Bryn Mawr named one of the “Best Places to Live” by Minnesota Monthly Magazine
Bryn Mawr is a wonderful place to live; named one of the “Best Places to Live” by Minnesota Monthly Magazine – April 2010. Recognition of Bryn Mawr as one of the most livable neighborhoods in the metropolitan area does not surprise Bryn Mawr residents.
Bryn Mawr is a thriving Minneapolis neighborhood located directly west of downtown Minneapolis. Bryn Mawr was developed from farmland beginning in the mid-1800s when it was promoted as a “garden suburb” or “amenity zone,” because of its proximity to the lakes and an abundance of green space. Pocketed roughly between Kenwood, Cedar Lake, Wirth Park, Bassett Creek, and Bryn Mawr Meadows, the neighborhood is characterized by its stability and quietude. It remains surrounded by over 650 acres of parks, lakes, and trails, and retains its original small-town charm while having access to some of the best urban and natural features of Minneapolis and the nearby suburbs. It features a unique and active business district that offers residents walking-distance amenities.
The iconic Bryn Mawr Hedge situated at the gateway to the neighborhood on Penn Avenue
Bryn Mawr is the northwestern anchor to Minneapolis’ beautiful chain of lakes, yet it is just minutes from shopping and business centers; a number of important historic sites; a wide variety of cultural and entertainment venues; major sports facilities; and several colleges and universities. A diversity of building styles reflects Bryn Mawr’s history, from Victorian to Tudors, colonials, bungalows, and mid-century modern.
Bryn Mawr is a neighborhood with a low crime rate and a high percentage of active voters. Residents are also fortunate to have many parks and two public schools, Bryn Mawr Community School, and Anwatin Middle School: International Baccalaureate Middle School, located right in the neighborhood.
Bryn Mawr was named the hottest place in Minneapolis for home sales in 2022 based on prices, sales and days on market compared with the previous five-year average. Bryn Mawr topped the Star Tribune list because it has “the sense of community coveted by many urban buyers” according to real estate agent Aimee Morice. In addition houses are close to downtown but “but are surrounded by networks of parks, trails and green space.” Morice also says, “It’s so strategically located,” she said. “You can walk to the corner store or a coffee shop … but you’re 10 minutes to St. Louis Park or West End or Ridgedale [Mall].”
Read the full article here: Star Tribune – Hot Housing Minneapolis St. Paul Neighborhoods
Best Places to Live
Bryn Mawr
2009 MEDIAN SALES PRICE: $345,000**
GREEN SPACE: 650 acres of parks, lakes, and trails
RATIO OF NEIGHBORHOOD FESTIVALS TO RESIDENTS: 1:543
If you like biking to work, hiking urban trails, living within shouting distance of the city lakes, check out the more affordable side of Minneapolis’s Calhoun Isles neighborhood. Tucked between Glenwood to the north and Cedar Lake to the south on the western edge of downtown Minneapolis, Bryn Mawr is one of the city’s best-kept secrets, and so charmingly burnished by its residents that Cottage Living magazine named it one of the top 10 “cottage communities” nationwide a couple years ago.
Composed (naturally) of cottages, mostly pre–World War II bungalows and Tudors, plus a smattering of 1½-story post-war homes—nearly uniformly encircled by tidy yards and gardens tended to a fare-thee-well—Bryn Mawr bills itself as a neighborhood within a park. Rightfully so: It’s literally surrounded by Theodore Wirth Park, Bassett Creek Park, Bryn Mawr Meadows, and Kenwood Park.
Bisected by Interstate 394, the area still manages to hold onto a small-town esprit de corps that’s as unexpected as it is appealing. The activist Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association sponsors events such as the annual “Festival of Garage Sales,” wherein hundreds of residents reserve a springtime weekend to hawk used stuff, drawing bargain hunters by the thousands to the neighborhood. Every-other-year garden tours show off the neighborhood’s loveliest yards and raise money to beautify “Downtown Bryn Mawr,” the intersection of Penn Avenue and Cedar Lake Road. The diminutive business district includes quirkily outstanding home-accessories shops Nola Home and Cockadoodle Doo. With downtown Minneapolis roughly three minutes away by car and St. Louis Park’s new West End five minutes in the opposite direction, shopping, dining, and entertainment is never far.
Read the full article here: Minnesota Monthly - Best Places to Live
Milling About: Getting to Know the Bryn Mawr Neighborhood
What do you know about the Bryn Mawr neighborhood of Minneapolis? We sat down with Lynda Shaheen, Communications and Fundraising Coordinator for the Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association to get a better idea of the geography, parks, businesses and annual events. She describes how to spend a perfect day in her neighborhood, from coffee to pampering and take-out dinners. Looking for a really fun holiday activity? Don’t miss the Bryn Mawr Winter Lights Tour, featuring 43 homes, with an online ballot allowing votes until January 4.
Read the full article here: Mill City Times - Milling About: Getting to Know the Bryn Mawr Neighborhood
These were the hottest neighborhoods for homebuyers in Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2022
2022 housing fact facts
Bryn Mawr was more expensive than the city as a whole and far more expensive than even the hottest suburb, Lake Elmo. On average, houses sold for $286 per square foot compared with $228 for the city overall. With a market time of just 10 days, houses sold twice as fast as the rest of the city on average.
Bryan Brussee & Yuqing Liu, Star Tribune • Source: Minneapolis Area Realtors (MAAR) and RMLS of MN Inc
The vibe
"Homey and nature-filled," Hannah Tuttle said. She and her partner, Ben Lester, successfully bid on a 1950s rambler that recently hit the market for $595,000. Though the deal is still contingent upon inspection and they can't reveal how much they offered, they said there were several other bidders. Lester, who called the area "neighborly and quaint," said that Bryn Mawr is hemmed in by railroad tracks, parks, and interstate highways. "Because of the difficult access, my friend at work described it as a 'hamlet,' and that does seem accurate based on the feel I've gotten — a hamlet next to a city."
Hangouts
While Bryn Mawr doesn't have the nightlife opportunities of their old neighborhood, the North Loop, Lester said they're looking forward to getting to know the local hot spots such as Bryn Mawr Pizza, La Mesa and Cuppa Java. Lester said the Southwest light-rail Green Line extension will give Bryn Mawr its own transit stop, and the new Luce Line bridge will allow for bike and pedestrian access to the Cedar Lake trail, making it easier to pedal to the North Loop.
The draw
"Nature!" Tuttle said. And compared with the North Loop, she said, Bryn Mawr has a wider range of ages, making it feel more like a community. When it came to shopping for a house, they were looking for something with personality yet move-in ready. "Neither Ben nor I have experience with construction/home projects — so a fixer-upper was not in the cards for us," she said. Their new house has a sunroom, lush backyard and fireplaces. "All were on my dream house list — I'm still gobsmacked that this house had it all," she said. For Lester, the draw was nearby nature. Theodore Wirth Park feels like a big upgrade in the walking-distance-to-nature department, he said. "We'll be within walking distance of the regional park's expansive network of hiking, biking and skiing trails."
Read the full article here: Star Tribune - These were the hottest neighborhoods for homebuyers in Minneapolis and St. Paul in 2022
