Neighbors VI

New Brighton has a downtown, or so we are told, but it's easy to miss. The area near the intersection of Old Highway 8 and 10th Street is where you find City Hall and the police and fire departments, along with the New Brighton Family Service Center, a multiuse building that holds a branch of the Ramsey County Library, the Eagles Nest indoor playground and an exercise facility, among other things. There are also a few shops in a suburban office park-style setting. You can get a haircut in downtown New Brighton, and a sandwich, and maybe some financial advice. But you wouldn't find any of the hallmarks of a traditional downtown there; no department stores, no hotels, no traditional storefronts. The largest facilities in the area are St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and a large apartment building about two blocks to the south.

The level of traffic you see in the area is far less than what you find in other parts of town. You find significantly more commerce and businesses along Silver Lake Road, which is a half-mile to the west. In short, it's a downtown in name only. More to come.