Vanguard News Network

[Read “Khatheads” below, then this…]

Reader Maynard writes:

“Rich diversity is why I left St. Paul.  If the jews have their way, we will have this in every nook and cranny of this country!”

Community profile: The North End
BY MOLLY MILLETT
Pioneer Press

The North End is St. Paul’s new melting pot.

Once primarily a blue-collar neighborhood with little diversity, in recent years the North End has become a rainbow of ethnicities, including Southeast Asians, Africans, Latinos, African-Americans and East Indians.

The businesses of the North End reflect this rich diversity. Mixed in with classic St. Paul neighborhood bars and pizza parlors are ethnic grocery stores and restaurants. As neighborhood boosters work to revitalize the gritty North End — which has struggled with urban decay and crime — businesses such as Caribou Coffee and Culver’s have expressed interest in setting up shop.

Currently, there’s a spirit of renewal in the North End, and there are plans under way for improving the appearance of its main street — Rice Street — as well as bringing in new housing and commercial developments.

In a sign of the North End’s ongoing renaissance, the Saint Paul City Ballet is now offering outreach classes in the Klub Haus, a renovated German rental hall on Rice Street.

Molly Millett can be reached at mollymillett@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5505.

At a Glance: North End

Population (2000): 24,654

Growth: The population grew 5 percent in the 1990s, similar to the 5.5 percent growth in St. Paul as a whole.

Ambience: A global melting pot on Rice Street

History: Born of working-class roots, the North End was primarily settled in the 1870s and 1880s by German, Austrian and Swedish immigrants. Many residents worked blue-collar jobs tied to the railroad. The turn of the century brought Eastern Europeans, and more recently Hmong and Hispanic immigrants have moved into the North End.

Local institution: Mama’s Pizza, 961 Rice St.

Local landmarks: Church of Saint Bernard, 197 W. Geranium Ave., a German Catholic church whose parish was founded in 1890 by German and Austrian immigrants. The school was founded in 1891; St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Church, 854 Woodbridge St., an Eastern European gem in St. Paul.

You gotta go: The North End’s new gathering spot, Dar’s Double Scoop Ice Cream and Coffee Shop, 1046 Rice St.

A community center of sorts: Klub Haus, 1079 Rice St., has recently been renovated to its original German rental hall heritage. The historic building, which includes a full-service bar and a dance hall, is available for rental for events including weddings, baptisms and meetings. The Saint Paul City Ballet also began holding classes last fall as part of an outreach program.

New senior housing: Arbor Pointe Apartments, a new senior independent living apartment building, 635 W. Maryland Ave.

Corporate headquarters and warehouse: Warners’ Stellian, local appliance chain

Where to find the locals: St. Paul’s Rice Street Branch Library, a new facility constructed in 2002. Use by families with children is high, and it is a prime location for students doing homework, according to a library profile. On school nights, most of the tables and chairs are occupied. The branch is heavily involved in community outreach and collaboration.

Local buzz: Excitement over HealthEast’s new Rice Street Clinic, 980 Rice St.

Median home sales price for Central St. Paul (2005), which includes the North End: $160,000

The new “Marydale” neighborhood? Currently under study is the Loeb Lake/Marydale Park area, about four miles northwest of downtown St. Paul, and the Willow Reserve, a large bog/seasonal wetland across from Marydale Park. In the Loeb Lake Small Area Plan and Forty-Acre Study, goals for the area include bringing in new owner-occupied housing; improving existing housing stock; creating an urban village feeling by adding restaurants, shops and service businesses for residents at Maryland and Dale; upgrading Marydale Park; protecting Willow Reserve and more.

Real-estate snapshot: A home rehabbed by Sparc, a community development organization, is now on the market as a duplex. Sparc wants to sell it to a homeowner, and there are income restrictions the buyer must meet. Located at 123 Acker, the duplex is priced at $199,900 and located on a corner lot. It features two units, each more than 800 square feet and each with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The home, built in 1880, has a new roof, wiring, plumbing, windows, furnace and more.

Coming soon: A summer makeover for a portion of Rice Street’s streetscape, including new sidewalks, street lamps and business facades.

Race and ethnicity, 1990 to 2000: The white population shrank from 75 percent to 55 percent; the Asian population increased from 15 percent to 18 percent; the black population grew from 6 percent to 15 percent; the Latino population grew from 3 percent to 7 percent; the American Indian population remained at about 1 percent; 4 percent of residents were multiracial.

Languages (2000): 26 percent of residents spoke a language other than English at home. Asian languages (16 percent) and Spanish (6 percent) were the most common.