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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - USA
Minneapolis is the county seat of Hennepin County, Minnesota. As of the 2000
census, the city had a total population of 382,618 making it the largest
city in Minnesota. It is in the southeast part of the state, adjoining the
second-largest city and state capital, St. Paul. The two cities on the
Mississippi River together are known as the Twin Cities. Minneapolis takes
its name from the Dakota word for water ('minne') and the Greek word for
city ('polis'), and is sometimes called the 'City of Lakes.'
History
Minneapolis grew up around the Saint Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on
the Mississippi River and the end of the commercially navigable section of
the river until locks were installed in the 1960s. Father Louis Hennepin was
the first European to explore the area, giving the falls their name, as well
as lending his name to the county in which Minneapolis is located. The
nearby Fort Snelling spurred the growth of villages and towns in the area.
In the 1840s, settlers were not allowed to stay on land directly controlled
by the fort without special permission, so the first settlement near the
falls grew on the northeast side of the river, just outside of the fort's
jurisdiction. A few years later in 1852, the amount of land controlled by
the fort was reduced with an order from U.S. President Millard Fillmore. The
village of Minneapolis soon sprung up on the southwest bank of the river.
The original campus of the University of Minnesota first appeared near the
falls at this time. Today it is a Big Ten Conference university with more
than 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Twin Cities
alone, making it one of the largest campuses in the country.
In 1867, Minneapolis became a city, merging with Saint Anthony five years
later in 1872. The early growth of the city was directed by the river, which
ran to the southeast, and most early streets ran parallel to it to maximize
the amount of land that could be used. Later growth of Minneapolis
eventually turned to using north-south/east-west streets, so many unique
intersections were formed to translate between the two layouts (probably the
most famous of these is a site known as Seven Corners, on the eastern
periphery of downtown).
Following an initial burst of activity in the lumber industry, the city's
economy developed around the processing of grain from the Great Plains,
which is reflected by the presence of companies such as General Mills and
Pillsbury in the city. In its heyday, it was known as the "milling capital
of the world." Today, it is still referred to as the mill city. More
recently the city has become notable for its medical and financial
industries, as well as the largest shopping mall in the United States, the
Mall of America (actually located in Bloomington, a suburb south of
Minneapolis). Minneapolis was the headquarters of Honeywell International
Inc.
The 1920s and 1930s were a rather dark period in the city's history, as
organized crime and corruption took hold of the region. The most notorious
gangster from this time was Kid Cann (real name Isadore Blumenfeld) who ran
much of his operation from the city's West Hotel. His criminal activities
included bootlegging, racketeering, and prostitution.
In the 1950s and '60s, the downtown area of Minneapolis went through a major
phase of urban renewal, which involved the razing of about 200 buildings
across 25 city blocks—roughly 40% of the area. This included the destruction
of a slum area known as "Skid Row", but also the destruction of many
buildings with notable architecture. One of the most lamented buildings was
the Metropolitan Building, known simply as "the Met". Efforts to save the
building (which ultimately failed) are credited with jumpstarting a much
greater interest in historic preservation in the state of Minnesota.
Law and government
Mayor
The current mayor of Minneapolis is R.T. Rybak.
Minneapolis City Council
Minneapolis has a City Council composed of 13 single member districts. Paul
Ostrow (Democrat, Ward 1) is President of the Council.
Transportation
A system of "skyways" (small, fully enclosed pedestrian bridges) links
buildings in the downtown region, providing a way to travel around the city
without being exposed to the cold of winter or the heat of summer.
Minneapolis and Saint Paul have the most skyways in the world. The
Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport is located at the southern edge
of Minneapolis and Saint Paul on State Highway 5.
