Longfellow

Longfellow is the southeast Minneapolis community that earns its reputation through geography. The Mississippi River forms its eastern boundary, Minnehaha Creek cuts through its southern edge, and Minnehaha Falls — a 53-foot waterfall in a city park, the waterfall that Longfellow the poet wrote about — anchors its most famous public space. The Midtown Greenway, a below-grade bike highway built in a former rail corridor, runs east-west through the community and connects it to the lakes and downtown.

The five neighborhoods here — Cooper, Hiawatha, Howe, Longfellow proper, and Seward — share a commitment to biking infrastructure, cooperative economics, and community organizing that is unusually strong even by Minneapolis standards. Seward Co-op is not just a grocery store; it is a community institution that embodies the neighborhood's values. The Midtown Greenway is not just a bike path; it is a transportation network that shapes daily life for thousands of residents.

Longfellow was hit hard in 2020. The Third Precinct, the Lake Street corridor, and several neighborhood businesses were damaged or destroyed during the unrest following George Floyd's murder. The rebuilding has been real, sustained, and community-driven — but it is ongoing. Parts of Lake Street are still recovering. This is not a neighborhood that pretends its recent history did not happen. Longfellow is for people who value resilience, who want the best biking infrastructure in the city, and who understand that community is something you build, not something you purchase.