Click here to view an interactive metrics link for the median sale price of homes in Tangletown: http://northstarmls.stats.10kresearch.com/infoserv/s-v1/j989-Y58
Step off the city grid and get lost in the curving, graceful streets of Tangletown. Aptly named, the the streets of this neighborhood tangle around each other like brambles, a stark contrast to the rest of the city’s well-ordered, alphabetical and numerical streets. The out-of-the-way feel it brings is purposeful — the neighborhood started as a country getaway in the hills for the well-to-do when this part of Minneapolis was still farmland. Here you’ll find street names that are outliers — Belmont, Longview, Prospect, Luverne, Gladstone, and even Rustic Lodge Avenue.
Tangletown neighborhood in southwest Minneapolis is bound on the north by 46th Street, on the east by Interstate 35W, on the south by 54th Street and Diamond Lake Road, and on the west by Lyndale Avenue South. The small community of about 4,300 was originally named for feminist writer and educator Margaret Fuller, but became known as Tangletown instead in 1996. Fuller elementary school was torn down and the land converted into Fuller Park in 1977. This small park features a flower garden and is a center of community life, a place where residents gather for Fourth of July and Earth Day.
Minnehaha creek winds through the neighborhood’s south side, with accompanying trails to run and bike on. If you’re not expecting the tangled streets you might find yourself impossibly lost — so stick to the trails. If you head east, you’ll eventually find your way to Minnehaha Falls and the Mississippi River. Tangletown’s portion of the creek is a perfect halfway vantage point to trails around Lake Harriet and Diamond Lake.
Three former residents built the neighborhood’s landmark and signed not just their names but their addresses. Nearly 100 years old, the Washburn Park Water Tower is located at the highest point in the neighborhood, is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is still used today. The medieval-looking piece of water tower art with eight sternly sculpted knights and eagles guard 1.35 million gallons of water.
A former gas station along Nicollet Ave. has been transformed into a whimsical garden shop that is home to the hottest CSA subscription in town. The locavore love continues next door at the Wise Acre Eatery, a destination for the entire city. The farm-to-fork cafe serves American eats for brunch and dinner in an industrial-chic space with a patio overflowing with plants from Tangletown Garden next door.
Ramsey Middle School has been renamed Justice Page Middle School to reflect the academically challenging environment that empowers each learner to explore possibilities, act with integrity, and create positive change within one’s community and the world. Washburn High School focuses on intercultural understanding and respect, active student involvement, and lifelong learning. The high school is also an International Baccalaureate World School.
Homes in Tangletown are larger, older and more expensive than in the rest of the Twin Cities, and often built into sloping lots on curvaceous streets. Most homes were built between 1900 and 1940, so you’ll find Tudor and Colonial Revivals, bungalows, and a few Victorians. There’s even a cluster of modern Lustron metal houses built in the 1940s for returning World War II veterans. Find a few modernist homes from the 1950s along Minnehaha Creek. Historically, Tangletown has been a neighborhood with a high percentage of owner-occupied housing stock, and there are very few apartments to rent.
This lovely neighborhood is mainly a mix of families and high earning single professionals who value the best of city living with a strong sense of community.