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Minneapolis- St Paul, Minnesota City Information

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the surrounding area is the most highly populated area in Minnesota. Both are built along the Mississippi River, Minneapolis is the largest city in the state, and St. Paul is the second largest and also the capital of Minnesota. There are other places around the world that are considered twin cities, but Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the best known. Some consider Minneapolis to be the first city of the West, and Saint Paul to be the last old city of the East. Often, the area is referred to "The Cities", both within Minnesota and even in the bordering states of Iowa, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas (many people in the area are drawn from these states by the perpetually healthy economy and flourishing cultural scene).

When speaking of the Twin Cities however many locals are refering to an older seven-county area entirely within Minnesota, which is under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Council. It is common for Outstate Minnesotans to refer to the area as the Cities.

The Twin Cities area is considered the capital for the arts in the Upper Midwest. There is a very high per-capita attendance of theatrical, musical, and comedy events across the area, which some believe may be boosted by the cold winters but can be more realistically attributed to the large number of colleges, universities, and a generally strong economy, providing strong supply and demand for arts. There are more theatre seats per capita than in any other American city, including New York City.

There are a number of lakes in the region, and cities in the area have some very extensive park systems for recreation. Some studies have shown that area residents take advantage of this, and are among the most physically fit in the country, though others have disputed that. Nonetheless, medicine is a major industry in the region and the southeasterly city of Rochester, as the University of Minnesota has joined other colleges and hospitals in doing significant research, and major medical device manufacturers started in the region (the most prominent is Medtronic). Technical innovators have brought important advances in computing, including the Cray line of supercomputers.

It is common for residents of the Twin Cities area to own or share cabins and other properties along lakes and forested areas in the central and northern regions of the state, and weekend trips "up North" happen through the warmer months. Ice fishing is also a major pastime in the winter, although each year some overambitious fishermen find themselves in dangerous situations when they venture out onto the ice too early or too late. Hunting, snowmobiling, ATV riding and numerous other outdoor activities are also popular. This connectedness with the outdoors also brings a strong sense of environmentalism to many Minnesotans.

Owing to its northerly latitude and inland location, the Twin Cities experience a relatively harsh climate, though not as much so as in most other parts of the state, partially due to the urban heat island effect. The Twin Cities four tallest buildings in the area are located in downtown Minneapolis. The first skyscraper built west of the Mississippi in 1929 was the Foshay Tower. Today there is some contention over exactly which building is the tallest—most Minnesotans would immediately think of the IDS Center if queried on the point, although most sources seem to agree that 225 South Sixth is slightly taller. But in early 2005, it was found that the IDS Center is taller by a 16-foot washroom garage on top, which brings its total height to 792 feet (241 m). 225 South Sixth and the Wells Fargo Center only differ in height by a foot or two, a rather negligible amount when considering all of the factors that can throw off the measurement of large structures.

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