Union Park Links

Located in the west central part of St. Paul, Union Park is a collection of smaller neighborhoods including Merriam Park, Lexington Hamline and Snelling Hamline. The neighborhood is predominantly residential, but Union Park includes sections of the Midway commercial and industrial areas along University Avenue. The Central Corridor light rail Green Line, which is expected to be operational by 2014, will travel through Union Park between downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis.

 Boundaries and Zip Code

North: University Avenue and Interstate 94 
South: Summit Avenue 
East: Lexington Parkway 
West: Mississippi River (east of Transfer Road) 
Zipcode: 55104

A map of the neighborhood is here:
 https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&q=map+of+union+park+st+paul&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x87f62a0213d23a4f:0x6a872939a1b5fe00,Union+Park,+St+Paul,+MN&gl=us&ei=VxCpUf7yBOvDyAGZvIGQDA&ved=0CDAQ8gEwAA

History

Much of Union Park was developed in the 1800s to be a commuter suburb between the downtowns of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The Red River Ox Cart Trail, established in the 1840's, ran roughly along what is now St. Anthony Avenue and Interstate 94. It was used by traders bringing pelts, buffalo robes, pemmican, and food to St. Paul and returning to the Red River settlements with oxcarts filled with groceries, hardware, medicine, and supplies. The Old Military Road, running north from Fort Snelling and renamed Snelling Avenue in the 1850's, was another major early route. Among the first settlers in present day Merriam Park were innkeepers such as Donald McDonald and Steven Desnoyer who catered to the Red River traders. They settled on or near the present Town and Country golf course in the area known today as Desnoyer Park, in the western part of the neighborhood.
In 1880 the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad completed its Short Line, a commuter line linking Minneapolis and St. Paul. It traveled through the north part of Merriam Park roughly along the path of the old oxcart trail. A further development to the area's settlement was the construction of the major streetcar lines in the 1890's. Lines were laid along University, Rondo (an avenue which was largely obliterated by the construction of Interstate 94), Snelling, Prior, and Selby Avenues. The Selby Avenue line traveled over the Short Line railroad on the Selby Avenue truss bridge. In 1905 it was extended from Fairview west on Marshall to the Marshall-Lake Street Bridge which had been completed in 1888.

See the Ramsey County Historical Society for some of the history and architecture of the neighborhood
http://www.rchs.com/neighborhoods/merriam_park.htm

To view a comprehensive profile of the neighborhood by age, ethic and economic diversity, etc.
  http://www.mncompass.org/_pdfs/neighborhood-profiles/StPaul-UnionPark-102011.pdf

Community and Online Organizations

Union Park District Council
13 1570 Concordia Avenue, Suite LL100 
Saint Paul, MN 55104 
Office: 651-645-6887
www.unionparkdc.org
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnionParkDistrictCouncil  
 Go here to subscribe for Neighborhood Matters (events, meetings) and/or Safety Reports: https://sites.google.com/site/unionparkdc002/resident-info/connect/subscribe  

Lexington Hamline Community Council  
1216 Selby Avenue Saint Paul, MN. 55104 
Office: 651-645-3207
www.lexham.org
Email: [email protected]

For a calendar of local events: https://sites.google.com/site/unionparkdc002/calendar 

 
Parks and Recreation

Merriam Park and Community Recreation Center
2000 Saint Anthony Avenue

Desnoyer Park 
Pelham Boulevard and Beverly Road
https://sites.google.com/site/desnoyerpark/desnoyer-info

Dunning Park, sports complex
 1188 Concordia

Iris Park
 1884 University Ave.W

Hamline and Hague Park/Tot Lot 
1328 Hague Ave.

Aldine Park 
1717 Inglehart Ave

Shadow Falls Park Preserve 
30 Mississippi River Blvd. N

Meeker Island Park
 near where East River Road meets Eustis Street -- a walking trail, benches and picnic tables, and a historical gem -- the remnants of a Mississippi River lock and dam 
http://www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/meekerisland.htm

Pelham Triangle
355 Pelham Ave