Hale

Hale is situated on the southeast in the city of Minneapolis and is bordered on the east by Cedar Avenue, on the north by Minnehaha Creek, on the west by Chicago Avenue and on the south by 55th Street. It is one of the three neighborhoods grouped together to form HPDL.
It is named after the Hale Elementary School focusing on art and music. It is a predominantly residential neighborhood and its adjacent park facilities border the south western tip of the Lake Nokomis. Minnehaha Creek in the north opens up to miles of pedestrian and bicycle paths. It is home to Hale School Elementary which is located 1220 E 54th Street.
It is where you can find the Cottontail on the Trail which is a bronze sculpture by Jeff Barber in the East Minnehaha Parkway and Portland Avenue. It represents the whimsy and animal life of the neighborhood of Page.
In 2000, the total number of households was 1,375 which is an increase of only 26 households from the year 1980. The average size of household was greater than that of the entire city but equaled in 2000. The total number of households in the neighborhood of Hale increased slightly from 1980 to 2000 but there was a decrease in the family households. The difference was offset by the increasing number of individuals who lived alone and unrelated persons living together. The population of senior living alone reduced from 1980 to 2000 by 120 people.
The total number of housing units in 2000 in the neighborhood was 1,375 which an increase of merely 33 from 1980. Housing units available for sale or rent is scarce and 23 units were vacant in the year 2000. In the year 1990, the number of housing units occupied by owners reduced and while there was an increase in the number of rental units. The opposite took place in 2000 in which 89% of the housing units in the neighborhood were owner-occupied.
The vacancy rate of homeowners in the neighborhood of Hale is low, less than 1% of owner-occupied houses were vacant from the year 1980 to 2000. The vacancy rate of renter was a bit higher and increased to 3.9 percent from 1.8 percent in the year 1990 and declined to 3.3% in 2000. This vacancy rate is over the percentage of the city in 2000 due to the plummeting vacancy rates on rental properties all over the city.
The labor force participation rate in the neighborhood was equal to the rate of Minneapolis in 1980. The rate of Hale increased to 79% and then increased a bit in 2000. In both decades, the rate of Hale was higher than in Minneapolis. The rate of unemployment in the neighborhood declined to 1.6% in 2000 from 2.9%. The rate in the year 1990 declined by 9% despite an increase in the overall unemployment rate of the city. The rate of unemployment in the neighborhood of Hale is much lower than that of the city.

Hale is part of the HPDL, the Hale, Page and Diamond Lake larger collective community. By itself though, this neighborhood offers a suburban charm with some urban amenities. Located in southern Minneapolis, parks and water surround the streets. Lake Nokomis sits on Hale's eastern side while Minnehaha Creek forms the northern boundary. Residents are also close to Diamond Lake, Pearl Lake Park and Todd Park. Between Cedar Ave. and W Lake Nokomis Parkway is one of the larger baseball fields in the city. Hence, those living here are never short of options for staying physically active.

Families will prefer Hale since it is home to renowned schools like Hale Elementary and the English Language Learners School. Additionally, this is a very safe neighborhood in which to raise children. Housing is on the expensive side with modest size dwellings selling for around $250,000. Typical for Minneapolis neighborhoods, the homes are historic, with most predating World War II. Hale is out of the way of downtown, but this distance provides a suitable balance of the commercial and residential that is ideal for family life. Should a resident wish to visit downtown, I-35W is just several blocks west of the community.

The community of Hale in the southern part of Minneapolis is a quaint neighborhood with parks, small shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and great schools. You might sometimes hear the neighborhood of Hale referred to as HPDL because it is part of a larger group of neighborhoods (Hale, Page, and Diamond Lake). The homes in this area are modest, but will still cost the homebuyer on average $200,000 or more. Many of these homes were originally built in the 1920s and 1930s and reflect the architectural styles of that time period. Almost all of the homes are single-family units, but a few rental units can be found sprinkled in the neighborhood.

The neighborhood gets its name from the Hale Elementary school, considered a very good school in the Minneapolis district. There is also an English Language Learners school in the neighborhood that provides a great education for children who might otherwise not have access to such a program.

Most of the Hale area is residential, but there are parks to the north and east for beauty and recreation. In that northern section of parks you can enjoy the scenery of Minnehaha Creek or one of the bicycle or pedestrian paths for walking or running, and Diamond Lake offers the amenities of water recreation.