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Living in Minneapolis

Minneapolis is surrounded by many lakes and the banks of the Mississippi river. The city’s Nice Ride bike program offers more than 100 kiosks dedicated to bicycle sharing and the Chain of Lakes is connected by 34 miles of dedicated bike lanes, providing ample biking, running and walking paths.

Minneapolis METRO runs a network of buses, light rail, and commuter rail. Minneapolis is known as a highly livable city, with great access to nature and a thriving arts scene. It also has a reputation as a smart city for its university and private research centers, its medical trials, energy conservation, and highly educated population. Minneapolis' largest employers include The University of Minnesota, Target, and Wells Fargo.

Nearby Minneapolis Apartments on Redfin

71 Walk Score of Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis is Very Walkable

Most errands can be accomplished on foot.

Walk Score Map

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Photo of Mill City Farmers Market in Minneapolis

Mill City Farmers Market

Photo of Powderhorn Park in Minneapolis

Powderhorn Park

Minneapolis is the 11th most walkable large city in the US with 382,578 residents.

Minneapolis has good public transportation and is very bikeable.

Find apartments in Minneapolis's most walkable neighborhoods: Lyn Lake, Downtown West and Lowry Hill East.

Minneapolis Apartments for Rent

Minneapolis Neighborhoods

Rank

#

Name

Walk Score

Transit Score

Bike Score

Population

1 Lyn Lake 96 62 97 1,466
2 Downtown West 93 87 90 5,370
3 Lowry Hill East 93 61 95 4,918
4 Uptown 93 58 94 2,310
5 Loring Park 91 78 86 7,714
6 Whittier 91 63 95 13,428
7 Downtown East 91 86 93 1,256
8 East Isles 90 58 91 2,115
9 Stevens Square 90 71 89 3,958
10 Nicollet Island 89 72 86 1,306
11 Warehouse District 89 82 95 2,948
12 CARAG 87 58 93 5,162
13 Marcy - Holmes 85 69 93 6,257
14 North Loop 84 81 92 1,783
15 Logan Park 84 49 93 2,185
16 Ventura Village 84 70 95 6,559
17 Lyndale 84 57 92 7,272
18 Sheridan 83 46 95 2,877
19 Elliot Park 83 83 94 6,651
20 Phillips 82 61 95 13,803
21 Cedar-Riverside 82 76 92 7,971
22 Powderhorn Park 82 54 92 8,638
23 Dinkytown 81 67 96 4,364
24 Central 81 56 93 8,301
25 Seward 80 58 99 7,344
26 St. Anthony East 80 57 98 2,036
27 East Calhoun 80 55 90 1,864
28 Holland 79 47 94 4,493
29 Kingfield 79 52 90 7,475
30 Longfellow 78 54 93 4,901
31 St. Anthony West 78 56 96 2,235
32 Windom Park 76 45 93 5,697
33 Lowry Hill 76 56 84 3,733
34 Beltrami 74 55 91 1,244
35 Bancroft 74 49 93 3,372
36 Bottineau 74 41 97 1,649
37 Bryant 73 53 93 2,833
38 East Harriet 73 50 92 3,595
39 Northeast Park 73 47 94 679
40 Audubon Park 73 44 83 4,960
41 Prospect Park 73 64 88 7,458
42 University 73 70 81 4,938
43 Fulton 72 43 64 5,867
44 Corcoran 71 57 93 3,930
45 Ericsson 70 57 85 3,202
46 West Calhoun 70 39 81 1,739
47 Tangletown 70 51 77 3,846
48 Hawthorne 69 48 78 4,585
49 Summer - Glenwood 69 67 91 1,498
50 Standish 69 51 89 6,523
51 Como 69 53 90 6,257
52 Northrup 69 46 85 4,362
53 Jordan 67 53 76 7,352
54 Hale 66 43 81 3,125
55 Windom 66 48 69 4,963
56 Harrison 65 48 89 3,211
57 Linden Hills 65 39 69 7,566
58 Howe 65 51 91 6,616
59 Webber - Camden 64 49 70 5,077
60 Cooper 64 44 87 3,495
61 Cedar Isles - Dean 64 41 88 2,883
62 Page 64 51 80 1,727
63 Hiawatha 64 56 87 5,265
64 Keewaydin 64 47 68 2,870
65 Field 63 54 88 2,365
66 Lynnhurst 63 42 76 5,486
67 Near North 61 55 75 5,943
68 Minnehaha 59 56 66 3,859
69 Folwell 58 50 57 5,334
70 Regina 58 54 91 2,292
71 McKinley 58 46 61 3,135
72 Willard-Hay 54 51 70 8,599
73 Cleveland 53 46 64 3,021
74 Diamond Lake 51 47 68 5,471
75 Armatage 51 41 59 4,887
76 Water Park 46 41 64 5,254
77 Kenny 46 35 60 3,524
78 Bryn Mawr 45 35 74 2,670
79 Marshall Terrace 43 41 84 1,375
80 Victory 42 48 60 4,565
81 Columbia Park 41 39 69 1,576
82 Lind - Bohanon 40 39 66 4,567
83 Morris Park 40 49 47 2,820
84 Kenwood 38 37 77 1,449
85 Wenonah 35 41 52 4,523
86 Shingle Creek 27 47 61 3,024

