South Minneapolis

## Spirits and Sprawldwellers

Posted by: Red Hawk

South Minneapolis encompasses a lot of territory, most of it residential. I want to add the caveat that I’m not a local and as such don’t know great detail about the area. That said, a simple overview should cover most of what you guys need to know.

The residential housing that makes up the area can range from basic, prefab homes and apartments for wageslaves in Longfellow, to pricier homes with a lakeside view in the Southwest district and in western Nokomis, to the really extravagant, big houses along the river. This is an area you by and large don’t want to be caught committing crimes in. There are some exceptions, however, which I’ll focus on below.

   ​​​​​The portion of South Minneapolis east of Hiawatha is called Longfellow. The district contains those huge riverfront houses we all drool at, but paradoxically it also gets some pretty nasty spillover on its edges from Minnehaha Park and Phillips. The southern edge of the district, near 46th and Hiawatha, borders right on the north edge of the park. That’s the calmer end of the park, so it hasn’t quite gone to hell the way Minnehaha proper has, it’s still a grade-D neighborhood.

​​​​​South of Minnehaha, the security rockets right back up, Fort Snelling, the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport, and, of course, that stronghold of modern capitalism, the MATA (Mall of All the Americas). The best place for business if you're selling sports shoes or souvenirs but the worst place if you're running the shadows.

Similarly, northwestern Longfellow borders both Phillips and the University neighborhoods. East Phillips’ Skullbangers have a presence here, often providing security to businesses in the area. Businesses that aren’t hiring them seem to be much more likely to be hit by robberies, natch. Muggings can be a problem here, but it rarely gets more violent than that. Also, a lot of students live in the area in the so-called 'Witch District' (more on that in its own section). While they’re not prone to criminal misdeeds, its reputation as a rougher area have attracted a disproportionate number of thaumaturgical students, as they feel much safer fending off the urban predators.

South of Longfellow is Minnehaha Park, and while that hellhole deserves its own section, it goes without saying that the area south of 46th is what it is because of the Park. The astral taint and physical destruction of war drove property values down after the Ghost Dance War from this formerly nice neighborhood. People got sick of hauntings and spirit attacks from ghosts and vengeful spirits, and those who could leave, left. The people who moved in were either dangerous enough to not fear the spirits or desperate enough not to care. As a result, you can add Minnehaha Park to the list of the most dangerous areas in the plex.

Knight Errant police, when they do respond to calls here, wait till they’ve got full astral backup, so no one really counts on the police preventing any crime. Mundane gangsters  don’t really benefit from a protection scheme here, either, because they’re as powerless against the spirits as anyone. The Awakened, however, can make a lot of friends here by making headway against the spirit threats.

*The squatters may not pay well, but it can be useful to have their cooperation. If you’re magically active, this can be a good place to lay low for a while, and they can often help you do that.*
- Vision Fist

*A lot of the squatters here are originally Chicagoite , and as such are pretty used to living in a spirit tainted hell.*
- Gopher Eater

Both the Nokomis area to the west of the Park and the Southwest section of Minneapolis are mostly notable for wageslave housing with golf courses, lakes, small parks, the works. It’s amazing the difference you see a few blocks past the Minnehaha Park z-zone. This continues all the way on out towards Edina and the 494 ring.

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