CARAG

The CARAG which stands for Calhoun Area Residents Action Group is bounded by 36th Street and Lake Street to the south and north and Lyndale Avenue and Hennepin Avenue to east and west. It is in the center of Uptown and near Lake Calhoun.
CARAG is a well established neighborhood with 75 percent of its homes constructed before 1920. It is also home to a strong mix of small and large apartment buildings, family homes, a park, retail businesses and service as well as a synagogue and four churches. It is where the Bryant Square Park is located. The park is situated in Bryant Avenue, a block south of Lake Street and was called the Eighth Ward Park until it was renamed in 1907 after Willing Cullen Bryant who is a journalist and poet.
CARAG is an exciting and distinctive neighborhood in the city located just a few minutes from downtown Minneapolis and the Chain of Lakes in the city including Lake Calhoun that is only within walking distance. It is very popular because part of the community sits within the trendy Lyn Lake and Uptown business nodes which provide residents and visitors alike various opportunities to shop and eat at unique establishments and even visit theater and art spaces.
Most of the homes in the neighborhood were constructed before the World War II in a variety of styles including Arts and Crafts, Four Squares and other styles of the revival period. It also has a mix of multi-unit properties which are available for sale and for rent including duplexes, low-rise townhouse style buildings, new construction and historic apartment buildings.
CARAG is home to Emily O. Goodridge-Grey Accelerated School. The public facilities offered by the neighborhood include the Bryant Square Park and Bryant Square Recreation Center. The former is a great destination to cool off in the summer with its wading pool and warm up during winter with ice skating or a hockey game. POPS which is a small amphitheatre situated in a natural hillside south of the recreation center. The Bryant Square Recreation Center provides recreation opportunities throughout the year for people of all ages.
There are home improvement programs in the neighborhood namely Historic Preservation Loan Program, and 1:3 Matching Deferred Loan Program. The neighborhood is not taking new applications for such programs.
The residents get involved in various organizations and associations in the neighborhood. They include the Lyn-Lake Business Association which exists to improve business relationships and activities in Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue area of South Minneapolis. The Uptown Association is non-profit trade promoting Uptown as a prosperous, safe, attractive, accessible, environmentally responsible and well maintained residential and commercial area. The official organization of the neighborhood is Calhoun Area Residents Action Group which offers various opportunities for the residents to get involved in the life of the community.
CARAG is one of the best neighborhoods in the city of Minneapolis and has always something new and exciting to offer not only to the locals but to the visitors as well.

The CARAG neighborhood, also known as the Calhoun Area Residents Action Group, is nestled into the heart of Uptown and just walking distance from Lake Calhoun. This unique neighborhood is a mixture of single-family homes, of which 75% were built before 1920, and of all varieties of architecture. Among the newer homes you can find Arts and Crafts style homes and other revival styles. There are also townhouses, duplexes, and apartment buildings of all sizes and styles within the neighborhood. Originally developed as a streetcar subdivision of Minneapolis, CARAG is now a trendy community that offers much to both residents and visitors.

Retail business and varieties of services can be found within CARAG, and residents don’t have to travel far to dine in restaurants serving all types of menu options. Situated in the community are also art and theatre venues for residents and visitors, as well as the Emily O. Goodridge-Grey Accelerated School for those in grades K-6. Residents can also take part in services offered by the synagogue or one of four churches in the CARAG neighborhood.

The Bryant Square Recreation Center is the place for residents to find recreational activities all year, including a summer dip in the Bryant Square Park wading pool, and in the winter, an opportunity for hockey or ice skating on the rink that originated in 1913. A small outdoor theatre known as POPS, or Public Outdoor Performance Space is located in the hillside of the Bryant Square Recreation Center.

CARAG was drawn into the Minneapolis city limits as a result of gaining easier access to downtown with the street cars at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, it is where business professionals live it up. Just to the south of the commercial neighborhoods of Uptown and Lyn Lake, CARAG residents are just a stroll away from various dining spots, coffeehouses and shops. The community is also directly east of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, offering those who live or visit the area lake side recreation.

This Minneapolis neighborhood amidst commercial activity and lakes comes with a high price. The majority of dwellings are historic apartment buildings and a few smaller houses that were built during the 1920's and 30's that have sale prices that often exceed $225,000. The center streets contain volley ball and basketball courts and the northeastern corner contains the Metro Transit Station, so the local population has both places to be active and easy access in and out of the neighborhood. CARAG is most often sought after by high earning single professionals, though a few families relocate to this area, so residents should not be surprised to see the occasional mother pushing a stroller. Though out the price range for some, those who can afford to live in this community will love the historic pre- war architecture and quick access to all the food, necessities and nightlife they could want.