Northeast: A Brief History -

Whether it be East Hennepin, The Northeast Neighborhood, or the “Nordeast,” as some locals refer to it as, what you need to know is merely this: Northeast is Minneapolis’ first community. The history that emanates from this area is vast. Anywhere you go, each structure you see, there’s a tale about it.

It started in 1848, when a man named Franklin Steele acquired the land that would one day be known as St. Anthony and with the help of another man named Ard Godfrey, they constructed the first mill at Saint Anthony Falls near the east bank. This landmark was the original northernmost mark on the map of the Mississippi River at the time. The falls delivered a reliable power source and soon many mills littered the area and the nickname “Mill City” was born. The land west of the Mississippi was opened for settlement in 1852, and when people began establishing small communities, St. Anthony found it had a residential opponent across the river. St Anthony was incorporated in 1855, more than ten years before Minneapolis. Both locations existed as separate cities until 1872 when they decided to merge under the name of Minneapolis.

The area also has a history of historic protection. In the 1960s, a suggestion to build a freeway through the area was not well liked. The proposed freeway, Interstate 335, would have connected I-94 in north Minneapolis to I-35W, north of the University of Minnesota. Land was purchased and made vacant with residents relocating before the project was finally disallowed by local residents and activists. Eventually new housing and industrial buildings were constructed on the cleared land. This housing, along with the rest of the old development, provides some of the nicest areas to live within Minneapolis, and the neighborhoods in this community are discussed in the supporting articles.