Little Somalia
Encyclopedia
Little Somalia is a popular nickname for Minneapolis, Minnesota
's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood due to the area's large Somali
community. The expression was first coined by architect Ralph Rapson
specifically with regard to the Riverside Plaza
towers, the area's most distinguishable tower complex, although common usage has since expanded it to refer to the general neighborhood.
The Twin Cities
area saw an influx of Somali immigrants beginning in the mid-90s, largely as a result of the Somali Civil War
. The city holds the nation's highest number of Somali immigrants, around 14,000 in total, many of whom reside in the Cedar-Riverside area and in the surrounding neighborhoods on and around Lake Street in South Minneapolis.
The area generally begins just north to south from Washington Ave. to the neighborhoods south of I-94, its western boundary is I-35W and continues east as far west as Fairview Medical Center. It is an area known for its Somali restaurants and stores, many of which run along Cedar Avenue and in the southeastern neighborhoods of Lake Street.
The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is historically known for its immigrant population, beginning in the late 1940s post-World War II with immigrants from eastern Europe. With the arrival of many new Cambodia
n, Somali, and especially Latino
immigrants, hospitals now also offer services in other languages to accommodate patients whose mother tongue is not English.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
's Cedar-Riverside neighborhood due to the area's large Somali
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
community. The expression was first coined by architect Ralph Rapson
Ralph Rapson
Ralph Rapson was the head of architecture at the University of Minnesota for many years...
specifically with regard to the Riverside Plaza
Riverside Plaza
Riverside Plaza is a modernist and brutalist apartment complex designed by Ralph Rapson that opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1973. Situated on the edge of downtown Minneapolis in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, and next to the University of Minnesota's West Bank, the site contains the...
towers, the area's most distinguishable tower complex, although common usage has since expanded it to refer to the general neighborhood.
The Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
area saw an influx of Somali immigrants beginning in the mid-90s, largely as a result of the Somali Civil War
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
. The city holds the nation's highest number of Somali immigrants, around 14,000 in total, many of whom reside in the Cedar-Riverside area and in the surrounding neighborhoods on and around Lake Street in South Minneapolis.
The area generally begins just north to south from Washington Ave. to the neighborhoods south of I-94, its western boundary is I-35W and continues east as far west as Fairview Medical Center. It is an area known for its Somali restaurants and stores, many of which run along Cedar Avenue and in the southeastern neighborhoods of Lake Street.
The Cedar-Riverside neighborhood is historically known for its immigrant population, beginning in the late 1940s post-World War II with immigrants from eastern Europe. With the arrival of many new Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n, Somali, and especially Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
immigrants, hospitals now also offer services in other languages to accommodate patients whose mother tongue is not English.