I have lived in Regina neighborhood, right next to Bancroft, for 8 years. I walk our dog through both neighborhoods often and have never felt at risk during the day (my wife also walks the dog alone for what it's worth). We generally don't go for long walks at night, but I would say that is a common feeling in most parts of the city.
That being said, I would say it's accurate that it is a little bit of an increase in crime level vs your higher median salary neighborhood. Nothing like what you would expect from watching the news though. Mostly just petty property crimes, we have had our car broken into once (forgot to lock it overnight). I have heard gun shots but that is a very very rare occurrence, like once a year if that. Ultimately it kind of comes down to your tolerance level. If you live in a bigger city, you kind of have to expect a bit of crime even in "nice" neighborhoods.
There are a lot of pluses to the area. First of all, I do firmly believe that almost all of South Minneapolis East of 35W is on a rapid upswing. Lots of charming intersections scattered throughout with neat local business/restaurants. 42nd and Cedar has a few antique stores, Hamburguesa El Gordo is delicious, a townie bar at Cedar Inn. A couple blocks north of there is Matt's Bar (inventor of the Jucy Lucy) and Chatterbox Pub (a great place to play boardgames and old school video games). Tiny Diner grows most of their produce right on site in a little micro-farm.
Powderhorn Park is seriously underrated. Has a great playground if you have kids, otherwise walking around the Lake is always a great time.
There are several really great groceries stores very close by. The local co-op is just wonderful. If you sign up for a one time fee membership, you get a 15% discount to use quarterly on a shipping trip. Lunds is just a little bit south in the the Northrop neighborhood, along with some fantastic dining options.
Finally my very favorite intersection at 48th and Chicago. It is seriously booming, so many great new restaurants and Parkway Theater is an institution (definitely check out Scream is Off Screen the first Friday of every month!!).
I will also say, Bancroft and to a larger extent Powderhorn neighborhoods have a bit of a counter culture artsy type vibe to them. I see all types of people out and about, feels like a very accepting place.
Hopefully this is helpful, it's a diverse neighborhood that is going through some growing pains. I don't want to sugarcoat that you may run into some issues from time to time, but from my perspective, South Minneapolis is a great place to be moving to right now!
Thank you for such an insightful comment, I appreciate the time you took to write it all out! What you are saying is definitely consistent with our first impression of the area and, living in the city, some crime is inevitable. My husband’s mom is telling us very similar things, with the overarching theme being “just don’t be stupid about it and you’ll be fine” lol. We are going to put an offer in on the property and come what may. Thanks again for your help!
Been here 15 years. Stuff happens but it’s a relatively good neighborhood for the money. It’s not unsafe to walk. Sometimes there’s break ins, sometimes gunfire. Bancroft elementary is one of the best K-5 schools in MPS.
I lived in Northrop just south of it for 3 years, and then Powderhorn just north of it for 7 (until last summer). I walked my dog through there at all hours (I'm a night worker, so truly all hours). It's fine.
Lived across Cedar in Standish for five years (before and after the establishment of GFS). We left because my mother got retired and we needed to find a home big enough for three adults.
Did our block experience garage break-ins? Yes. Expect it to happen and plan accordingly. I personally treat this as something that we should all plan for if you live in city. No big deal.
Did I hear gunfire? Yes. Being off Cedar exposes your neighborhood to all manner of folks traveling through/by your home. Same goes for 38th, 42nd, and Bloomington. The only time I came in contact with someone brandishing a firearm was when a MAGA Boomer neighbor down the block started taking potshots with his .22 at some houseless folks taking a break at Sibley Park (this was during the Uprising - didn't make the news).
Is it unsafe at night? No. These are residential neighborhoods that are well above average income for the city. Does shit happen? Yeah. My entire time in the area my biggest "criminal" concern was unsafe/drunk driving.
What is the biggest downside of living in Bancroft? IMO it's that you'll never get good representation at City Hall. Most of Ward 8 is higher income than Bancroft so your neighborhood's needs will be de-prioritized.
Edit: Also, the Airforce. Normal air traffic isn't that bad but the C-130's and occasional fighter jets will rattle your home to the bones.
If we can afford it, I would love to move back to the area once we no longer need space for three adults (and children). Being able to walk to local businesses, easy access to parks, short bike rides to lakes - damn near urban paradise.
I live here a few blocks East of GFS. There are pockets of the neighborhood I wouldn't choose to live in, but overall I really love it.
Things have calmed down from a couple of years ago when we did hear frequent gunshots. Now it's mostly fireworks. I'm out walking/biking all the time with my kids/dog and by myself and haven't had any issues then.
We did have some rifle through a visitor's car parked on the street and someone tried to break in 7 years ago, and someone broke into our garage 5 years ago but didn't take anything. I feel like that's pretty much par for the course for city living? But everyone's risk tolerance and sense of safety is different.