Most residents of Minneapolis get around the region by car, bus, or taxi,
but the area once boasted an extensive streetcar system operated by Twin
City Rapid Transit. However, the streetcars were totally removed and
replaced by buses in the 1950s. TCRT's descendant is Metro Transit, which
runs most of the area's buses and has begun operation of a light rail system,
the Hiawatha Line. The line opened to the public on June 26, 2004. A second
phase is scheduled to open in December 2004, which extends to the busy
Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport and the famous Bloomington's
Mall of America. New commuter rail lines linking the city to the suburbs are
also in the planning stages.
Historically, Minneapolis and St. Paul provided some of the earliest rail
passages across the Mississippi River, which widens significantly at Fort
Snelling where the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers merge. Today, rail
traffic through the city is diminished, and some of the old bridges have
been converted for pedestrian use. These link into the extensive park system
of the city.
Two Interstate highways, I-35W and I-94, cross through Minneapolis.
Interstate 35 splits into 35W (W for West) and goes through downtown
Minneapolis. 35 E (E for East) travels through downtown Saint Paul. The
I-394 spur route originates in downtown Minneapolis and connects to western
suburbs. The I-494 spur circuits the southern and western sides of the metro
area and the I-694 spur traverses the north-eastern section of the metro
area.
Media and arts
The major newspaper in Minneapolis is the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which
competes with St. Paul's Pioneer Press. Both of those are subscription-based
papers, while a number of other publications in the city are entirely funded
by advertising. The Minnesota Daily, a student-run newspaper at the
University of Minnesota, is also produced in Minneapolis and has the third-largest
circulation in the region. Significant free weeklies include City Pages and
Pulse of the Twin Cities, with 2002 newcomer The Rake offering some
competition in the form of a free monthly.
Along with St. Paul, Minneapolis claims to have the highest per capita
attendance at theater and arts events outside of New York City, perhaps
boosted by its famously harsh winters. A similar claim is made about the
number of comedy outlets in the region. The Guthrie Theatre is the most
famous theater in the city.
The most extensive museum in the city is the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Modern art is displayed in the Walker Art Center.
Numerous festivals are held across the city during the year. Many are small,
although others can attract visitors from across the region. Fireworks
displays occur several times a year, although the largest is not on July 4th
as in most American cities—that is reserved for one night during the
official city celebration, the Aquatennial, held in mid-July. The
Aquatennial display is reportedly the fourth-largest annual fireworks show
in the nation.
Recreation
Minneapolis has a large park system that is interlinked in many places. The
Grand Rounds Scenic Byway circles through the city, with a parkway for cars
(not a freeway—literally just a roadway through park land, though the number
of stops is reduced), a bikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians
all running in roughly parallel paths along the 50-mile route. It is the
first natural scenic byway totally located in a major urban area, and traces
a route that brings together the Mississippi River, many of the city's lakes,
and other scenic areas of the city. Additional routes in the Minneapolis
park system criss-cross the city, and the number of bikeways and walkways
continues to grow. They also interconnect with neighboring cities.
One of the most famous parks in Minneapolis is Minnehaha Park, where
Minnehaha Falls is located. A number of cultural heritage events also take
place there every year. Some of Minneapolis' lakes include Lake Nokomis,
Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, and Cedar Lake.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
151.3 km² (58.4 mi²). 142.2 km² (54.9 mi²) of it is land and 9.1 km² (3.5
mi²) of it is water. The total area is 6.01% water.
Demographics
Minnesota has historically been a home to Scandinavian and German
immigrants, Scandinavians, (mostly Swedish and Norwegian) tending to settle
in the colder, forested north, and Germans often residing in the warmer
rolling hills of the south. Minneapolis sits between these two regions and
thus has large populations of people of German and Scandinavian descent.
Minnesota also has a large Native American population, which is reflected in
Minneapolis having the largest native population of any major American city.
After the Vietnam War, Minneapolis became a destination city for Hmong and
Vietnamese refugees. More recently, a large influx of Somali refugees has
modified Minneapolis's ethnic makeup.
