The Cooper neighborhood (part of the larger Longfellow community) resides along the west shore of the Mississippi River in south Minneapolis.

Bordering neighborhoods are Seward to the north, Longfellow to the west, and Howe to the south.

The river cut an eighty-plus foot gorge as what is now St. Anthony Falls moved upstream over thousands of years, finally stopping at downtown Minneapolis due to engineering work during the city's flour milling boom times.

Minnehaha Academy's (private) high school is located in Cooper along West River Road.

Their middle school is further south on West River Road in the Howe neighborhood.