Northrop

Northrop is a neighborhood situated in the southern region of Minneapolis. It is bound by Chicago Avenue and Cedar Avenue from east to west and by Minnehaha Parkway and 42nd Street from south to north.
As most of the other neighborhoods in the city, Northrop is named for Northrop Elementary School which is named from the University of Minnesota second president, Cyrus Northrop. It mainly consists of pre-1940s stucco, two-bedroom brick and stone houses. It shares neighborhoods with Regina and Field. Field is situated to the west of Northrop and is an active business district at 48th Street and Chicago Avenue. Banks, restaurants, a theater and other great sources are found around this busy intersection.
The key landmark in the neighborhood of Northrop is McRae Park which was constructed in the 1960s and was named for Alexander McRae who was a former commissioner of the Minneapolis Park.
The average size of household in the neighborhood was higher than that of the average of the city of Minneapolis in the decades 1980 and 1990. In 2000, the size of household for Northrop and the city was the same at 2.3 persons per household.
The percentage of family household reduced from 70% of the entire households in 1980 to 56% in 2000. On this same period, households of individuals living alone and are above 65 years old reduced by 27%. The biggest increase in the household type was in the households of individuals who are living alone and are under 65 years old. The figure doubled between the decades 1980 and 2000. Households of individuals living together but are unrelated saw an increase of 43% during this period of time.
The percentage of householders that lived alone in the neighborhood was below the average of the city between 1980 and 2000. But during this time period, Northrop experienced an increase of 41% in the number of households that lived alone.
Between the decades 1980 and 2000, the population of senior living alone in the neighborhood reduced by 27% but as a proportion of the overall population of senior, it increased actually to 40% from 26%. The percentage of those seniors who lived alone in the city in 2000 was 37%.
On the other hand, the percentage of families with kids under the age of 18 in the neighborhood has been consistently below the figure of the city between 1980 and 2000. The figures in 2000 were 44% and 50% respectively. The trend for the neighborhood of Northrop and the city has mirrored each other at this period of time in which both experienced in 1990 their highest levels.
The percentage of vacant housing units in Northrop was never more than 2% between the decades 1980 and 2000. The overall number of housing units was declined by 9 units during this period of time. The vacancy rate of homeownership has remained a bit low the figure of the city between the same decades. The vacancy rate for rental remained below 1% between 1980 and 1990 but increased then to 2.3% in 2000.

Northrop is located in southern Minneapolis just a few miles from downtown and other central neighborhoods. This community is still often referred to as Field Regina Northrop since it is located next to Field and is part of a large collective. Commuters can access downtown via I-35W just to the east with a drive that last five to ten minutes. The Saint Mary's Cemetery is located at the heart of Northrop and provides a historic landscape in addition to the old, modest sized houses that were built during the 1920's and 1930's. The homes are listed on the slightly expensive side at a little over $200,000 and very few properties are for rent since this community targets home owners.

McRae Park and its recreation center are frequented by locals who wish to stay active and become involved with community activities. The park has a tennis court, a baseball field, a swimming pool, and gardens. Festivals and children's activities are also held here during the spring and summer months and ice skating is available during the chilling winters. The majority of businesses in Northrop are located along Chicago and Cedar Avenues and leave few reasons for residents to go to other communities for amenities. Restaurants and retails shops dot these two streets and locals even have access to entertainment. Should someone wish to travel elsewhere, public transportation can take them to any other point in Minneapolis.