The twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul don't exactly look alike, but there's undoubtedly a sibling rivalry that motivates each city to try to out-do the other. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul region makes up a major metropolitan area in the United States. The Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Crouix rivers run through this metropolitan area, which encompasses eleven Minnesota counties and two from Wisconsin. The area attracts newcomers with its beauty and strong economy, keeping local Minneapolis movers busy.
Economy:
Minneapolis-Saint Paul is a major port area with large industrial and processing centers. The area has a heavy involvement with cattle and grain. At one time, Minneapolis was known as the grain capital of the world, but in more recent years the city has diversified into the financial and technology industries as well. The most common products produced today in Minneapolis include food, electronics, machinery, metals, chemicals, and textiles. Companies headquartered in the area include Target, USBancorp, Marshall Field's and Xcel Energy.
Tourism:
Minneapolis is considered a world-class city that features various tourist attractions. The nearest airport is the Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport which is eight miles from the city. Fort Snelling State Park and Minnehaha Park are popular with visitors. Cesar Pelli and Philip Johnson are two of the more famous designers of Minneapolis's several skyscrapers. Cultural centers include Guthrie Theater, the Walker Art Center, and the Weisman Art Museum. Major sports teams in the area include the Minnesota Twins, the Timberwolves, the Vikings, and several other smaller collegiate and professional teams.
History:
Louis Hennepin was the first settler in the area. Fort Snelling was located nearby which spurred the settlement of the area. Initially, settlement was restricted by the military, but by the 1850's, these restrictions were lessened. Minneapolis was incorporated soon after in 1856. In the coming years, the University of Minnesota, one of today's largest universities, was founded. The Civil War helped the growth of Minneapolis, and the city merged with neighboring St. Anthony during this time. Once just heavily involved in lumber, Minneapolis also brought grain into its economy after the Civil War.
From the start, the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul were in competition with each other. This prompted the competitive construction of buildings and establishing of colleges, as each tried to out-do the other. Prior to the 1960's, the cities had separate sports teams, which created rifts between the people. Oddly enough, the Twin Cities owe thanks to sports for unifying the citizens. With the coming of the Minnesota Twins (baseball) and the Vikings (football), the cities finally had something in common, as these national teams identified with the State of Minnesota as a whole rather than one of the individual cities.