Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis skyline during the day
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minneapolis_skyline_151.jpg
Author: AlexiusHoratius


Minneapolis is the biggest city in Minnesota. Covering 58.4 sq mi (151.3 sq km), Minneapolis has a population of 383,000 (2011 estimate). It is within the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area, which has a population of 3.5 million people, and is the 16th largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Minneapolis straddles the banks of the Mississippi River, to the north of the confluence with the Minnesota River, to the immediate west of Saint Paul, the capital of Minnesota. The terrain in this area was carved by glaciers resulting in an area dotted by lakes and waterfalls.

Minneapolis skyline at dusk
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MinneapolisSkyline.jpg
Author: PhotosByJeremiah


Minneapolis experiences a continental climate. Its winters are cold and dry, with average lows in January around 23°F (-5°C). Warmest month is July, when average temperature of the day may reach 77°F (25°C).

The area of present-day Minnepolis were inhabited by Dakota Sioux Native Americans. The first Europeans to arrive here were French explorers in the 1680's. The settlement of Minneapolis started as Fort Snelling, built by the US military in 1819. It is at Saint Anthony Falls, the tallest waterfall along the Mississippi. Initially there were two towns: Saint Anthony on the east bank of the river and Minneapolis on the west. The town of Minneapolis was incorporated in 1867. In 1872, the town of Saint Anthony was merged with Minneapolis to form a single city.

Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:060707-001-OrchestraHall.jpg
Author: Bobak Ha'Eri


The economy of Minneapolis was traditionally based on milling and timber. By the late 20th century, it has evolved to include commerce, finance, logistics and health care. Among the Fortune 500 companies with their headquarters in Minneapolis include Target Corporation, US Bancorp and PepsiAmericas.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Minneapolis
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2008-0705-OurLadyofLourdesMPLS.jpg
Author: Bobak Ha'Eri


In the mid-20th century, a major urban renewal resulted in the demolition of some 40% of the buildings downtown, including many buildings that today are regarded as historically and architecturally significant. That unsympathetic form of urban renewal however is credited with generating better appreciation for heritage conservation.

Visiting Minneapolis, Minnesota

Interstate 35 and 94 are the two interstate highways connecting Minneapolis with the rest of the country. The I-35 runs north-south, connecting Minneapolis with Duluth to the north and Des Moines to the south. The I-9 runs northwest-southeast, connecting it with Fargo to the northwest and Eau Claire to the southeast.

The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is the main airport serving Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Arriving at this airport, you can take the Hiawatha Light Rail to downtown Minneapolis. Delta Air Lines has a hub in this airport, providing flights to major cities in the country as well as Tokyo, London, Amsterdam and Paris.

Places of Interest in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye. My hobby is to research information about places, and share the information with people on this website. I started this website on 5 January 2003, and since then, have written about over 20,000 places, mostly in Malaysia and Singapore.

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