Available demographics compiled by Wilder Research Center, March 2002. Profiles of all 17 Saint Paul planning districts are available through Wilder Research Center's Community DataWorks.

Population trends, 1990-2000

• 19,772 people in 2000
• Slight decrease of 3% since 1990, compared to 5.5% growth in Saint Paul as a whole
• Greatest declines in preschoolers and elderly
• Slight increase in racial diversity, but remaining predominately white

Age profile changes since 1990

• Preschoolers (age 0-4) decreased 22% to 1,132
• School-age children (ages (5-17) increased 4% to 2,855
• Working-age adults (age 18-64) increased <1% to 13,924
• Elderly adults (age 65+) decreased 23% to 1,861

Racial diversity is changing little since 1990

• White population decreased from 96% to 92%
• Asian population increased from 2% to 3%
• Black population grew from 1% to 2%
• Hispanic population increased from 1% to 2%
• American Indian population remained at 1% of neighborhood residents
• 2% of residents are multi-racial
• For every 20 public school students living in Macalester-Groveland: 17 are White, 1 is Asian, 1 is Black, 1 is Hispanic, and fewer than 1 in 20 are American Indian

What do households look like?

• 2.22 persons per household (average), down from 2.33 in 1990
• 26% of households have children, down slightly from 28% in 1990
• 82% of children live in married-couple families, 15% in single-parent families, and 3% in other arrangements (primarily with grandparents)

Housing

• 8,228 occupied housing units (both owner-occupied and rental), 39 fewer than in 1990
• Of these occupied housing units, 2,301 are rental (a decrease of 58 units since 1990), and 5,927 are owner-occupied (an increase of 19 units since 1990)
• Vacancy rate of all housing units dropped to 2.0%, from 2.9% in 1990

Children and Youth

• Racial diversity - 16% of students attending public schools are children of color
• Cultural diversity - English is not the primary language spoken at home for 6% of public schoolchildren
• Few are low-income - 12% qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch, compared to 62% in Saint Paul as a whole
• One of five districts with the lowest number of child maltreatment reports in Saint Paul; too few for the City to release as public information. On the whole, Saint Paul has 16.1 reports per 1,000 children.

Elderly (age 65+)

• 38% live alone
• 3% are people of color, compared to 11% of children and youth in the neighborhood

Crime rate changes

• Less violent crime and more property crime than Saint Paul as a whole
• Crime rates increased from 1996 to 2000
• Violent crime increased from 80 to 187 per 100,000 people, as compared to 851 in Saint Paul as a whole
• Property crime increased from 3,814 to 11,840 per 100,000 people, compared to 6,439 in Saint Paul as a whole.

When Minnesota became a state in 1858, the area now known as Macalester-Groveland was part of the Fort Snelling military reserve. This area, known as Reserve Township, was annexed by the City of Saint Paul in 1887.

The Macalester-Groveland neighborhood is home to several post-secondary institutions, many of which date back to before a majority of the area was settled. In 1884, Macalester College moved to its present site at Grand and Snelling Avenues. The College of St. Thomas (now known as the University of St. Thomas ) was established in 1885 and the St. Paul Seminary was built upon its present Summit Avenue location in the early 1894.

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, a unique residential area was developed immediately to the west of Macalester College. This area, known as "Tangletown", has numerous winding streets and an eclectic mix of architecture. During the same period, a farm near the present intersection of Randolph and Lexington Avenues was developed into homes.

In 1890, the first electric streetcar line was built in Saint Paul. This streetcar line helped to link the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood with downtown Saint Paul. The result of this connection was a significant amount of commercial and residential development along the Randolph and Snelling streetcar lines. A majority of homes in the Macalester-Groveland area date back to the era between 1915 and the late 1920s, when streetcar use was in its prime.

Community Council Staff

Executive Director/Community Organizer: Melissa Martinez-Sones

Melissa comes to the neighborhood with organizing experience in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as experience with other nonprofit organizations; she also served on the Board of the Hamline-Midway Coalition. Melissa lives in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood with her husband and two daughters.

Recycling and Environmental Coordinator: Open Position

Community Outreach Coordinator: Marie Nelson

Marie lives in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, and has been with the community council since May 2006. She can be reached at marie@macgrove.org.

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