I wanted to share some pictures of the target area along Grand Avenue. If you want to see where each picture was taken, then take a look at this Google Map.
- Grand Ave. sign at Snelling and Grand
- Shops and Condos
- Lampstand near Caribou Coffee
- Shops and the Metro (Twin Cities public transit)
- More shops near Macalester
- Grandview Theater
- Macalester College
- University of St. Thomas
- Posted by Bryan
I wanted to put up a post that highlights this area the church plant is targeting. The broad area is legislative district 64A, which is made up of the neighborhoods surrounding Grand Avenue (Groveland/Macalester; Merriam Park; Summit-University; Summit Hill). This area has a population of about 36,752. It is located about 5-6 miles southeast of downtown Minneapolis and 4 miles west of downtown St. Paul. The area is in St. Paul proper.
The neighborhoods are a combination of various demographic groups. Smaller single family homes attract many middle class families to the area, the mansions of Summit Ave. attract many “well off” professionals, and the various apartments and condos attract young singles and yuppies. In addition, since this area is between two downtowns, then it also contains various ethnic groups, races and social classes. For example, the Twin Cities metro area has the largest “Somali, Hmong, Oromo Ethiopiean, Liberian, Karen Burmeses, and Anuak populations in the U.S., as well as the second largest Tibetan concentration” (CityView Report, 2008).
Grand Avenue is a street that runs through the heart of this area. It is a 30 block, 4 mile stretch of street that extends from the Mississippi River to downtown St. Paul. The street combines trendy with historic, urban and small town, condos and houses. Grand Ave. passes the halls of universities and colleges, old historic homes and preserved condos, and storefronts of various original shops. These shops match the diversity of the area, which includes ethnic restaurants, micro-breweries, grills, coffee houses and ice cream parlors.
We are passionate about planting a new church in this area, and reaching many who do not worship Jesus with the gospel. May we continue to pray for the advancement of God’s kindom in this area!
- Posted by Bryan
