Minneapolis in Hennepin County and St. Paul in Ramsey County have many features to accommodate every lifestyle. There are numerous family events that take place throughout the year, and an abundance of parks and recreational opportunities for everyone in the family including tubing, and swimming in the summer and skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating in the winter. For the golf enthusiast, there are many excellent courses in the Twin Cities. The Twin Cities are a great place to live, work, visit, and raise a family.
Distances Between Towns/Cities
The Twin Cities are less than 20 miles from Eagan and Golden Valley. Approximately 21 miles away is the City of Minnetonka. The Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are nearly 11 miles apart. The Twin Cities are roughly 17 miles from the Minnesota/Wisconsin state border.
Minneapolis/St. Paul are roughly 224 miles from the major City of Madison, Wisconsin. Less than 350 miles away is Chicago, Illinois the “Windy City”.
Airports
The airway travelers in the Twin Cities use the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for major airport services. The main carriers that serve the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport include United, Northwest Airlines, and Delta. Other major airports include St. Cloud Regional Airport in St. Cloud that is roughly 57 miles away and Rochester International in Rochester that is nearly 92 miles from the Twin Cities.
Terrain
The City of Minneapolis in Hennepin County and St. Paul in Ramsey County combine to make the famously known Twin Cities. The Twin Cities are in the southeast portion of Minnesota. The cities sit along the Mississippi River.
There are approximately 24 small freshwater lakes throughout the county. Early settler, Charles Hoag named the city “Water City” from the Dakota word for water, and the Greek word, “polis”, meaning city. The "Chain of Lakes" are consists of Lake of the Isles, Lake Calhoun, Cedar Lake, and Lake Harriet.
The Twin Cities developed around Saint Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the Mississippi River.
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul are approximately 140 miles from Duluth and Lake Superior, the largest fresh-water lake in the world. Lake Superior is also the largest of the Great Lakes. Lake Superior also borders Ontario, Canada and in the U.S. it borders Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Population
The estimated population of the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities is 3,069,300.
Jobs
The major employment sectors for Minneapolis and St. Paul include education, health, social services, and retail trade. Also included are professional, management, and administrative services, along with arts, recreation, and food services. Manufacturing is also a major sector of employment.
Major employers in the Twin Cities include Northwest Airlines, Deluxe, Ecolab, General Mills, and H.B. Fuller. Also included are Land O’ Lakes, Honeywell, St. Jude Medical, and Target Corporation.
The average income for the residents in the Twin Cities is roughly $66,846.
Colleges/Universities
Colleges in the City of Minneapolis include University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Walden University, North Central University, Dunwoody Institute, and many more.
In the City of St. Paul are colleges and universities that include the University of St. Thomas, Hamline University, Bethel College, St. Paul Technical College, and College of Saint Catherine-St. Paul Campus.
Housing
Twin Cities housing options include choices for every life style --- apartments, townhouses, beautiful estates, waterfront homes, land for development, multi-family or single family homes.
The median home price in the Twin Cities is averaging $173,545. There are roughly 1,087,374 housing units within the Twin Cities metro area. The median rent price for a two bedroom home is approximately $843 a month.
Parks/Sports/Recreation/Golf
Theodore Wirth Park is the largest regional park and includes the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, the J.D. Rivers' 4H Children's Garden, the Day Lily Perennial Garden, an 18-hole golf course, Wirth Lake, the lagoons of Bassett's Creek, and Birch Pond. Other recreational features include a picnic area, biking path, tennis court, walking path, fishing dock, and playground for the children. Also available is an area for archery, a beach, and cross country skiing in the winter.
Bottineau Park in northeast Minneapolis features include baseball/softball fields, tennis courts, multi-purpose sports fields, outdoor gymnasiums, a playground, and an ice rink. The Bottineau Park is roughly 7.5 acres and was previously used as a vegetable farm. The park is named in honor of one of the first settlers of St. Anthony, Pierre Bottineau.
The Columbia Golf Course was established in 1919 and is the second oldest golf course in the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board system. Columbia is an 18-hole, challenging golf course with large trees lining the fairways. There is a state-of-the-art learning center, driving range with target greens, and the Columbia Manor building where weddings, parties, and group activities are held.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul area has recreation opportunities to rival any city! Recreation opportunities include archery, beaches, boat docks, cross country skiing, ice skating rinks, not to mention miles of wonderful hiking trails and off-leash areas for your dog!
The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway of Minneapolis is one of America’s most important urban scenic byways and a wonderful way to explore the city. The Byway Districts include the Downtown Riverfront District, the Mississippi River District, the Minnehaha District, the Chain of Lakes District, the Theodore Wirth District, Victory Memorial District, and the Northeast District. Each district is unique with its own characteristics and cultural attractions.
