St. Anthony Park was platted in the 1800s and is a good example of the romantic suburb popular among the wealthy in the late nineteenth century. Though built for the financial needs and tastes of the middle class, street and lot layouts were still influenced by the land’s contour and the presence of lowland and wetland areas. St. Anthony Park today remains a highly desirable pedestrian neighborhood with tree-lined boulevards and excellent housing stock in a variety of styles. While the vast majority of land in St. Anthony Park is devoted to single-family homes, there are substantial numbers of duplexes, triplexes and multi-family dwellings. Contrary to popular perception, there are more rental units than owner occupied units in St. Anthony Park due to the student needs of the University of Minnesota and Luther Seminary.
The strong housing market provides a fundamental base to the strength of the community. Housing values are in the middle to upper-middle price range for the Twin Cities. Values have increased steadily in recent years, outpacing the average for surrounding communities and the city as a whole. Based on the high number of building permits issued in the community, it is clear that residents are also consistently reinvesting in the housing stock . The strength of the housing market in St. Anthony Park is also documented by the conversion of commercial/industrial land into new mixed commercial and residential developments along University Avenue.