Average Home Features

According to HomeAdvisor Data, these characteristics make up the average home in Minneapolis

Average square footage 2100
Homeowners have 3.3 bedrooms
Homeowners have 2.2 bathrooms
Age of home 43 years
Average time living in home 13 years

Check out HomeAdvisor’s Minneapolis Home Happiness Survey.

Eating & Drinking

There are about 1,369 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Minneapolis.

People in Minneapolis can walk to an average of 4 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in 5 minutes.

Photo of Grand Cafe in Minneapolis

Grand Cafe

Photo of The Aster Cafe in Minneapolis

The Aster Cafe

Restaurant Choices Map

= More Choices

thumbnail for Mill City Farmers MarketExperience the charming characteristics of the Mill City community within this farmers market. Hosting the freshest local produce, live music, and many other goods, this place has something for everyone. Saturdays, 8am-1pm. #farmersmarket Photo: Mill City Farmers Market

Walk Score Team
on Mill City Farmers Market

55 Transit Score of Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis has Good Transit

Many nearby public transportation options. Find Minneapolis apartments for rent on Redfin.

Public Transit Routes

Minneapolis has good public transportation and about 83 bus, 1 rail and 3 light rail lines.

Transit Time

The map above shows how far you can travel in 30 minutes from Minneapolis on public transit.

Neighborhood Guides

Thinking of renting an apartment or buying in Minneapolis? Ask our neighborhood guides a question.

mackenzie lee

I am a culture obsessed person. I love to travel and explore places. I especially love hunting out secret city spots.

Ask mackenzie about Minneapolis

http://Www.lonelyartichoke.com »

Photo of Morrison Park in Minneapolis

Morrison Park

Photo of Gold Medal Park in Minneapolis

Gold Medal Park

Photo of Mill Ruins Park in Minneapolis

Mill Ruins Park

Curt Norwood Real Estate Broker

People are my passion! In our current real estate climate experience matters. I have 20 years as a seasoned broker working with clients, buying selling homes, managing transactions, negotiating terms, and closing deals.

Ask Curt about Minneapolis

http://www.facebook.com/curt.norwood »

Photo of William's Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar in Minneapolis

William's Uptown Pub & Peanut Bar

Photo of Salut Bar Americain in Minneapolis

Salut Bar Americain

Photo of France 44 Cheese Shop in Minneapolis

France 44 Cheese Shop

83 Bike Score of Minneapolis, MN

Minneapolis is Very Bikeable

Biking is convenient for most trips.

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What's It Like to Live in Minneapolis?

Photo of American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis

American Swedish Institute

Photo of Minnehaha Creek Park in Minneapolis

Minnehaha Creek Park

Photo of Stewart Park in Minneapolis

Stewart Park

Photo of Settergren's of Linden Hills in Minneapolis

Settergren's of Linden Hills

Overview

Minneapolis is known as a highly livable city, with great access to nature. The city sits on the banks of the Mississippi and the region is dotted with green spaces, lakes, and parks and 34 miles of bike lanes. In the winter, there’s nearby cross country skiing, pond hockey, and ice skating, in summer, there’s biking and boating and miles of great walking trails. The city is surrounded by the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway, a connecting series of parks and lakes that show off the city’s natural beauty.

The “Twin Cities” of Minneapolis and St. Paul make up Minnesota’s largest metropolitan area. Target, Best Buy, and Land o’Lakes (it’s Minnesota, there’s dairy!) have their corporate headquarters in Minneapolis. Minneapolis is home to the Vikings football team, the Minnesota Twins baseball team, and the Minnesota Wild hockey franchise.

The city has thriving arts scene. The Walker Art Center houses a renowned contemporary arts collection. There’s also the Guthrie Theater, a science museum, and a lively gallery and nightlife scene. Minneapolis has a reputation as a smart city – it jostles with Seattle for the top slot on annual “most literate city” lists. It’s not just talk about brains, though – there are multiple universities, private research centers, medical trial and energy conservation programs, and its home to a highly educated population.

Minneapolis prides itself on diversity. It hosts one of the largest GLBT Pride celebrations in the United States. But it’s home to ethnic diversity too – there are large Somali, Hmong, Vietnamese, and Ethiopian populations here.

