Sorensen - Saint Louis Park, MN

In the early 1880s, the city of Minneapolis expanded to France Avenue. Minneapolis may have kept expanding westward if not for the incorporation of St. Louis Park. The site of the original village eventually grew into the Sorensen neighborhood. The St. Louis Park Trolley served the neighborhood until 1907. It made development possible by connecting the area to Minneapolis before the automobile dominated local transportation.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the world’s first circular cement grain elevator still looms on the horizon in Sorensen.

Sorensen hosts an annual community festival called Parktacular. This family-friendly event lasts four days. Kids enjoy the parade with its clowns and bands. The popular Saturday night street party features live dance music.

St. Louis Park Friends of the Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to the arts, offers exhibits and classes. Although there are many museums in surrounding area, none exists within the neighborhood.

Several local restaurants are located near the north side of the district on Route 5. Many offer food inspired by other countries. There are also restaurants along Route 7 in the southern portion of the neighborhood.

Gael’s Gourmet offers full meals or snacks even after midnight. Hours extend until 2 a.m. on weeknights and 4 a.m. on weekends for pick-up and delivery options as well as dining room seating. You might select roasted eggplant or pulled pork from a long list of pizza toppings. The specialty mac and cheese pizza pleases kids and the kid in everyone. Gael's also lists an extensive menu of dinner options. Pastas such as baked ziti and gluten-free spaghetti and meatballs come in single and double portion sizes, as well as bucket-sized orders that will feed the whole family. Try the Neapolitan cheesecake for desert.

The Best of India serves classic Indian menu items as well as original dishes. The chefs create each order individually and can adjust the seasonings from mild to mouth-on-fire. Many of the meals are cooked on skewers in a traditional clay tandoori oven. Try the tandoori chicken, which is marinated in yogurt and mild spices and served with several chutneys on the side. Tamarind chutney offers a flavorful complement to this meal. Start off with a bowl of creamy coconut soup accompanied by a basketful of naan. Don't leave without trying the kheer, a cold rice pudding with nuts and cardamom. The daily lunch buffet, featuring more than 20 items, offers a midday meal with no waiting.

Looking for something to do at night? Try the popular Park Tavern Bowling & Entertainment Center for a casual meal or a place to watch the big game. Park Tavern offers several types of bowling, including cosmic and late-night drop-in. Special-needs bowlers find special rates and free shoe rental. Park Tavern provides pool tables and dart boards plus popular arcade games. The Midwest's only video jukebox plays on five large-screen televisions. The tavern offers two daily happy hours, with an extra happy hour during televised football games. The fun extends to the younger set as well, making the tavern perfect for families or kids’ birthday parties. The menu includes a full complement of bar food. Customers particularly enjoy the angry cow burger: a beer-marinated beef patty topped with jalapeño-bacon jam and ghost pepper cheese.

The community receives a walkability score of 45, which means most errands require a car. Convenient access to recreational trails exists for use by walkers or bicyclists. The paved Southwest Trail follows the rail line along Highway 7 and continues west. It also extends east to the Midtown Greenway Trails in Minneapolis.

Metro Transit bus lines provides public transportation from Sorensen to downtown Minneapolis and the greater metro area. Many taxi companies serve the area 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Uber's availability in the community provides yet another transportation option.

Street parking is available at metered and non-metered spaces. Businesses also offer private lot parking.

Minnesota State Route 100 on the east and Highway 7 on the south provide convenient access to the neighborhood.

Three parks in the neighborhood allow residents to enjoy nature and provide space for all ages to exercise. Roxbury Park has a popular playground and several basketball courts. The small Webster Park's playground invites young children to exercise and have fun. Alabama Park has wide-open green space for Frisbee and other outdoor activities. Admission is free at all three parks, which also welcome dogs on leash.

The St. Louis Park Community Center offers something for everybody, from infant and childcare to an active senior program. The swimming pool makes a splash with all ages.

Sorensen residents find the cost of living just slightly higher than do residents of Minneapolis. The cost of living hovers around 111 percent of the national average.

Rental prices in Sorensen average about 15 percent higher than rentals in the city of Minneapolis. Monthly rental costs average $939 for a one-bedroom apartment, about 6 percent higher than the national average.

Bus fare to downtown Minneapolis for a one-way ticket varies from 75 cents to $3, depending on the time of day and type of ticket. Need to fill the tank of your car? Gas prices currently run about 95 percent of the national average.

You can enjoy a beer in a local pub for about $5. Lunch to accompany that beer costs about $12.

You'll find a concentration of boutiques on Walker Street in the southern part of the neighborhood, but various stores can be found throughout the area.

The Minnesota Farmers Market Association supports two locations serving Sorensen during the summer months. The markets feature produce direct from local farmers, as well as baked goods and crafts.

Linsk Flowers carries a large stock of fresh flowers as well as silk and dried floral arrangements. This store can provide anything from a small thank-you bouquet to flowers for a large wedding. The shop specializes in European dish gardens growing in unique containers. A wide-ranging gift line includes gift baskets and candles.

Diablo Amps & Guitars, a boutique guitar amplifier dealer, sells artisan amps and offers guitar repair. Specializing in handmade heirloom quality amps and guitars, the store offers a unique shopping experience with private equipment auditions and the ability to try out the equipment in your home for a week before you commit.