What is Dinkytown?
"Dinkytown will continue to be one of the liveliest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities and one of the best places for students to spend an afternoon."
Located right next to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Dinkytown is a quaint Minneapolis neighborhood full of boutiques, restaurants, and local flavor. Dinkytown is one of the most vibrant communities close to the U of M, but how did it get to where it is today?
The origin of the name "Dinkytown" is mostly unknown. One theory is that it comes from the trolleys, or "dinkys," that used to run the streets. Another theory is that the area gets its name from the small railroad cars that used to be stored nearby. Yet another theory pegs the name as coming from the small theatre in the area that only had four rows of seating. A University historian shares her theories about Dinkytown on the Driven to Discover site here.
Dinkytown has often contained some of the best live music in the Twin Cities. Currently, students can find anything from hip-hop to folk to jazz in any of the numerous music hotspots in Dinkytown. Back in the 1960s, Ten O'clock Scholar coffee shop (now a Hollywood Video) featured music by Robert Zimmerman (who would later be known as Bob Dylan) during the 1960s. The Weisman Art Museum on campus currently has a Bob Dylan exhibit! Check it out here.
Food has also been a staple of the Dinkytown area for decades. Al's Breakfast has been one of the longest-standing residents; it opened in 1950, and to this day still has the same width as it did when it opened (10 feet) and the same number of seats (14). The area now boasts over 20 other restaurants, ranging from breakfast to Mexican to Italian.
Current University student Mark Johnson says Dinkytown is one of the best things about being a student in the Twin Cities.
"If I'm ever looking for a place to relax, a place to go to dinner, or a place to go out, it's so nice to have something that close," he says, "Dinkytown may be small, but it offers so much."
Though the area has changed much over the years, one thing is for sure: Dinkytown will continue to be one of the liveliest neighborhoods in the Twin Cities and one of the best places for students to spend an afternoon.
