Interactive link to median sales price featured in the picture above: http://northstarmls.stats.10kresearch.com/infoserv/s-v1/Z94b-5ix
KEEWAYDIN
Life in the Keewaydin neighborhood of Nokomis East revolves around the neighborhood’s beautiful natural amenities. The 405-acre Lake Nokomis has been named the Best Place to Get Away from it All Without Leaving Town by City Pages. With two beaches, the popular Sandcastle beachside cafe, water sports rentals, fishing piers, sporting fields, and nearly three miles of trails, the Lake Nokomis Park is a understandably a favorite spot for locals. The park also boasts that its one of the three sailing lakes in the city — and residents will tell you it is the best.
The annual Monarch Festival at the park in September celebrates the butterfly’s 2,300-mile migration with activities, entertainment and more. Last year’s event drew in over 10,000 people who helped tag and release monarch butterflies, stroll through the pollinator corridors on the northeast side of the lake, and buy native plants.
The Nokomis Recreation Center is a hub for sporting activities, community meetings, and more. The new playground is second in popularity only to the natural play area next to it, a first in the city. The playground offers kids ages 5-12 a unique play experience as they navigate arches and bridges that connect in a spherical layout. The equipment features an intersecting tangle of half-circles, nets, hoops, balance bobbers and slides, designed to help children develop balance, coordination, upper-body strength and agility. In addition, children practice planning skills since the play is undirected and unconstructed.
Jump on a trail on the north side to connect with the Minnehaha Creek trail which leads to the falls and Mississippi River beyond. The drive along Minnehaha Ave. is especially beautiful when the crabapples and lilacs blossom in the spring.
The Keewaydin neighborhood is located on the south side of the city, from Minnehaha Parkway on the north to 54th Street East on the south, and from Cedar Avenue South on the west to 34th Avenue South on the east. Most of Lake Nokomis is within the neighborhood’s boundaries. Keewaydin joined with the three neighborhoods of Minnehaha, Wenonah, and Morris Park to form the neighborhood organization Nokomis East. Keewaydin neighborhood, like Minnehaha and Hiawatha neighborhoods, received its name from an Ojibwe legend mentioned in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. “Keewaydin” is Ojibwe for “northwest wind,” or “the home wind.” Before 1900, the neighborhood was a major American Indian Center, and until, 1880, an American Indian Village was located between Lake Nokomis and Lake Hiawatha, in the vicinity of the current Nokomis Community Center.
The area around Lake Nokomis is quintessential Minneapolis. Tree-lined blocks with small houses in a variety of architectural styles are characteristic of this area. A majority of the homes were built between 1920 and 1960, and are designed as bungalows and mini-Tudors, with occasional one-story ranch styles. A history of political activism, spurred by an appreciation for natural beauty and a zeal to maintain a high standard of living, is evident in the neighborhood.
Small corner commercial districts, many with local businesses, still exist where the streetcar used to run in the first half of the 20th century. Residents have negotiated with the Metropolitan Airports Commission to limit noise and sound insulate properties, keeping this neighborhood near the airport vibrant and attractive.