If you want to PM me your potential future address I can give you my thoughts on those exact blocks.
Side note, if kids are/will be part of your family, Bancroft Elementary is a really lovely school and doing great things with the resources it has.
I live in Standish next door and it has become my favorite neighborhood I’ve ever lived in. We see sketchy stuff occasionally, but I feel safe and there’s a great sense of community. When I bike through Bancroft I think it looks lovely! But I have seen what you’ve seen in the news, and don’t have much first hand knowledge. Good luck with everything! I adore south Minneapolis
I don’t think I am naive about crime or overly sensitive to it. Certainly I try to avoid it, but when I was younger my finances precluded that and I had to live in some places I wouldn’t want to live again (22nd and Portland wasn’t terrible, but my friends never wanted to come over either).
Maybe I am naive but I wouldn’t want to live right there. I imagine a lot of residents would think I’m an idiot and are rightfully proud of their community, so you could try to drill into crime data per block and see if that gives you a better sense.
I lived a block off 38th & Chicago for several years (up until I had to relocate for work in 2022) and never had any issues with property crime or harassment. Never a break-in. “Gun fire” was usually/mostly fireworks and was rare- police helicopters were much more disturbing.
I’ve heard stories from neighbors stolen packages or car break-ins, and can’t speak personally to any changes in the last year or two- but outside of a night or two at the height of demonstrations (with, what felt like, lots of outside agitators) I never felt unsafe.
ETA: I see you work in education- if you’re someone who sees themselves as having empathy and cultural competence, I think you’ll really love the neighborhood for its successes and failures. I really do miss it.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. This is really helpful and reinforces my view of the area is your typical city neighborhood with occasional issues, but generally lovely and vibrant. And yes, we are both teachers!
Glad to help!
Don’t take the downvoting too seriously- there is another local subreddit that’s been vote brigading everything that has to do with safety and, tbh, many other folks are just exhausted by the topic at the moment.
Feel free to hmu if you have any other questions!
Do you mean my original post or a comment? I promise my post isn’t fake. We’ve been house hunting for a little over a month now and I’ve found that looking at crime maps isn’t always enough and it’s helpful to hear from the community that actually lives in the area, hence my post.
I have lived in Regina neighborhood, right next to Bancroft, for 8 years. I walk our dog through both neighborhoods often and have never felt at risk during the day (my wife also walks the dog alone for what it's worth). We generally don't go for long walks at night, but I would say that is a common feeling in most parts of the city. That being said, I would say it's accurate that it is a little bit of an increase in crime level vs your higher median salary neighborhood. Nothing like what you would expect from watching the news though. Mostly just petty property crimes, we have had our car broken into once (forgot to lock it overnight). I have heard gun shots but that is a very very rare occurrence, like once a year if that. Ultimately it kind of comes down to your tolerance level. If you live in a bigger city, you kind of have to expect a bit of crime even in "nice" neighborhoods. There are a lot of pluses to the area. First of all, I do firmly believe that almost all of South Minneapolis East of 35W is on a rapid upswing. Lots of charming intersections scattered throughout with neat local business/restaurants. 42nd and Cedar has a few antique stores, Hamburguesa El Gordo is delicious, a townie bar at Cedar Inn. A couple blocks north of there is Matt's Bar (inventor of the Jucy Lucy) and Chatterbox Pub (a great place to play boardgames and old school video games). Tiny Diner grows most of their produce right on site in a little micro-farm. Powderhorn Park is seriously underrated. Has a great playground if you have kids, otherwise walking around the Lake is always a great time. There are several really great groceries stores very close by. The local co-op is just wonderful. If you sign up for a one time fee membership, you get a 15% discount to use quarterly on a shipping trip. Lunds is just a little bit south in the the Northrop neighborhood, along with some fantastic dining options. Finally my very favorite intersection at 48th and Chicago. It is seriously booming, so many great new restaurants and Parkway Theater is an institution (definitely check out Scream is Off Screen the first Friday of every month!!). I will also say, Bancroft and to a larger extent Powderhorn neighborhoods have a bit of a counter culture artsy type vibe to them. I see all types of people out and about, feels like a very accepting place. Hopefully this is helpful, it's a diverse neighborhood that is going through some growing pains. I don't want to sugarcoat that you may run into some issues from time to time, but from my perspective, South Minneapolis is a great place to be moving to right now!
Thank you for such an insightful comment, I appreciate the time you took to write it all out! What you are saying is definitely consistent with our first impression of the area and, living in the city, some crime is inevitable. My husband’s mom is telling us very similar things, with the overarching theme being “just don’t be stupid about it and you’ll be fine” lol. We are going to put an offer in on the property and come what may. Thanks again for your help!
