History of Frogtown

The Frogtown neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota, also known as Thomas-Dale/District 7, is a mixture of hardworking, creative, and diverse residents that contribute to a truly unique area. Geographically, the neighborhood is located northwest of downtown St. Paul and is bordered by University Avenue on the South, over to Lexington Parkway, up to Minnehaha Avenue, and running to Rice Street on the East. ¹  In my research, I have become absolutely enthralled by the arts scene, the organization of the community, and the residents who live there.  

The origins of the name “Frogtown” still remain disputed, but there are a couple of popular theories that date back over a century. St. Paul Historical suggests the theory that the former archbishop of St. Paul, John Ireland coined the name after calling the area “Froschberg” or, “Frog City” because of the large population of frogs that called the neighborhood home amongst the swampy land. ²  Other sources, such as the Ramsey County Historical Society, think the name could have been derived from an ethnic slur aimed at the French who settled early in the area or given to the area by the many railroad workers that lived in the area who referred to the mechanism for connecting rail-way cars as “frogs.” ³  Wherever the name came from, there is no doubt that the image of a frog is an iconic part of the neighborhood, being used in the logo of many neighborhood organizations as well as captured in an iconic Frogtown mural. 

Demographically, Frogtown has changed drastically over the years. In the 1870s the neighborhood primarily welcomed white immigrants from Germany, Poland, Ireland, and Scandinavia. According to St. Paul Historical, by the late 20th century Frogtown became the most ethnically diverse neighborhood in the city. ⁴  One reason for this was the devastation of much of the historically African American neighborhood of Rondo. In the 1960s, during the construction of Highway 94, many uprooted residents moved to the nearby Frogtown neighborhood and subsequently increased the number of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) residents. Groups such as Hmong, Vietnamese, Somalians, Laotian, and Latinx immigrants shortly followed suit. Today, according to Minnesota Compass, 70% of Frogtown residents identify as BIPOC. ⁵  One of the many beautiful parts of the neighborhood is comprised of diverse groups of residents who can be found activating public spaces whether it be through picnics, basketball games, and other community activities. In part because of the tremendous ethnic and racial diversity in Frogtown and the dedication of residents and community organizations to preserve these spaces, the activation of these places is more significant than in other parts of the city.  

Resident displacement has become a concern in recent years. Displacement can take on many forms, but the trend that occurs most often in Frogtown is renters and homeowners being forced out of their homes after housing prices (rent, property taxes...) continue to rise due to gentrification forces. According to the CURA Twin Cities Gentrification Project, in 2016 the median rent monthly rent in the heart of Frogtown was around $850 ($34,000 a year). However, the median renter income in that part of the neighborhood is $22,000, less than the $34,000 needed to pay the median yearly rent. ⁶  Given the fact that around 60% of residents are renters, affordable housing is necessary in order to ensure community longevity and financial stability 

I interviewed Sam Buffington, a former employee of Frogtown Neighborhood Association, and now the Community Organizer of Springboard for the Arts which has their main office in Frogtown. When I asked about the changes he has noticed over his 10+ years working in Frogtown he replied: 

The combination of the light rail coming in, and the housing collapse really changed the neighborhood...I mean for one, we just lost in the housing collapse a ton of residents and a ton of housing. Houses were being foreclosed on. Some of them were rental houses, some of them were [owned], but they were being foreclosed on and because they were older, and oftentimes in bad shape. The city was just like tearing them down left and right. So, there [were] whole chunks of blocks where the whole middle of the block would just be vacant and there was nothing built there. The neighborhood lost political power because of that because the ward got extended. And so, you know people, even the people who didn't lose their home were really struggling because they had oftentimes bought when their house was worth more [and all of a sudden], their house was worth less than they paid for it [and] less than they owed on it. And so, they couldn't do things like take out the equity to fix the roof, or to fix their water heater, and those kinds of things that are supposed to be able to happen with homeownership, so it was a real struggle. And in that you see things like crime rising, obviously homelessness, you know, like those kinds of things—just massive displacement. And then, as the economy got better some of those things got better. But then the light rail is [put] in, the economy is getting better, and pretty quickly you start seeing housing prices, and not just like purchase prices, but rent and all that, really skyrocketing and a lot of those worries that people had about displacement really coming true and then Covid hits, and there’s an uprising. ⁷ 

According to the CURA Twin Cities Gentrification Project, the Frogtown neighborhood experienced the largest decline in population in the city between 2000-2010 as a result of the foreclosure crisis. ⁸  Between the financial crisis of the early 2000s, the green line, COVID-19, and various other economic factors many residents face the possibility of displacement.  

Luckily, Frogtown has no lack of energetic and motivated non-profits such as Frogtown Neighborhood Association, Victoria Theater Arts Center, Greening Frogtown, Frogtown Farm, Springboard for the Arts, and Frogtown Community Radio, just to name a few. While the missions of each of these organizations differ, one thing they share is a commitment to the neighborhood and the people who reside there. Throughout the story map, I hope to highlight Frogtown’s public art created to promote the concept of “development over displacement,” highlight local artists, bring community together, and capture the overall spirit of Frogtown and the community. 

Works Cited

1. McClure, Jane. “Tour: Frogtown: Why Call It Frogtown?” Saint Paul Historical, 2022.  https://saintpaulhistorical.com/tours/show/17  
2. See note 1 above.
3. “District 7: Thomas-Dale or Frogtown.” Frog Town or Thomas Dale. Ramsey County Historical Society, 2005.  https://web.archive.org/web/20080411064558/http://www.rchs.com/neighborhoods/frogtown.htm . 
4. See notes 1 and 2 above.
5. “Frogtown/Thomas-Dale.” Minnesota Compass. Minnesota Compass. Accessed August 26, 2022.  https://www.mncompass.org/profiles/city/st-paul/frogtown-thomas-dale . 
6. CURA Twin Cities Gentrification Project. “Frogtown/Thomas-Dale.” Frogtown/Thomas-Dale | CURA Twin Cities Gentrification Project, 2022.  https://gentrification.umn.edu/frogtownthomas-dale . 
7. Sam Buffington (Community Organizer, St Paul. Springboard for the Arts) in discussion with the author, June 2022.  
8. See note 6 above.

Header Photo Source:  https://pid2017.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/frogtown-rondo-history-and-the-present/