Mills District, Minneapolis

The Mill District is a neighborhood within Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, and a part of the larger Downtown East neighborhood. Its approximate boundaries are the Mississippi River to the north, the I-35W Mississippi River bridge to the east, Washington Avenue to the south, and 5th Avenue to the west. It is bounded by Downtown West as well as the rest of the Downtown East neighborhoods. The Marcy-Holmes neighborhood is on the other side of the river, but there is no direct automobile connection between the two neighborhoods. There is a pedestrian and bicycle connection via the Stone Arch Bridge.

The neighborhood contains a number of former flour mills left over from the days when Minneapolis was the flour milling capital of the world; a number of these have been converted into condominiums. The area also includes several cultural institutions, including the Guthrie Theater, the Mill City Museum as well as the MacPhail Center for Music. The area includes Mill Ruins Park, the new Gold Medal Park as well as the headquarters for the McKnight Foundation.

Industrial mills began to appear along the Mississippi River near Saint Anthony Falls in the early 19th century. Utilizing the natural water power provided by the falls as well as cutting edge technological advances – the area quickly made Minneapolis the milling center of the upper Midwest. Within decades, the riverfront was literally lined with flour mills - including future corporate giants General Mills and Pillsbury. At its zenith, Minneapolis’ Mill District was the largest producer of flour in the world. The Mill District was part of the greater flour milling industry tied around Saint Anthony Falls. With mills stretching from the current Mill District to the other side of the Mississippi to Nicollet Island these mills prospered from the late-19th century to the 1930s.

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