The Minneapolis Park Hiawatha Golf Course is located next to Lake Hiawatha. The Hiawatha Golf Course is an 18-hole, regulation golf course. The course is long and generally flat with trees and small greens. The two fairways and four tees border Lake Hiawatha. Minnehaha Creek runs into Lake Hiawatha by the back nine holes. There are roughly 12 ponds and 30 sand traps placed throughout the golf course.
Special Events
The St. Paul Winter Carnival is an annual event that has been taking place since 1886. The Winter Carnival is also known as the “Coolest Celebration on Earth”. Events for family fun at the Winter Carnival include frosty fingers kite flying, Queen of the Snows fashion show, Minnesota State snow sculpting, Vulcan fire truck rides, and the winter carnival orchid show. Other features include the Royal Ball, Smucker’s stars on ice, and a sizzling salsa dance.
Minneapolis holds a festival called the Minneapolis Aquatennial. This annual event first started in 1940. The Aquatennial is attended by roughly 800,000 people during the 10 day event. There are approximately 70 different events that take place throughout the duration of the festival. Events include a milk carton boat race, torchlight parade, sand sculpture competitions in various categories, and much more. The Aquatennial is always held during the third full week of the month of July.
Special Attractions
Saint Paul is noted for the great theater, music, museums, fantastic recreation and great shopping. Enjoy the many antique stores and boutiques or the Mall of America only minutes away.
St. Paul’s Landmark Center provides an elegant historic setting for meetings, receptions and dinners.
The Minneapolis Zoo is located in Apple Valley and is approximately 20 miles south of the Twin Cities. The Zoo has a wide variety of animals to visit including the Asian Forest Tortoise, Lesser Flamingo, Linne’s Two-Toed Sloth, and the Ring Tailed Lemur. Also on exhibit are animals such as the Spotted Skunk, Sun Bear, Mexican Grey Wolf, and the Woodland Caribou.
The Como Park Zoo and Conservatory is part of the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation. The Como Park Zoo has lions, tigers and bears as well as many smaller creatures. The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory is the largest glass-domed garden in the region. The Conservatory features the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden and the Enchanted Garden and Frog Pond.
The Basilica of St. Mary was constructed between 1907 and 1915 and honored by Pope Pius XI in 1926. The Basilica of St. Mary is a few blocks from downtown’s Loring Park, and the 1st basilica built in the U.S. The basilica has been recognized as one of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture in the country.
The Foshay Tower is the first skyscraper built west of the Mississippi River and the tallest building in Minneapolis until 1971. The tower has a unique obelisk shape and was intended to be a tribute to the Washington Monument.
Ride the RiverCity Trolley and see all that Minneapolis has to offer on this fun, 60-minute tour.
The Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis is a landmark that connects the two sides of the Riverfront District. Historically it was used by trains but now is a path used for hiking and bicycling.
Nicollet Island is in the middle of Mississippi River. It is home to Nicollet Island Pavilion and a 43 historic homes dating from the 1860's to the 1890's.
Historic Fort Snelling will return visitors to the 1820s. Come and see the soldiers, fur traders, servants, cooks, tradesmen who played a large part in the development of the U.S. Northwest.
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is an 11-acre garden that is a project of the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Displays include the elaborate Spoonbridge and Cherry Fountain by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, the Irene Hixon Whitney Footbridge that was designed by Siah Armajani and connects the Sculpture Garden with Loring Park and downtown Minneapolis. Visitors can walk across the bridge to visit the Loring Park Garden. Frank Gehry's Standing Glass Fish is located in the Palm Room of the Cowles Conservatory. Features in this room include permanent and seasonal horticultural displays including palms, exotic orchids, and other fragrant and charming species. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden also features artistic programs, educational activities, and performance.
Interesting Facts
Minneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota. Minneapolis adjoins the City of Saint Paul, the state capital, and together they create the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The Twin Cities area, with a population of nearly 3,000,000, ranks 15th in the country in population.
The nickname of the City of Minneapolis is "City of Lakes".
Famous residents of the City of Minneapolis include Vince Vaughn, Prince, Josh Hartnett, Bob Dylan, Rachael Leigh Cook, and former Vice President, Hubert H. Humphrey.
Popular movies that have been filmed in Minneapolis include Drop Dead Gorgeous, Jingle All the Way, The Mighty Ducks, Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men.
The name “Minneapolis” is a combination of the Sioux term for "water" and Greek word for "city".
In 1854 Saint Paul incorporated as a city and in 1858 Saint Paul became the 32nd state capitol.
Saint Anthony Falls is a unique historic site. It is the birthplace of Minneapolis and the milling industry that made the city the flour milling capital of the world from the 1880s well into the 20th century.
- NUMBER1EXPERTS™ 
