Community Links

The Arts

Minnesota's Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis are a great place for visual arts.

• The Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center are both across the river in Minneapolis, a roughly 35 minute drive from the clinic and hospital.
• The Minnesota Museum of American Art, however, is right in downtown St. Paul.
• The St. Paul Art Collective organizes a spring and fall art crawl, where artists in downtown St. Paul invite the public into their studio spaces.
• Art-A-Whirl, an open-studio and gallery tour in Northeast Minneapolis is held the third weekend in May.

The Twin Cities are also known for their strong performing arts.

• The Cedar (also known as the Cedar Cultural Center), located in the West Bank district of Minneapolis is known for hosting some of the best acts in folk, blues, jazz, indie rock and world music in an intimate space.
• The Children's Theatre Company has grown to become the leading professional theatre company for young people in North America, and among the three largest in the world.
• The nationally acclaimed Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training.
• SteppingStone Theatre for Youth Development is the largest performing theatre for youth in the greater St. Paul area, reaching approximately 60,000 people through its Mainstage season, classes, workshops and residencies in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
• Theater Mu known for it unique blending of Asian and Western artistic forms in the expression of Asian and Asian American stories and music.
  
  

Family Fun

The Minnesota Children's Museum is located in downtown St. Paul, about 15 minutes from the clinic and 20 minutes from the hospital. At this museum, children ages six months through 10 years, and their adult guests, can explore seven galleries, all with hands-on adventures.

The Science Museum of Minnesota is located in downtown St. Paul, about 15 minutes from the clinic and 20 minutes from the hospital. This museum features the sciences of anthropology, biology, and paleontology as well as research on conservation and the St. Croix Watershed. The Science Museum looks out over the Mississippi River, and the exhibits are appropriate for adults and children alike. In 2007, the museum celebrated its 100th anniversary.

History and Architecture

The Minnesota Historical Society operates historic Fort Snelling and runs tours of the 100-year-old State Capitol building, both in St. Paul. In 2003, the Mill City Museum opened in downtown Minneapolis. This historical museum features flour milling, which was a significant contributor to the growth of the Twin Cities. Minneapolis was the flour milling capital of the world from 1880-1930. The historical society's Minnesota Transportation Museum has multiple sites within the Twin Cities, covering all kinds of transportation. The sites include an operational streetcar line, an interstate railroad, an operational wooden steamboat, a train depot and a roundhouse. If railroads are of interest, particularly the model variety, the Twin City Model Railroad Museum may be an ideal place to visit. It is a family friendly museum and the model setup includes many places from the Twin Cities of old.

Parks, Outdoors, and Recreation

St. Paul Community Education is the community education program through the St. Paul Public Schools. Many school districts and municipalities also have independent community education programs. Nearby community college Century College also hosts a Continuing Education and Customized Training program.

The Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary sits at the foot of lime and sandstone bluffs between Swede Hollow and St. Paul's Lowertown district. It is on 27 acres of land previously serving as a rail yard. The efforts of more than 25 community and environmental groups restored the land to a natural area with spring-fed wetlands and forest habitat. The park features caves and a walking path. The Lower Phalen Creek Trail links the Bruce Vento and Mounds Park Trails, allowing hikers and bikers to go from Maplewood, through St. Paul's East Side, into downtown St. Paul.

City of St. Paul Parks and Recreation St. Paul has a number of parks and trails, each with its own special features, such as lakes with boat rental, zoos, botanical gardens, Native American burial mounds, and off-leash dog areas. The recreation program hosts activities for everyone in the family.

• Como Park in St. Paul has a number of attractions. The park, the zoo, and parking are all free. The Conservatory and the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden both have nominal admission donations. Como Park is located about 15 minutes from the clinic and hospital.
• Phalen Regional Park is located about two blocks from the clinic. Bike trails circle Phalen Lake and intersect with the Gateway State Trail at the north end and the Bruce Vento Regional Trail at the south end. The lake has been undergoing shoreline restoration in the last few years. The park has a golf course with groomed cross-country ski trails in the winter.

Neighborhood and Surrounding Area

The new Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) building opened for business in 2003, just across the street from Phalen Village Clinic. The BCA houses the crime lab and performs training for police officers.

City Pages is a free weekly Twin Cities paper that includes a calendar of social, artistic, and entertainment events and activities in St. Paul and Minneapolis.

There are county and city library branches located within the community surrounding the clinic and hospital. The St. Paul Public Libraries host reading events, and the Ramsey County Public Library programs include health and wellness seminars for seniors.

Minnesota North Star is the official web site for the state of Minnesota. It includes information that may be useful for individuals considering moving to the state, including such topics as commuting, housing, insurance, living conditions, and mass transit.

St. Paul is Minnesota's capital city. At the official site you can look up ordinances, licensing, maps (including a bicycle maps), libraries, and recreation in St. Paul. The clinic is located in the Greater East Side neighborhood.

Maplewood Mall is less than a mile away from St. John's Hospital and about four miles from Phalen Village Clinic. It hosts a two-level Venetian Carousel.

Relocation

The St. Paul Area Association of Realtors site includes housing statistics and resources for the St. Paul area.

The Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors has detailed information on Twin Cities housing market (the Housing Supply Outlook). It also includes links to the county office websites and tax information for the 13-county metro area (look under public affairs).

The 2007 Citizens League Property Tax Review shows how property taxes went up or down from 2006 to 2007 in 219 communities across Minnesota.

Other

Eureka Recycling runs the recycling program in St. Paul. It was started by the St. Paul Neighborhood Energy Consortium and spun off as an independent organization in 2002. This is a place where you can find guides to the safe disposal of nearly anything you can find in your house or apartment.

HealthEast St. John's Hospital is the primary hospital for the residency program. The St. John's Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program residents are the only residents in the hospital.

University of Minnesota Physicians (UMPhysicians) is a group medical practice made up of physicians who are also faculty members at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Phalen Village Clinic is part of UMPhysicians.