Overview
(edit)
A neighborhood of St. Paul, Highland is located on the city’s southwest corner and is nestled by the Mississippi river, thus attributing to the neighborhood’s feel of being of its own world. A pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, Highland is very welcoming and has an air of comfort mixed with a mad dash of urban flair. The neighborhood was first settled in 1848, and in the 1900s became St. Paul’s primary Jewish neighborhood, and, while this fact still remains true today, the neighborhood includes many individuals of other practicing religions and diversities.
With a cluster of retail on the major streets, the neighborhood’s outer streets are tree-lined and filled with beautiful homes mainly of a post-war style all having been built in the 1950s and 60s. With Highland located right on the Mississippi, many of the homes and rental properties offer up beautiful views of the river and city.
Important to this community is that on the banks of the Mississippi, a Ford Motor Plant has been in full service since 1925 initially set up to build Ford’s Model T automobiles. The plant has been in full service ever since, but was slated to be closed spring of 2008. Under much controversy Ford decided to keep the plant open until 2011. The Ford Parkway Bridge, built to givers workers a faster route to Highland, gives Highland residents immediate access to Minneapolis and the nearby Minnehaha Park, one of Minneapolis’ oldest parks consisting of 193 acres of limestone bluffs, elms, a 53-foot waterfall, and more.
(Maximum characters: 65)
Pros:
Cons:
Recommend? 
Ask a question
I have a 2 bedroom apartment in the Highland area at Crosby Pointe Apartments. There is tons of living space. The Clubhouse was recently renovated and is a great place to come together. The outdoor pool is amazing in the summer and the heated underground parking is a godsend in the Winter! Maintenance guy Bob is great, he lives on site and is always ready to help me out with anything I need. Also, there is an in home washer and dryer, which makes this place just about perfect! Moving on from the actual apartments to the neighborhood brings even more good news. Highland is a great area of St. Paul to live in. Everyone is very friendly and active and there tons of local shops to frequent all while being close to downtown St. Paul!
The residents of Highland are a consistent mixture of young, old, rich, and poor. Depending on the streets and the size of homes that line those streets, you can likely run into affluent and modest retirees, a young family just starting out, affluent families, and many singletons, as well as lower-income families. Highland is also considered St. Paul’s primary Jewish neighborhood and has been since the mid 1900s.
In this pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, Highland’s social scene is more about enjoying a breezy autumn walk, rather than a loud night at a dance club. In fact a dance club would not even be found in Highland. The scene is much more laid-back and natural, residents here can often be found at any one of the many independent coffee shops, or having one of the delicious pizza pies at the neighborhood’s very popular eatery Punch Neapolitan Pizza. Located on Cleveland Ave S., Punch offers up wood oven cooked pizza—true to the Neapolitan style of pizza-making—and has become a true staple of the neighborhood as it’s the original restaurant to what now has become a small chain in the Twin Cities.
Another popular restaurant in the neighborhood is the Highland Grill, a popular diner-style restaurant serving homemade and organic dishes.
There are many varying degrees of apartments in Highland Park, from old brick buildings to higher-end hi-rises (there are only a few of these), so the rents really vary. The overall rental rates range from $565-$650 for a studio; $675-$900 for a one bedroom; and $950-1200 for a two bedroom.
Considering the neighborhood, easy access to public transit, the vibe of the hood, and the accessibility to Minnehaha Park, the value is very good!
It’s a good idea to have a car here only because of the accessibility to go to Minneapolis, Downtown St. Paul, Mall of America, and the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, all very close to this neighborhood.
Many of Highland’s borders—Highway 5, West 7th Street and Interstate 35E—can take you directly to any of the above-mentioned destinations. Interstate 94 is also closely located to Highland Park, and the Ford Parkway Bridge brings you directly into Minneapolis and quickly to Minnehaha Park.
Parking is relatively easy to come by and many rental facilities have garages.
The Metro Transit also has buses that service the neighborhood. Specific routes and schedules can be accessed at www.metrotransit.org.
Visit the neighborhood! Walk around, get a feel for the community on your own, then walk around looking for posted "for Rent" signs! If you can't do that then definitley keep reading this site!
A few apartments will allow dogs and most all apartments will allow cats. The neighborhood itself is quite friendly to pets. Since it’s pedestrian-friendly, it’s not uncommon to see pedestrians with their pooches as well!
The Twin Cities overall is a very pet-friendly community and offers many dog parks through the metropolitan area. The following website offers up information on where to find those parks: www.dogfriendly.com.
There is much fun to be had in Highland and most of it involves being outdoors. Many residents enjoy biking, jogging and walking along the banks of the Mississippi or over the Ford Parkway Bridge and off to Minnehaha Park. Residents can also enjoy playing golf at the Highland National Golf Course.
For gloomy, rainy days—or serious snow days—there’s the option of heading over to the Highland Movie Theater housed in a beautiful building in the style of Streamlined Moderne.
The main streets in Highland include Randolph, Cleveland Ave. S., West 7th Street, and Ford Parkway; that said, I would suggest staying away from living on these streets. Instead opt for the residential streets surrounding them as they are more quiet, all beautifully tree-lined, and have beautiful homes for one’s viewing pleasure! More toward Randolph the homes are older, 1930’s Tudor style—and the closer you get to the river the homes are a bit newer, basically post-war 1950’s and 60’s style homes, If you find something on Edgcumbe, know that you found something in the wealthiest part of the neighborhood. If that is to your liking and the price is right, grab it!
The main hub of Highland is at Ford Parkway and Cleveland Ave. S. Here you will find many shopping conveniences such as the Highland Village Shopping Center that includes a Lund's grocery store, a Barnes & Noble bookstore, R.F. Moeller Jewelers, and much more. You will find that for as many chains there are in Highland, there are also many independent businesses such as von Hansons Meats on Ford Parkway. There is also a Cheapo Books chock-full of great steals and information for the community.
Whole Foods is also in Highland and a Trader Joes is slated to move in the neighborhood. Many of the major banking institutions can easily be found as full service locations or ATMs.
Schools in Highland include St. Catherine’s College; Cretin-Derham Hall, a Catholic co-ed high school; and two public schools, Ramsey Junior High School, and Highland Park Senior High School.
Equal Housing Opportunity