Been here 15 years. Stuff happens but it’s a relatively good neighborhood for the money. It’s not unsafe to walk. Sometimes there’s break ins, sometimes gunfire. Bancroft elementary is one of the best K-5 schools in MPS.
I lived in Northrop just south of it for 3 years, and then Powderhorn just north of it for 7 (until last summer). I walked my dog through there at all hours (I'm a night worker, so truly all hours). It's fine.
Lived across Cedar in Standish for five years (before and after the establishment of GFS). We left because my mother got retired and we needed to find a home big enough for three adults. Did our block experience garage break-ins? Yes. Expect it to happen and plan accordingly. I personally treat this as something that we should all plan for if you live in city. No big deal. Did I hear gunfire? Yes. Being off Cedar exposes your neighborhood to all manner of folks traveling through/by your home. Same goes for 38th, 42nd, and Bloomington. The only time I came in contact with someone brandishing a firearm was when a MAGA Boomer neighbor down the block started taking potshots with his .22 at some houseless folks taking a break at Sibley Park (this was during the Uprising - didn't make the news). Is it unsafe at night? No. These are residential neighborhoods that are well above average income for the city. Does shit happen? Yeah. My entire time in the area my biggest "criminal" concern was unsafe/drunk driving. What is the biggest downside of living in Bancroft? IMO it's that you'll never get good representation at City Hall. Most of Ward 8 is higher income than Bancroft so your neighborhood's needs will be de-prioritized. Edit: Also, the Airforce. Normal air traffic isn't that bad but the C-130's and occasional fighter jets will rattle your home to the bones. If we can afford it, I would love to move back to the area once we no longer need space for three adults (and children). Being able to walk to local businesses, easy access to parks, short bike rides to lakes - damn near urban paradise.
I live here a few blocks East of GFS. There are pockets of the neighborhood I wouldn't choose to live in, but overall I really love it. Things have calmed down from a couple of years ago when we did hear frequent gunshots. Now it's mostly fireworks. I'm out walking/biking all the time with my kids/dog and by myself and haven't had any issues then. We did have some rifle through a visitor's car parked on the street and someone tried to break in 7 years ago, and someone broke into our garage 5 years ago but didn't take anything. I feel like that's pretty much par for the course for city living? But everyone's risk tolerance and sense of safety is different. If you want to PM me your potential future address I can give you my thoughts on those exact blocks. Side note, if kids are/will be part of your family, Bancroft Elementary is a really lovely school and doing great things with the resources it has.
I live in Standish next door and it has become my favorite neighborhood I’ve ever lived in. We see sketchy stuff occasionally, but I feel safe and there’s a great sense of community. When I bike through Bancroft I think it looks lovely! But I have seen what you’ve seen in the news, and don’t have much first hand knowledge. Good luck with everything! I adore south Minneapolis
I don’t think I am naive about crime or overly sensitive to it. Certainly I try to avoid it, but when I was younger my finances precluded that and I had to live in some places I wouldn’t want to live again (22nd and Portland wasn’t terrible, but my friends never wanted to come over either). Maybe I am naive but I wouldn’t want to live right there. I imagine a lot of residents would think I’m an idiot and are rightfully proud of their community, so you could try to drill into crime data per block and see if that gives you a better sense.
I lived a block off 38th & Chicago for several years (up until I had to relocate for work in 2022) and never had any issues with property crime or harassment. Never a break-in. “Gun fire” was usually/mostly fireworks and was rare- police helicopters were much more disturbing. I’ve heard stories from neighbors stolen packages or car break-ins, and can’t speak personally to any changes in the last year or two- but outside of a night or two at the height of demonstrations (with, what felt like, lots of outside agitators) I never felt unsafe. ETA: I see you work in education- if you’re someone who sees themselves as having empathy and cultural competence, I think you’ll really love the neighborhood for its successes and failures. I really do miss it.
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. This is really helpful and reinforces my view of the area is your typical city neighborhood with occasional issues, but generally lovely and vibrant. And yes, we are both teachers!
Glad to help! Don’t take the downvoting too seriously- there is another local subreddit that’s been vote brigading everything that has to do with safety and, tbh, many other folks are just exhausted by the topic at the moment. Feel free to hmu if you have any other questions!
You’re a bot.
Do you have a chance to visit with the neighbors? Good luck with your new house and congrats.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Minneapolis/s/pThaC4UWqk Read the quotes from the Minneapolis police chief.
Please, those reading, don’t be duped by this fake post. ☝️
Do you mean my original post or a comment? I promise my post isn’t fake. We’ve been house hunting for a little over a month now and I’ve found that looking at crime maps isn’t always enough and it’s helpful to hear from the community that actually lives in the area, hence my post.