint Paul in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The neighborhood was built around Rice Street and is often referred to by that name. It is bounded by Larpenteur Avenue on the north, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad tracks to the south, Dale Street to the west, and Interstate 35E to the east.
WVIC-LP is a variety formatted low-power broadcast radio station licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, serving portions of the eastside of St. Paul and Maplewood. The station is owned by the Victoria Theatre Project.
Hmongtown Marketplace is an indoor-outdoor marketplace focused on Hmong American products and culture in the Frogtown neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Hmongtown was the first Hmong-owned and operated marketplace in the United States and is today noted for its cuisine and produce.
The Greater East Side is a neighborhood and city district in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. The community lies in the northeastern corner of the city and is bounded by Larpenteur Avenue on the north, Minnehaha Avenue on the south, McKnight Road on the east, and Johnson Parkway and English Street on the west. It is part of a group of neighborhoods collectively known as the East Side.
Payne-Phalen is a neighborhood and city planning district in Saint Paul, Minnesota in the United States. It is Planning District 5. The area includes several smaller neighborhoods, namely Railroad Island, Phalen Park, Rivoli Bluff, Vento, Wheelock Park, and Williams Hill. It ranges from a blue-collar area to the south to a middle-class area north of Maryland Avenue, including upscale real estate around Lake Phalen. The neighborhood is part of the larger area known as the East Side of Saint Paul. Major streets in the neighborhood include E. 7th St, Phalen Boulevard, Arcade Street, which hosts U.S. Route 61 and Payne Avenue. Payne Avenue has been a major commercial corridor for the east side of Saint Paul since the 1930s.