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Stay connected to your community. Find out what is happening in the area. Become a voice for a stronger neighborhood. Like Penn Central of Richfield on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Penn Central of RichfieldRegistration now open for Open Streets at Penn FestRichfield's Biggest Block Party on Sunday, September 21 from 12 noon to 4 pm
As part of the Crosstown Commons reconstruction, funds were designated for the design and installation of gateway monuments on arterial streets at the Richfield/Minneapolis border, including Penn Avenue in the Penn Central of Richfield neighborhood. A task force has been reviewing designs and slogans in recent months, and concepts were presented to the City Council. The design shown above uses a classic look with the name "Richfield" stylized in a fashion reminiscent of the former Richfield Bank and Trust name. The installation of gateway monuments is a great idea. Visitors to our city too often mistake Richfield for one of our neighbors. That's not a good thing. These gateway monuments are slated for the northern border of Richfield, but it would be beneficial to also instrall gateway monuments on the border with Edina and on the 494 border with Bloomington. Guests to Richfield should not confuse the Southdale Square area with Edina or the Best Buy office with Bloomington, which happens with too much frequency.
Suburban versus urban living Does Richfield offer the best of both worlds?
The Star Tribune recently ran an interesting article about a trend where younger people, often times young families, are increasingly choosing the central cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul rather than suburban communities. This trend has been a reversal of historical patterns. To see the article, please click here. While very interesting, the article divided the metropolitan area into only two categories, urban (meaning the central cities) and suburban (meaning everyone else). The article made no distinction between inner ring suburbs and outer ring suburbs. That was too bad because there really is a deeper story to tell. Which brings us to the question, where does Richfield fit in? Interestingly enough, Richfield seems to be experiencing growth that's similar to the central cities. There is a pattern of more young people and younger families choosing Richfield as their home. By certain measures, Richfield is beating Minneapolis in the youth movement. According to the U.S. Census, Richfield has the largest percentage of residents under the age of 5 among all communities that border Richfield. The percentages are Richfield 7.5%, Minneapolis, 6.9%, Bloomington 5.4% and Edina 5.4%. A quick check with Richfield school enrollments confirms this trend where the classes at younger ages are growing. So why are young people choosing more urban living? One reason is that they like the walkability of urban areas where you don't have to drive to go to a store, dining establishment or park. That characteristic fits right in with living in Richfield. With Richfield's local stores, neighborhood parks and quiet residential streets, Richfield scores equally as well as the central cities. But here's the best part, Richfield matches the central cities in many quality-of-life measures, yet offers benefits that the central cities can't match. As an example, the size of Richfield gives it a small town feel where it's easier to build community. People in Richfield really can connect with one another more easily through volunteerism, school activities and civic involvement. If you want to have an impact on the community, Richfield is accessible, where Minneapolis is much more overwhelming and bureaucratic due to its size. Richfield offers a unique blend that combines the best of urban and suburban living. It is a feature that we should capitalize on in promoting Richfield as the best place to live, work and do business. What do you think? Offer a comment on our Penn Central of Richfield Facebook page.
Banners marking the identity of the Penn Central neighborhood were installed in September. |
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