The community of Nokomis contains the many fine neighborhoods of Diamond Lake, Ericsson, Field, Hale, Keewaydin, Minnehaha, Morris Park, Northrop, Page, Regina and Wenonah.
Diamond Lake
Diamond Lake neighborhood is located on the south side of Minneapolis and is bound by Interstate 35W and Second Avenue South on the west, by Highway 77 and Cedar Avenue on the east, by Highway 62 (which runs along the city limits) on the south, and by 55th Street East and Diamond Lake Road on the north. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is located directly to the southwest, and the City of Richfield is directly south. The neighborhood takes its name from the lake found in its western end. The neighborhood's northeastern tip connects to Lake Nokomis recreation areas and parks.
Ericsson
The Ericsson neighborhood in southeast Minneapolis is bound on the north by 42nd and 43rd streets, on the east by Hiawatha Avenue, on the south by Minnehaha Parkway and on the west by Cedar Avenue. It takes its name from John Ericsson, a Swedish engineer and inventor who designed and built the U.S.S. Monitor for the United States Navy during the Civil War. This is a residential neighborhood with mainly single-family housing units. The western half of the neighborhood is dominated by recreational land. Lake Hiawatha Park and Lake Hiawatha Golf Course are two of the most significant recreational sites. Minnehaha Creek also runs west to east through the southern portion of the neighborhood.
Field
Field neighborhood, located in south Minneapolis, is bordered by I-35W on the west side, Minnehaha Parkway on the south, Chicago Avenue on the east and 46th Street East on the north. Field is named for the local school. The school is named for Eugene Field, a popular writer of children poetry. A largely residential neighborhood, it is characterized by small two-bedroom pre-1940s stucco, brick and stone houses. Chicago Avenue is the main commercial thoroughfare.
Hale
Hale is located in southeast Minneapolis and is bound by Minnehaha Creek on the north, Cedar Avenue on the east, 55th Street on the south and Chicago Avenue on the west. The neighborhood is named after the Hale elementary school, which took its name from Nathan Hale, an American revolutionary born in Connecticut in 1755. The school is the educational center of the neighborhood - an English Language Learners school with a focus on music and art. A mostly residential neighborhood, its adjoining park facilities border the southwestern tip of Lake Nokomis. In the north, Minnehaha Creek opens up to miles of bicycle and pedestrian paths.
Keewaydin
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 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."
Minnehaha
Minnehaha neighborhood is located in south Minneapolis. The neighborhood is bound on the east by Hiawatha Avenue, on the south by 54th Street East, on the west by 34th Avenue South and on the north by Minnehaha Parkway East. Minnehaha and its neighbor Hiawatha both received their names from an Ojibwe legend mentioned in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, The Song of Hiawatha. Minnehaha means "laughing waters," as the waterfall in what is now Minnehaha Park were dubbed in Longfellow's poem.
Morris Park
Morris Park makes up the southeastern border of Minneapolis. The neighborhood abuts the Twin Cities Air Force Reserve Base on the south, and 54th Street is its northern extent. Morris Park is also bordered by 34th Avenue on the west and 46th Avenue on the east, the latter of which serves as the city border. The neighborhood took its name from Mary C. Morris, daughter of Franklin Steele. Steele was the first European-American settler of the city of St. Anthony (on the east bank of the Mississippi River, in what is now Minneapolis), and he donated land to the University of Minnesota. A majority of the single-family homes were built from the 1920s through the 1960s. A large reason for the development in Morris Park during this time was the availability of streetcar routes and rail lines in this area that date back to 1865. Today, Morris Park is part of the Nokomis community and the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA). NENA encompasses a total of four neighborhoods. The other neighborhoods are Keewaydin, Minnehaha and Wenonah. Public and shopping amenities abound for Morris Park and the NENA neighborhoods with parks, lakes, a post office, library and shops either in Morris Park or adjacent neighborhoods.
Northrop
Northrop is located in the southern part of the city and is bound from east to west by Cedar Avenue and Chicago Avenue and from north to south by 42nd Street and Minnehaha Parkway. As are many neighborhoods in Minneapolis, Northrop is named for its elementary school. Northrop Elementary takes its name from Cyrus Northrop, second president of the University of Minnesota. The neighborhood consists mainly of two-bedroom, pre-1940s stucco, brick and stone houses. It shares with Field, the neighborhood located to the west of Northrop, an active business hub at Chicago Avenue and 48th Street. Restaurants, banks, a theater and other services are located around this busy intersection.
Page
Page neighborhood on Minneapolis' south side is bound on the south by Diamond Lake Road and 55th Street, on the west by Interstate 35W, on the north by Minnehaha Creek, and on the east by Chicago Avenue. The neighborhood, like most neighborhoods in Minneapolis, took its name from its elementary school. Page Elementary School was named after Walter Hines Page, an American editor and diplomat born August 15, 1855. The neighborhood is predominately residential with Pearl Park in the center of the neighborhood. Most of the houses were built in the late 1920s and 1930s. The houses are largely two-story homes, many with colonial-style design. Pearl Park is commonly used for little league soccer, football, hockey and baseball.
Regina
The Regina neighborhood, located on the south side of Minneapolis, is bound in the north by 42nd Street East, in the east by Chicago Avenue, in the south by 46th Street East and in the west by Interstate 35W. This is a residential neighborhood with mostly small single-family houses built before 1940. The neighborhood is named for the former Regina parochial schoolthat now is home to a Head Start program and a day-care center.
Wenonah
The Wenonah neighborhood is located on the southern edge of Minneapolis. Highway 62 is the southern border and 54th Street is its northern extent. Beyond the main southern border, a small piece of the neighborhood extends into Richfield. The neighborhood is bordered by Cedar Avenue and Lake Nokomis on the west and 34th Avenue on the east. Wenonah neighborhood is named after Hiawatha's mother, the daughter of Nokomis, from a legend that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow attributes to Ojibwe people in his poem, The Song of Hiawatha. Before 1900 the neighborhood was a major American Indian center. The majority of the existing single-family homes were built between the 1920s and the 1960s. A large reason for the development in Wenonah during this time was the availability of streetcar routes and rail lines that date back to 1865. Today, Wenonah is part of the Nokomis community and the Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA). NENA encompasses a total of four neighborhoods, including Keewaydin, Minnehaha and Morris Park. Public and shopping amenities abound for Wenonah and the NENA neighborhoods with parks, lakes, a post office, a library and shops either in Wenonah or other NENA neighborhoods.
