West Duluth refers to an official

neighborhood A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

district in the west–central part of

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Grand Avenue, Central Avenue, Cody Street, and

Interstate Highway 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

are four of the main routes in West Duluth. Other main routes in West Duluth include 40th Avenue West, 46th Avenue West, and Mike Colalillo Drive.

Neighborhoods

Seven neighborhoods are located within official West Duluth district boundaries: *

Cody Cody may refer to: People *Cody (given name) *Cody (surname) * Cody (wrestler), a ring name of Cody Runnels Places Canada * Cody, British Columbia United States * Cody, Florida * Cody (Duluth), Minnesota * Cody, Missouri * Cody, Nebraska *Cody, ...

* Denfeld * Fairmount * Irving *

Oneota Oneota is a designation archaeologists use to refer to a cultural complex that existed in the eastern plains and Great Lakes area of what is now occupied by the United States from around AD 900 to around 1650 or 1700. Based on classification de ...

* Spirit Valley * Bayview Heights (associated more with Proctor, MN)

Geography & Population

West Duluth covers an area of , or 13% of the city area, making it the third largest district in the city. Note that, as with many other Duluth neighborhood districts, the area is actually developed to a major extent is considerably smaller than the district figure. This is largely due to the harsh topography (hill) of the area. The 2000 census enumerated 11,431 residents in the district, a 3% change from 1990. 23.8% of the population is under 18, and 15.7% over 65. 73.5% of households are owned, slightly higher than the city figure of 64.1%. The official figure places household density at just 0.85 / acre, but in most areas where development has actually taken place the density is much higher. As with the rest of the city, the housing stock tends to be very old by American standards, with a large percentage (most likely a majority) of homes having been built before 1939. The entrance to the

Bong Bridge The Richard I. Bong Memorial Bridge, also known as the Bong Bridge, connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, via U.S. Highway 2 (US 2). Opened on October 25, 1985, it is roughly long, including about over water. It crosse ...

(

U.S. Highway 2 U.S. Route 2 or U.S. Highway 2 (US 2) is an east–west U.S. Highway spanning across the northern continental United States. US 2 consists of two segments connected by various roadways in southern Canada. Unlike some routes, whi ...

) is located within West Duluth at 46th Avenue West.

West Duluth's Center

On a map, the core of West Duluth's "

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

", or center of activity, roughly forms a triangle, with the sides being Grand Avenue (

State Highway 23 Route 23, or Highway 23, can refer to: International * European route E23 Australia * Federal Highway (Australia) * Monaro Highway * (South Australia) * Dorat Road (not signed everywhere) Austria * Autobahn Südosttangente Wien Canada * Albe ...

), Central Avenue, and Bristol Street in Spirit Valley. This area is formed by two building styles, the first old, often joined buildings, usually containing small, locally owned stores on the first floor and apartments on the second (if present), and fronted by broad sidewalks. These occupy much of the Grand and Central avenue portions. The other type, enclosed by Grand Avenue, Central Avenue, and facing Bristol Street on both sides consists of more recent construction resembling

suburban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

, despite never sprawling, but only replacing older buildings. A

strip mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

, "Valley Shopping Center" is anchored by a

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

store. A large sea of asphalt (parking lots and street), divided by buildings and concrete barriers, sits between the mall to other establishments, such as a large Super One

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

. Just outside the core is a

new urbanist New Urbanism is an urban design movement which promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually inf ...

rowhouse development. West Duluth's Spirit Valley business district is easily accessible from

at Central Avenue. The Spirit Valley neighborhood, according to the city's official map, follows Grand Avenue between 46th Avenue West and 59th Avenue West; and includes the entire area between Grand Avenue and Mike Colalillo Drive.

Education

West Duluth students attend Stowe Elementary School, Laura MacArthur Elementary School, Lincoln Park Middle School, and Duluth Denfeld High School. The local Catholic school is St. James, grades K–8, affiliated with the parish of the same name. An exception to this is the Bayview Heights neighborhood, where students attend Proctor's public schools.

Restoration

Roads & Streets

*In 2004, a large section of 59th Avenue West was given new road surface pavement. *In the summer of 2005, a large portion of Grand Avenue was given new road surface pavement. A stretch from 46th Avenue West to 59th Avenue West was entirely re-paved. The street lane format was altered, new stoplights were put in, new sidewalks were poured, as well as the addition of newer lamp posts. *In the spring of 2006, construction started on the second phase of Grand Avenue. A section from 40th Avenue West to 46th Avenue West was redone. This project also repaired the sewage lines for several homes in the area. *In the summer of 2010, a $66 million 3-year project went underway to reconstruct a large section of

in West Duluth. All pavement was torn up and replaced, along with many concrete guardrails. Unused railroad bridges were removed, and many freeway entrance and exit ramps were given new pavement. The

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state' ...

referred to the 2010–2012 road construction project in the media as the "Interstate 35 Mega Project" in Duluth. *In 2014, 57th Avenue West, between Cody Street and Highland Street, was reconstructed with new road surface pavement.

New Structures

In the past several years, numerous business and residential structures have been built in and around the West Duluth area. *In 2003, the West Duluth

Menards Menards is an American home improvement retail company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Menards is owned by founder John Menard Jr. through his privately held company, Menard, Inc. It has 335 stores in 15 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, ...

was torn down and rebuilt as a larger store. At the time of completion, the Menards was the largest in the country. The building is located at Mike Colalillo Drive and West Superior Street. *In 2004, the West Duluth Clinic opened its doors in its newly constructed offices located at 42nd Avenue West and Grand Avenue. *In 2005, an

Advance Auto Parts Advance Auto Parts, Inc. (Advance) is an American automotive aftermarket parts provider. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it serves both professional installer and do it yourself (DIY) customers. As of July 13, 2019, Advance operated 4 ...

shop was built at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Central Avenue. *In summer 2005, an Acme Electric Tool Crib business was built on 44th Avenue West and Grand Avenue. *In 2006, work was completed on a new building which housed both the Subway and

Papa John's Pizza Papa John's International, Inc., d/b/a Papa Johns, is an American pizza restaurant chain. It is the fourth largest pizza delivery restaurant chain in the United States, with headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky and Atlanta, Georgia metropolita ...

franchises. This lot (at the intersection of Grand Avenue and Elinor Street / 52nd Avenue West) was formerly a used

car dealership A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintena ...

. *In 2011, work was completed on expanding Duluth Denfeld High School to accommodate more students as part of the school district's Red plan. A new addition was added to the existing Denfeld building, opening in fall 2011. *In 2012, work was completed on a new middle school building, Lincoln Park Middle School, opening for the 2012–2013 school year.

Spirit Valley Days

The Spirit Valley Days festival takes place every August in West Duluth. Events include:

External links and references

City of Duluth websiteDuluth Library locations websiteDuluth Denfeld High School websiteSpirit Valley Days festival – August – website
{{Duluth neighborhoods Duluth–Superior metropolitan area Neighborhoods in Duluth, Minnesota