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Crocus Hill... St. Paul's historic Grand Avenue neighborhood

Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Results - HomesMSP.com

April 18, 2013 11:09 PM

When Twin Cities residents think of Crocus Hill they usually think of beautiful mansions and stately historic homes in the area surrounding Grand Avenue, the 'grand' small town street lined with quaint shops, restaurants and businesses that makes this neighborhood so walkable.

You can find different definitions of the boundaries of the Crocus Hill neighborhood, but most people think of it as the area between Summit Avenue on north (the longest stretch of mansions on a single road in the US) and St. Clair Avenue on the south... between Lexington and the Grand Avenue hill that descends towards downtown St. Paul.

What many people may not realize is that there is a section of this neighborhood at the east end of Goodrich Avenue about a block long that is actually called Crocus Hill... with some of the biggest homes and lots hugging the bluffs above I-35E. That means you could have an actual 'Crocus Hill' street address... if anyone can find it!

But it is on Osceola Street and the winding streets around the square of Kenwood Parkway (yes, both Minneapolis and St. Paul have a Kenwood Parkway) where you will find some of St. Paul's cobblestone streets. I have read that they exist under the asphalt on many city streets, but this is one place where you will find them exposed.

Interested in living in this unique historic neighborhood? Check out Crocus Hill homes for sale... and hope that your GPS won't get too confused finding addresses in this maze of streets with changing names. It is an intriguing neighborhood to explore... not as pretty without the green of summer, but much easier to see the beautiful houses when they are not hidden by the leafy trees!