About OurUptown.com

OurUptown.com developed as a result of a lack of a promotional and informational website on the Uptown area. Granted, there were sites that provided great dining reviews or a list of organizational members, however there wasn't an overall site that attempted to provide a wide-variety of information relating to Uptown. So that is how it began.

Goals

1. Promote Uptown.
First and foremost, OurUptown.com wants to promote Uptown as a great place to shop, work, live, visit, eat at, do business, hang out, and more.

2. Provide Useful Information.
To better serve you, OurUptown.com wants to provide useful information so that our guests can better understand Uptown.

3. Explore Uptown's Many Dynamics.
So many different things go on in and around Uptown everyday, and OurUptown.com wants to explore a wide range of issues and as in-depth as possible.

4. Discuss Change.
Urban places are the result of people, and as time and people move on change occurs. OurUptown.com wants to discuss change and provide resources to guests as to empower people to discuss change.

About the Author

Thatcher Imboden
Owner/Operator
info@ouruptown.com

The short overview is that I was born and raised in Uptown. Studied Urban Studies at the University of Minnesota. Board of Director of the Uptown Association (07-Present). Steering Committe Member of the Uptown Small Area Plan (06-Present). Steering Committee member of the Uptown Art Fair (05-Presnt), and volunteer (98-Present). Was Board Member of my neighborhood group, Calhoun Area Residents Action Group (00-01, 05-06). Employee at Southwest Community Education (97-05), and The Ackerberg Group (05-Present). I co-authored Uptown Minneapolis, a history book of the area that utilized photographs from years past. I love urban areas and see promoting Uptown as a way to encourage people to seek out urban areas to live, work, and visit - as it's more sustainable. I work in Uptown and lived there until 2007, when I moved within Minneapolis.

(You can buy our book, Uptown Minneapolis, at these Uptown bookstores: Mager's and Quinn Booksellers, Booksmart, and Barnes and Nobles. Note: click each book store's name to buy the book online.)

Advertising

For years, OurUptown.com and its predecessor did not have paid advertising on its website. The websites did not generate or collect any funds for its operation. The decision was made in the summer of 2006 to ad Google ads with the hopes that any revenue generated could be put back into the site, starting with covering the server upkeep. Several expansion plans require costs other than time, and the thought was to follow the ad route.  Local businesses can purchase ads through Google Adsense by clicking the "Advertise on this site" link on some of the ads. OurUptown.com will consider alternative advertising if it is non-disruptive to our visitors.

OurUptown.com is NOT a paid listing service. All Uptown businesses can be listed on this site. If a business is missing that you believe should be included, please contact us.