The Phillips community is defined by its location within the city of Minneapolis and its cultural heritage. Located just south of downtown Minneapolis, Phillips offers a very diverse and exciting lifestyle. Residents living within the Phillips community come from all around the world. While the community as a whole is eclectic and unique, the community’s three distinct neighborhoods each offer their own landmarks and amenities. The following article provides a brief overview of what the neighborhoods offer and how they contribute to the greater community.
The Ventura Village neighborhood, located south of downtown, used to be a part of the Phillips neighborhood. It became a separate neighborhood in 2002, when the Minneapolis City Council accepted its proposed boundaries. However, it is still apart of the larger Phillips community. Interstate 35 occupies the western and northern boundaries, with Interstate 94 occupying the north. The neighborhood took its name from a Spanish word meaning happiness or luck, and they did so because they wanted a good start as a community.
The neighborhood has many resources, including a significant assortment of businesses, abundant bike lanes, walking proximity to the major hub of downtown, major links to transit, and a dedicated and hopeful plan for the future of the neighborhood by its 6,000 residents. Franklin Avenue is the commercial strip for Ventura Village and hosts the neighborhood library, many different businesses, a collection of diverse restaurants and shops, and the Ancient Traders Market that contains a public plaza, cafes, restaurants and American-Indian shops. Traditionally a place for immigrants, Ventura Village, and the Phillips community as a whole, is now home to the city’s main influx of Native Americans as well as mounting numbers of Asians, Latinos, and Somalis.
Phillips Library was established in 1890 but was substituted by Franklin Library in 1914. Franklin Library is built on land donated by Sumner T. McKnight in the Ventura Village neighborhood of Minneapolis. It was the first of four Carnegie-funded libraries constructed in the city. Franklin is one of 13 libraries developed under nationally-known library director Gratia Countryman, who was involved in swelling the city’s library system from 1904-36. The library has received historic designation from the City of Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a member of the Hennepin County Library System. A library system that is consistently ranked in the top 10 libraries nationwide, residents have access to all of the books and resources that are a part of this network through an interlibrary loan program.
The Phillips West neighborhood, located within the Phillips community, is positioned south of downtown Minneapolis. The neighborhood and its junior high school derive their names from Wendell Phillips, a 19th century abolitionist. Phillips West is a diverse neighborhood with its population of close to 5,000 residents including people of many nationalities. The neighborhood has a mix of residential, commercial and industrial property. Housing styles, ages, and types are extremely diverse, just like the people, in the Phillips West neighborhood. Here one can locate grand, historic properties such as Victorian homes with turrets and trim, smaller homes of that same era, and duplexes or smaller apartment buildings. Alongside the Greenway are several newer condominium and apartment buildings providing contemporary amenities and convenient access to the Greenway itself.
The Midtown Greenway is a 5.5-mile long former railroad strip in the Phillips community and it passes through Phillips West with bicycling and walking trails. The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority owns it and the trails are preserved by the City of Minneapolis. The Midtown Greenway Coalition is the group that effectively encouraged the creation of the Midtown Greenway by means of public agencies. The Coalition exists to this day and engages the community in protecting, improving, and using the Greenway. This Greenway has been used for biking and other activities ever since it was first built.
There are many landmarks located within the Phillips West neighborhood. Phillips West is home to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus, the American Swedish Institute, and Kix Field. The American Swedish Institute is a stately museum and culture center that celebrates Swedish Minnesotans. Kix Field is a particularly impactful landmark. Sponsored by Kix cereal, Kix Field is a public football/soccer field that was established in order to provide local kids with safe and healthy hangout destinations. It is widely used and enjoyed by the community.
Taquerias la Hacienda’s goal is to make a true Mexican restaurant that offers its customers with a distinctive, Mexican cooking experience and introduce tacos made the right way to Minnesota. The house special showcases juicy and flavorful Mexican-style barbecue pork alongside corn tortillas, cilantro, onion and salsa for an instantaneously complicated yet simple flavor food. Other favorite selections include the loaded burritos overflowing with the appetizing lusciousness of ingredients like charbroiled steak, roast pork or chicken encased in a flour tortilla with rice, beans, onions, cilantro and salsa. Taqueria La Hacienda also showcases quesadillas, tortas, traditional Mexican sodas and more.
The Midtown Phillips neighborhood, located within the Phillips community, is found in south Minneapolis. Both the neighborhood and its junior high school get their names from Wendell Phillips, a 19th century abolitionist. Midtown Phillips is a distinct neighborhood with its population of close to 4,500 residents, including many that are of different ethnic races. The neighborhood has a combination of residential, commercial and industrial property. Housing types, ages, and styles are tremendously dissimilar, just like the people, in the Midtown Phillips neighborhood. Historic properties can be found such as Victorian homes with turrets and trim, smaller homes of that same era, and duplexes or smaller apartment buildings. All along the Greenway are several modern condominium and apartment buildings offering modern amenities and convenient access to the Greenway itself.
Located within the neighborhood, the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota is one of the major pediatric health institutes in the United States and the only health system in Minnesota to provide care exclusively to children, from before birth through young adulthood. An independent and not-for-profit program since 1924, Children’s treats kids throughout the Upper Midwest at two separately located hospitals, one in Minneapolis and one in St Paul. Children’s upholds its long-lasting promise to the public to advance children’s health by providing superior, family-oriented pediatric assistance and progressing those labors through research and education. An award-winning health system, Children’s is repeatedly ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a top children’s hospital and by The Leapfrog Group for quality and efficiency.
Perhaps the most famous and widely-known landmark within Midtown Phillips is the Midtown Global Market. A true melting pot of cultures, businesses, restaurants, and art, the Midtown Global Market exists to promote community within Midtown and to embrace the diverse cultural heritages of its vendors. With over 40 unique stores selling products from all over the world, the Midtown Global Market offers unparalleled access to unique sights, sounds, and smells. The market has received numerous awards and great recognition for its contribution to the greater community and for its unique business structure. Each year it attracts over 1.3 million visitors.
This article by no means provides a comprehensive analysis of the Phillips community. If you would like to learn more about individual neighborhoods within this community, please feel free to check out our supporting articles.
If you have any questions regarding the city of Minneapolis, the Phillips Community, or if you would like to sell or buy a house in the area, please feel free to visit Twin Cities Property Finder or call 1-800-909-1953