Photo of Como Streetcar in Minneapolis

Como Streetcar

Photo of Shalom Garden, Community Garden in Minneapolis

Shalom Garden, Community Garden

Getting Around

Minneapolis METRO runs a network of buses, light rail, and commuter rail. The Northstar commuter line runs from Big Lake into downtown Minneapolis and takes about an hour. The Blue Line runs south to the Mall of America and connects to the airport.

Extensive bus service includes a downtown free ride zone -- most places in the city are no more than a ten minute walk from the bus – and the buses are kitted out with bike racks so you can take your bike with you for a bike/bus commute.

When the weather is on your side, biking is a great way to get around Minneapolis. Bike Walk Twin Cities is working hard to encourage bikes (and feet) as transportation – they produce a map and lots of helpful resources for Twin Cities non-motorized transportation users. Nice Ride MN operates the bike share program and stocks the bike share stations around the city.

If you need a car from time to time, Zipcar, Turo, and HOURCAR Hub all operate car sharing services in Minneapolis. But on the whole, thanks to an extensive transit network and active support of activities like biking and walking, living car free in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities region is a very doable choice

thumbnail for Powderhorn ParkCheck out this gigantic park, covering 68 acres of land and 12 acres of water. Bring your family here for a fun day picnicking, hiking, or playing on any of their recreation courts. #park #tenniscourt Photo: Mulad

Walk Score Team
on Powderhorn Park

Neighborhoods

If you choose to live and work in downtown Minneapolis, you can avoid the bitter cold of the Minnesota winters or high heat of muggy summers by walking between buildings using the Minneapolis Skyway. Come the milder weather, you’ll want to go outside to take advantage of the extensive biking and walking paths that crisscross the city. Downtown West ranks very high for walkability. Most of the apartments or condos are in high rise buildings. There are some very cool new buildings that have from studio to three bedroom units for rent, and there are some smaller units in renovated brick buildings. You may also find some super chic downtown loft spaces with big windows and great views of the river.

The North Loop used to be the warehouse district, but that’s been changed by gentrification. There are lots of stylish new condos and loft style apartments here with gourmet style kitchen kitted out with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. Some of those old warehouses have been converted into open floor plan apartments with big windows. There’s super hip shopping here, it’s a good place for foodies, and it’s home to Target Field where the Minnesota Twins play their home games.

Lowry Hill East – locals call it “The Wedge” is south and a little bit west of downtown, and it’s also a very pedestrian friendly neighborhood. There are some smaller, classic style apartment blocks here where you can find one and two bedroom apartments with leaded glass windows and hardwood floors. The Wedge is a great place for cyclists to live because it’s transited by two major bikeways, the Midtown Greenway and the Bryant Avenue Bikeway.

The University District is bordered by Marcy Holmes and Prospect Park. Marcy Holmes is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Minneapolis and it’s got the character to prove it. It’s been voted a top neighborhood to live in and to visit, and a few years back it was ranked as one of the nation’s top eco-friendly places to live. The Guthrie Theater is here, and cyclists access the neighborhood via the 5th Street SE bike path. Housing is mixed – there’s affordable student housing and some new construction apartments; there are also a few single family homes but it’s a competitive rental market since it’s so close to the university.

Photo of Stone's Throw Urban Farm in Minneapolis

Stone's Throw Urban Farm

Photo of W Lake Harriet Pkwy in Minneapolis

W Lake Harriet Pkwy

Photo of Sheraton Hotels in Minneapolis

Sheraton Hotels

Photo of Monte Carlo Bar & Cafe in Minneapolis

Monte Carlo Bar & Cafe

Prospect Park, to the south of the University also has student apartments and single family homes. Prospect Park is embracing the urban village concept, developing a community that makes walkability and access to things like shopping, transit, and street life a priority. There are some large apartment blocks that have from studio to two bedroom apartments, some of them have gyms, common areas, indoor bike storage, and underground parking. There are also some nice single family homes here, places with detached garages, big gardens, and still with easy access to transit.

A few Minneapolis suburbs ranked as CNN Money’s Best Small Towns – Chanhassen for it’s great outdoors activities, Apple Valley for affordability, and Savage for its walkable downtown area. Eden Prairie has also received recognition as a great place to live outside Minneapolis.

thumbnail for American Swedish Institute#phillipswest The American Swedish Institute is located at the site of this mansion. The mansion features amazing architecture and each of the rooms are have stunning details. Be sure to visit the Fika restaurant and the museum gift shop when you visit.

Carrie Monroe
on American Swedish Institute

Minneapolis is Talking About...

job play eating coffee song food god drink mpls minnesota walk downtown beer twins first avenue run baseball party target field sleep

Minneapolis is all about:

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Photo of Peace Coffee in Minneapolis

Peace Coffee

Photo of Milwaukee Ave in Minneapolis

Milwaukee Ave

thumbnail for Grand CafeGrand Cafe on grand is a delightful eatery with great prices and good food!

BM Davies
on Grand Cafe

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