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“I liked the idea of come to class, go home, eat dinner, come back for an athletic event. For six years now we’ve been a one-car family. I love not having to have two cars in the world,” said sociology professor Melissa Embser-Herbert who lives about four blocks away.

The monetary, ecological, and mental health benefits of not having to drive to work are just one of the reasons that Hamline professors choose to live close by.

Another reason that many professors are attracted to the area is the diversity of the Hamline-Midway neighborhood.
“I don’t think this neighborhood is as diverse as outsiders think it is, but it’s more diverse than many,” Embser-Herbert said. Getting away from a mass of “shining white faces and white picket fences” was something the professor was looking for when deciding where to make her home.

Diversity is one of the charms of the neighborhood, according to former Midway resident Navid Mohseni, who still lives within four miles of campus.

Most Hamline professors who live in Midway live a few blocks away from campus, outside the concentrated network of student apartments which can lead to loud parties and beer-can littered lawns. Of course, near Hamline, there are always students around.

“We do see a difference in the students’ influence in the neighborhood. Students can have a big influence in the neighborhood, positive and negative,” said anthropology professor David Davies.

Religion professor Mark Berkson has some of his students as neighbors. “The vast majority are very good at separating work life and neighbor life. It is nice to see a neighbor in class, or a student next door.”

While students in the neighborhood often don’t live in the area long enough to see it, the Midway neighborhood has a sense of community that keeps many professors happy with the area. “I grew up in the suburbs and I didn’t know my neighbors [here] I met my neighbors front, back, across, when we were visiting to look at the house I know when there’s someone on the street that I don’t recognize and I’ve only been here a couple of years,” Davies said.

“Being part of the community that we’re asking students to live in for four years is important,” said English professor Kris Deffenbacher.

Bringing the Hamline and Midway communities together is an important part of why professors move in nearby.