South

Understand

South Minneapolis has several interesting neighborhoods. Midtown on Lake Street between Interstate 35W and Hiawatha Avenue is home to many Latino businesses. The Seward and West Bank neighborhoods also has several interesting bars, shops and restaurants. The corner of 48th and Chicago Avenue has several restaurants, an independent movie theater, and other shops.

Get in

Streets run east/west and generally have numbers that increase as you go further south. Nicollet Avenue in Southwest Minneapolis divides the streets. Append the direction at the end of streets such as E 27th Street to indicate east of Nicollet. Avenues are numbered from Nicollet Avenue (18, 19, ... 32) continuing east to the Mississippi River, where you reach Saint Paul. The first part of addresses on the avenues are based on the nearest cross street. For example, 4000 28th Avenue South is at the corner of 28th Avenue and 40th Street.

By car

• Interstate 35W runs along the western and northern edges of the district, separating it from Southwest and Downtown.
• Interstate 94 runs to the north of the district, running alongside Interstate 35W part of the way. Further east, it separates the West Bank and Seward neighborhoods.
• Minnesota State Highway 55 (Hiawatha Avenue) runs through the district in a roughly northwest-southeast fashion. It connects the district with Downtown to the north and the airport and Fort Snelling to the south.

By METRO light rail

The Blue Line runs through South Minneapolis mostly along Hiawatha Avenue as it travels between Downtown Minneapolis, the airport, and the Mall of America. The Green Line runs between the downtowns of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and has a stop on the West Bank.

By bus

• Route 2 begins at Franklin and Hennepin in the Wedge and travels along Franklin Avenue to 26th Avenue through the Phillips and Seward neighborhoods (connecting with the METRO Blue Line at Franklin and Hiawatha), then travels along Riverside Avenue through the West Bank to Cedar Avenue, finally turning on to the Washington Avenue Bridge to head to the U of M East Bank.
• Route 3 has a couple stops on the West Bank, one near 3rd and Cedar and another in the trench leading to the Washington Avenue Bridge. This route starts in Downtown Minneapolis and continues towards the East Bank and Saint Paul.
• Route 5 is a fairly frequent route running along Chicago Avenue through South Minneapolis, passing by the Midtown Exchange (Chicago-Lake Transit Center) along the way. The route begins in Brooklyn Center, runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown, and south of 60th Street shifts over to Portland Avenue and continues through Richfield and Bloomington, terminating at the Mall of America.
• Route 7 starts near Theodore Wirth Park in North Minneapolis and continues through Downtown. On the West Bank it passes through Seven Corners and then runs most the length of Riverside Avenue, continuing along 27th Avenue in Seward. At Lake Street in Longfellow it shifts over to Minnehaha Avenue and continues until 46th Street, connects with the METRO Blue Line at 46th and Hiawatha, and travels down 34th Avenue in the Nokomis area until its terminus near Highway 62.
• Route 9 starts in the west suburbs and runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown. It runs along Franklin Avenue through the Phillips neighborhood, connects with the METRO Blue Line at Franklin and Hiawatha. In Seward it runs down Minnehaha Avenue for three blocks, then along 25th Street to 36th Avenue, running down 36th Avenue through Longfellow until it reaches 34th Street. At 34th Street it runs east to 42nd Avenue, then south along 42nd Avenue to 42nd Street, then shifting back to Minnehaha Avenue which it runs down until 46th Street, finally terminating at the METRO Blue Line station at 46th and Hiawatha.
• Route 11 begins in Columbia Heights and runs through Northeast Minneapolis, Downtown, and the Whittier neighborhood. In south Minneapolis it serves the western edge of the Phillips, Powderhorn, and Nokomis areas, running along 4th Avenue from 28th Street down to 46th Street, then terminating at 46th and Nicollet.
• Route 14 comes from Robbinsdale and Golden Valley and runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown. In South Minneapolis it runs along Bloomington Avenue (through the Phillips, Powderhorn, and Nokomis areas), eventually terminating in Richfield near 66th and Cedar.
• Route 21 is a frequent-running (and frequently overcrowded) bus route running along Lake Street through South Minneapolis, passing through the heart of Midtown and connecting with the METRO Blue Line at Lake and Hiawatha. The route begins in Uptown and continues all the way to downtown Saint Paul via Marshall and Selby Avenues.
• Route 22 comes from Brooklyn Center and runs through North Minneapolis and Downtown. On the West Bank it passes through Seven Corners and then runs down Cedar Avenue through the Phillips and Powderhorn areas until 35th Street. The bus then runs east on 35th Street, south on 23rd Avenue, and east on 38th Street to meet up with the METRO Blue Line at 38th and Hiawatha. The bus then continues south on 28th Avenue through the Nokomis area until 58th Street, then meanders eastward to its terminus at the VA Medical Center, where it meets up with the Blue Line once again.
• Route 23 begins in Uptown and runs along the length of 38th Street through South Minneapolis, connecting with the METRO Blue Line at 38th and Hiawatha. Half the buses terminate at the Veterans Home in Minnehaha Park and the other half terminate in Saint Paul's Highland Park neighborhood.
• Route 46 runs mostly along 46th Street through South Minneapolis, briefly jogging over to 42nd Street between Cedar and 34th Avenues to avoid Lake Hiawatha, and connects with the METRO Blue Line at 46th and Hiawatha. The route begins in Edina, runs through Southwest Minneapolis, and continues all the way to the Highland Park neighborhood in Saint Paul.
• Route 67 begins at the Franklin Avenue METRO Blue Line station and runs east along Franklin Avenue through the Seward neighborhood before continuing on to Prospect Park and Saint Paul.

By bicycle

The Midtown Greenway is a paved, off road bike path that runs east/west through South Minneapolis (paralleling 28th Street) connecting the Mississippi River trails to Highway 169 in Hopkins, passing Lake Calhoun along the way. The Greenway intersects with the river trails at its easternmost point, the Hiawatha LRT trail (to downtown) at Hiawatha Avenue, and bicycle lanes at Park Avenue and Portland Avenue. The trail continues into Southwest Minneapolis, intersecting the Chain of Lakes paths via connector at Lake Calhoun, and the Cedar Lake Bikeway as well as the SW LRT Trail in Hopkins.

Bike racks are provided on the front of all city buses and inside light rail cars. The greenway and river bike paths are plowed in winter allowing year round use.

Go next

• While Midtown now has the largest concentration of Mexican businesses in the Twin Cities, the oldest Mexican neighborhood in the area is on the West Side of Saint Paul, where the community dates back to the 1930s.