Neighborhood History

The Northeast community of Minneapolis is composed of 13 smaller neighborhoods.  It also unofficially includes the Old St Anthony business district.  This 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.  Blending a heritage of old architecture, classic housing, bustling commercial streets, and industrial work centers, along with new residential high-rises, suburban cul-de-sacs, big-box retail, and a popular art scene, Northeast offers diverse amenities as part neighborhood and job center for the city of Minneapolis. The prominent features of Northeast include ornate Eastern European influenced churches and massive grain silos and mills. Mostly built around the late 19th to early 20th century, these structures shadow the landscape of modest Victorians and four story apartments.  Formerly known as the City of Saint Anthony before it was annexed into Minneapolis, Northeast is sometimes referred to as Nordeast, reflecting the history of northern and eastern European immigrants and their language influence.

The Sheridan neighborhood, located in Northeast Minneapolis, extends from Washington Street on the east to the Mississippi River on the west, and from Broadway Street on the South to 18th and 17th Avenues on the north. It is named for Civil War General Philip Sheridan. The neighborhood elementary and junior high schools and the local park are all named after General Sheridan as well. Historically, Sheridan has been a working class neighborhood, and was home to predominantly Eastern European immigrants in the early twentieth century. In the present day, Sheridan’s center is a bustling commercial district which was once a main line for the neighborhood’s streetcar line. This community is also home to many art galleries, and a stretch of 13th Avenue that runs through the area is known as “Arts Avenue”.  A large portion of the neighborhood was built for industrial use of the Mississippi River, but the river banks are slowly but surely developing into an area of recreational and residential buildings.

Like many other Minneapolis neighborhoods, Sheridan residents are committed to improving their community. The Sheridan Neighborhood Organization has already had several successes, including funding the development of a public library, and the renovation of the Ritz on 13th Avenue.  Current plans include programs for housing rehabilitation, and to increase the availability of affordable housing.  Sheridan has recently seen an increase in the number of young families moving to the area, and the under-18 age group is the fastest-growing age group in this neighborhood.