Even before I became the Youth Reporter this past summer, I enjoyed discovering things about Minneapolis and my neighborhood. It’s good to know things about the places where you live. That way when you meet somebody new and they ask, “Where do you live?” you can tell them interesting things about the area. Like most people, I have relatives that live in different cities and states. Some of my friends also have family members who live in different countries. When I get the chance to visit, I like to learn as much as I can about their hometown. Then when we talk over the phone, I can picture in my mind where they are and what adventures they’ve been having. The same goes for them, when I tell them about the things I’m doing here at home.
When people outside of the neighborhood think of Corcoran, the first things that usually come to mind include the YWCA, the Midtown Farmers Market, South High, and the light rail station. All of these places are right next to each other – so it makes sense that everybody knows about them. That’s one of the things I like about our neighborhood. It is easy to walk or ride your bike to check out all there is to see and do here. One of my favorite places (that is kitty corner from my house) is Corcoran Park. The park building has a daycare center and every year the neighborhood holds the Corcoran Festival in the park. I recently found out that it is one of the smallest parks in Minneapolis. I bet if you removed the island in the middle of Powderhorn Park – all of Corcoran Park would just about fit in that pond.
That’s okay with me. I like the size of our neighborhood and that it is not too crowded or busy. We are classified as “mainly a residential neighborhood” because more than 60 percent of the land is used for single-family residences. This is probably why the Corcoran neighborhood is known for its strong sense of community among neighbors. We also have a lot of public art for such a small neighborhood. A well-known mural is the one at South High. When they were still working on it, my summer camp class visited the site and me with one of the artists, Greta McLain. Her work can be seen all over the Twin Cities and across the country. In fact, one of her murals is at my school, Southside Family Charter School. (It’s beautiful!). Our Corcoran Neighborhood Organization “uses public art as a vehicle to unite neighbors and turn ordinary spaces into public places.” You can see some photos for yourself at this link: www.corcoranneighborhood.org/programs/public-art/
Unfortunately, there is another kind of “art” that can be found in our neighborhood and many others: graffiti. If you notice some on your property or on a building, you are supposed to call 3-1-1 to report it. It helps to keep the community safe, when you make sure the local authorities know where and when this kind of vandalism is happening. If it is on your property, the City of Minneapolis requires graffiti to be removed within 10 days. You can do this with free products available at Minneapolis Fire Stations. Or, if you can’t remove it, cover graffiti with free paint offered by Corcoran Neighborhood Organization.
I suspect that most of you who get this newspaper delivered free to your house each month were already aware of what I wrote about today. Along with many more unique and special things about where we live. Perhaps your friends and relatives would like to know more about where you live. A good place to get them started would be to send them a copy of this newspaper. They can also take a virtual tour of Corcoran by going to: www.minneapolis81.com/tag/corcoran/
So the next time someone says, “You live in Corcoran . . . what’s it like?” you will have plenty of things to share with them.
Frances Copenhaver is the CNO Youth Reporter.
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