We asked where Uptown is, and 2,000 readers responded. Here’s what you declared.

Minneapolis maintains no official policy outlining the boundaries of Uptown. That’s left the dimensions of the neighborhood, alive with nightlife and framed by lakes, the subject of a long-running local debate.

We turned to our readers for help figuring out just what we mean when we talk about Uptown.

Readers disagree whether some businesses with “Uptown” in the name are actually in Uptown. Three-quarters include Uptown Diner in Uptown, but only 30% think Uptown Pizza is in Uptown.

Just 0.26% of readers think a St. Louis Park apartment building named the Edge of Uptown is, in fact, in Uptown.

The area west of the lakes drew the most varied alternate definitions, ranging from spins on “Whole Foods” and “West Lake” to “Bde Maka Ska” and even “St. Louis Park.” Indeed, walk west from Bde Maka Ska and you’ll reach St. Louis Park in 10 minutes.

No age group from the Minnesota Star Tribune’s survey expressed uniform opinions about Uptown’s geography: Some older commenters had more expansive views, while some younger readers drew smaller maps.

But generational differences emerged in the results.

“Uptown, like America, is an idea, a place to hope and dream, a place to experiment, be accepted, have fun and be free,” commented one survey-taker.

Commenters under 30 notably mentioned a definition informed by walkability, architecture and notions of a larger Uptown community:

“Uptown is a broader neighborhood that encompasses many smaller neighborhoods.”

“I know Lyn-Lake isn’t technically Uptown, but I just think there’s no reason it shouldn’t be??”

“I acknowledge a Lyn-Lake model, but I think that really falls apart when you walk down Lake and there’s no clear division between Henn/Lake and Lyn-Lake and we’re all walking to the same Cub Foods.”

“Uptown is bounded by other neighborhoods that have their own distinct identities.”

“‘Uptown’ is something that I’d just kind of presumed since my 20s when I lived there in the late 1990s. Strangely, it’s more about the establishments and ‘vibe’ than the geography for me. Young, cool, loose, active, commercial, music- and art- rich.”

“My dad brought my sister and me on a day trip to Uptown in the 80s and I saw two guys holding hands. I don’t remember passing any judgment but just feeling like, ‘Wow, this is a different place.’ It felt so grown up and cool.”

Those ages 30 to 50 drew upon vibes, but also the primary commercial stretches, longstanding businesses like the Uptown Diner and their lived Uptown experiences:

“Lyndale is not Uptown. Bryant is uptown. Apartments west of Hennepin are Uptown but fancy houses are not. Barbette is uptown. Pimento is not.”

“Uptown is truly a vibe, and my definition is in part vibe and personal experience-based.”

Mayor Jacob Frey, who is in the 30-50 age group, provided an Uptown definition that leans more north and west than others in his cohort. His Uptown doesn’t go to the cemetery or as far as Lyndale, but it does stretch farther north.

Explore the full map of 2,000 responses below.

Some survey comments were edited for spelling and grammar.