Loring Park

Loring Park is a residential area surrounding a park of the same name in downtown Minneapolis, known for its role as a historic LGBTQ neighborhood. The district covers several blocks with older apartment buildings, sidewalks and small businesses near the edge of the water.

The neighborhood emerged as a center for the gay community in Minneapolis from the 1970s onward and helped shape the city into a more open place. Over the following decades a strong local identity took root here that remains visible today.

This part of town has served as a gathering place for the LGBTQ community for decades and still carries that welcoming character today. On warm evenings you see people across the lawns and paths simply living out an open sense of togetherness.

Walking is the easiest way to explore the streets since distances are short and shops, cafés and the park sit close together. The area is liveliest during the day when shops are open and people are out and about.

The name comes from the adjacent park, which itself was named after an early landscape architect rather than a historic city figure. This simple naming shows how closely urban planning and natural spaces were tied together here.