The Hale-Page-Diamond Lake areas were originally more of a bog and inhabited by the Minnesota Sioux Indians. In 1805 Zebulun Pike, a Lieutenant for the American Army made a treaty with the Native Americans, which established it as the Fort Snelling Reservation and an Indian Reservation. Over time the land was taken from the Native Americans and given to settlers. In 1887 the land that is both the Hale and Page neighborhoods today became a part of the city of Minneapolis, while what is Diamond Lake remained a part of the city of Richfield. In the 1920’s there was a housing boom that quickened the development of Hale and Page along with many other neighborhoods. But developers made sure to hold on to the natural beauty of the area. In 1926 the HPDL area was ruled as a residential zone and it mostly remains so today. After World War II there was another housing boom, which led to complete development of HPDL in the 1950s. The trolley car era never reached HPDL, so in order to live there and get to the city homeowners needed an automobile. This put HPDL at the front of the automobile age and established it as upper class, because those that could not afford to own a car could not live there. As the streetcar system developed and cars became more available, HPDL shifted into middle class, white-collar neighborhoods. Next came the building of the I-35W freeway in the early 1960s that displaced many of the homes in HPDL. Throughout the entire development process, the park board and the developers were careful to keep the beautiful landscape in the area safe and still today, HPDL has more parkland than almost any other neighborhood in Minneapolis. The Hale-Page-Diamond Lake neighborhoods have had a front row seat to the development that took place in their own back yard. These neighborhoods endured many changes throughout the years but have stayed a tight-knit community that is passionate about its resources.
The Hale Community is named after the Hale Elementary School, which is itself named after the American revolutionist Nathan Hale who uttered the famous phrase, “I only regret that I have but one life to give to my country” (or something very similar) after being captured as a spy by the British. Hale talks pride in its elementary school, which is an English Language Learners school with its focus on art and music, as it deservedly should.
Page, too, was named for its elementary school, Page Elementary School, which, in turn, was named after Walter Hines Page, an American editor, journalist, and ambassador to Britain during World War I. Apparently, it is common for neighborhoods in Minneapolis to be named after their elementary schools
Diamond Lake is named after the lake by the same name.
For a more in-depth study of the history of these neighborhoods you can read this essay by a student of the University of Minnesota:
http://www.cura.umn.edu/sites/cura.advantagelabs.com/files/publications/NPCR1021.pdf