Residents of this St. Paul neighborhood are suddenly living next door to a vice presidential candidate. ‘It’s neat,’ they say.

It was just as Michelle Shepherd and her husband were moving from Colorado to a St. Paul home in July when much of the nation’s attention began focusing on a soon-to-be neighbor.

The historic Eastcliff mansion, just a couple of houses down, is not normally the home of Minnesota’s governor, but Tim Walz and his family have been there for the past year as the Minnesota governor’s residence undergoes renovations.

And July was not a business-as-usual time for the second-term governor. He was appearing on cable news shows almost daily, going viral online and gaining momentum to be tapped as Kamala Harris’ running mate after President Joe Biden left the race.

“We didn’t know what that was going to mean,” Shepherd said of her sudden proximity to a national political candidate and his family.

But even at a time of heightened political tensions, Shepherd and her neighbors have since shrugged off the developments of the past several months. With added security, the neighborhood has actually grown quieter since Walz’s nomination, after well-wishers gathered in early August, they said. Inconveniences from the security are minimal. And the same goes for any disruptions from passersby hoping to snag a photo.

Mostly, it has amounted to a funny little thrill, residents said.

“It’s kind of nice,” said Jim Sander, who lives within a block of the mansion. “It’s neat. It added a little something to the neighborhood.”

Walz secured his place on Harris’ presidential ticket in early August. Since then, security outside Eastcliff has expanded from the lone state trooper parked outside to concrete barriers walling off an entire block of Dayton Avenue.

The barriers are guarded by one or more U.S. Secret Service agents. Dogs are sometimes seen sniffing cars nearby. Other government vehicles have vacuumed up two blocks of street parking.

If that has disgruntled anyone, there is little evidence. At least three houses nearby sport Harris-Walz yard signs.

Another neighbor, who asked not to be named for privacy concerns, has had her garage access limited by the barriers on Dayton Avenue. She and her partner have guests and hired help around the house who stop by on occasion. To be admitted, all must provide the Secret Service with their name and specific details of the car they drive in advance.

“It’s not so bad,” the neighbor said, as an agent sat in an SUV humming immediately outside her home, lights flashing on a sunny day. “We feel safe.”

The Walz family arrived at Eastcliff in July 2023. The state’s lease for the property — it costs $4,400 a month — runs through the end of the year.

Living next to the Walzes is “not a huge deal,” the neighbor said. Like others, she struggled somewhat to describe the neighborhood, known as Merriam Park, under normal circumstances, when Eastcliff is occupied by its usual resident: the president of the University of Minnesota.

“It’s not that interesting a neighborhood, frankly,” she said.

Merriam Park is nestled on bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River, with downtown Minneapolis visible to the northwest and the University of St. Thomas tucked away to the east.

Constructed mostly during a 50-year period beginning in the early 1880s, the neighborhood contains several historic homes in the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival architectural style, according to a 2019 historic survey.

The Eastcliff mansion is an example of the latter. It was built in 1922 by local lumber magnate Edward Brooks Sr. and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been home to the university system president since 1961, after Brooks donated the property.

With 20 rooms and 10,000 square feet, it also hosts 150-plus events a year with more than 8,000 visitors when in the president’s hands, according to the U.

Neighbors said they’re used to some traffic surrounding the home, and it has attracted protests before and after Walz’s arrival. In February, 14 protesters were cited for trespassing after jumping a fence on the Eastcliff property during demonstrations over the state government’s financial ties with Israel.

Neighbors said Walz’s family and his staff have periodically hosted neighbors since their arrival to ease any apprehension. They had no word on when the next invitation might come, but even with Election Day less than two months away, none expressed concern that political tensions might kick in close to home.

“There’s more security now so I feel less worried,” Shepherd said.