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Linden Hills & Lake Harriet, Minneapolis

6K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Jennifat 
#1 · (Edited)
On Sunday, I headed over to Lake Harriet and the adjacent Linden Hills neighborhood for some people-watching. The weather brought all sorts out in droves!

Located in Southwest Minneapolis, Linden Hills has the unique distinction of being the only Twin Cities neighborhood with intact, still-running prewar streetcars. Visitors can hop on a streetcar and ride between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun if one wishes to get a glimpse of life during the era of Twin Cities Rapid Transit, one of the largest and most extensive streetcar networks in North America in its heyday.

Due to its isolated location wedged between two lakes, the streetcar was central to life in Linden Hills, one of the last municipal stops before exiting Minneapolis city limits and making its way toward Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka.

Today, Linden Hills has evolved into an eclectic, family-friendly neighborhood with cute shops, quaint boutiques, and cozy cafes.

July 28, 2013













































































 
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#5 ·
Thanks for the nice comments, everyone. :)

Woah, how come I never knew about that street car line in Minneapolis?
The streetcar line is only a small section which runs between Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun, operated by the Minnesota Streetcar Museum. It's basically a "living history" exhibit with drivers dressed in TCRT costumes. It's not really of any use to residents or commuters, so it's really just a novelty tourist attraction.

In any case, I'm glad that at least a small piece of our once massive streetcar system was preserved, even if it serves as a poignant reminder of the tremendous disservice ripping it all up did to the metro area. Other than a few vestiges around the Twin Cities, it's unfortunately very easy to forget Twin Cities Rapid Transit even existed.
 
#8 ·
^^Thanks!

Linden Hills developed semi-separately from other areas due to its isolated location, hemmed in by Lakewood Cemetery and Lakes Calhoun and Harriet. So even today, it's a quiet, out-of-the-way neighborhood. If you look at a map, you'll see that the street grid is completely cut off from the rest of Minneapolis.
 
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