The city's population has seen a significant decrease since its peak of
521,718 in 1950, although the number of people residing in the city has seen
a rebound in recent years. The 1990 census recorded a low of 368,383, and
the next census saw a small increase from that level. The rebounding growth
has largely been due to an increase in the number of non-white residents, as
the number of white residents has continued to decline and is now at its
lowest level since the early 20th century. The city suburbs, however, have
seen massive growth, and the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area has
roughly doubled since 1950 and now has about three million residents.
As of the census of 2000, there are 382,618 people, 162,352 households, and
73,870 families residing in the city. The population density is 2,691.4/km²
(6,970.3/mi²). There are 168,606 housing units at an average density of
1,186.0/km² (3,071.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 65.13% White,
17.99% African American, 2.19% Native American, 6.13% Asian, 0.08% Pacific
Islander, 4.13% from other races, and 4.36% from two or more races. 7.63% of
the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 162,352 households out of which 22.6% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 29.0% are married couples living together, 12.3%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 54.5% are
non-families. 40.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.0%
have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average
household size is 2.25 and the average family size is 3.15.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18,
14.4% from 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 31 years. For every 100
females there are 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 100.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $37,974, and the median
income for a family is $48,602. Males have a median income of $35,216 versus
$30,663 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,685. 16.9% of
the population and 11.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 24.5% are under the age of 18 and 10.9% are
65 or older.
Twin Cities sports teams
Minnesota Lynx (WNBA)
Minnesota Thunder (Soccer)
Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA)
Minnesota Twins (MLB)
Minnesota Vikings (NFL)
Minnesota Vixens (Women's Football)
Minnesota Wild (NHL)
Saint Paul Saints (Minor League Baseball)
Twin Cities media
TV stations:
KARE-TV (http://www.kare11.com/) (Channel 11, NBC)
KMSP-TV (http://www.kmsp.com/) (Channel 9, FOX)
KMWB-TV (Channel 23, WB)
KPXM-TV (Channel 41, PAX)
KSTC-TV (Channel 45, indep.)
KSTP-TV (http://www.kstp.com/) (Channel 5, ABC)
TPT-TV (http://www.tpt.org/) (Channels 2 & 17, PBS)
WCCO-TV (http://www.wcco.com/) (Channel 4, CBS)
WFTC-TV (http://www.wftc.com/) (Channel 29, UPN)
Newspapers:
Star Tribune (http://www.startribune.com/) (Minneapolis)
Pioneer Press (http://www.twincities.com/) (Saint Paul)
Minnesota Daily (http://www.mndaily.com/) (University of Minnesota)
City Pages
The Rake
Radio stations:
KDWB-FM (101.3, pop & rock)
KSTP-AM (1530, talk)
KTSP-FM (94.5, 80s, 90s, contemporary)
KQRS-FM (http://www.92kqrs.com/) (92.5, classic rock)
KQQL-FM (107.9, oldies)
KXXR-FM (93.5, rock, heavy metal)
WCCO-AM (http://www.wcco.com/) (830, news & talk)
Major highways
Interstate 94
Interstate 394
Interstate 494
Interstate 694
Interstate 35W
Minnesota State Highway 100
U.S. Highway 169
Famous Minneapolitans
Eddie Albert, actor famous for role in Green Acres
Louie Anderson
Richard Dean Anderson
The Andrews Sisters
Lew Ayres
C.C. Beck
Joel and Ethan Coen
Rachael Leigh Cook
Dr. Demento (aka Barry Hansen)
Gordon R. Dickson
Ric Flair
Al Franken, left-wing writer and comedian
Thomas L. Friedman, journalist
Neil Gaiman
Kevin Garnett
J. Paul Getty
Terry Gilliam, the Stateside Monty Python
Josh Hartnett
George Roy Hill
Kent Hrbek
Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President
Garrison Keillor, host of A Prairie Home Companion
Jamie McParland
Walter Mondale, former Vice President
Prince
Kirby Puckett
Lili St. Cyr
Semisonic
Fran Tarkenton
Tiny Tim (aka Herbert Khaury)
Vince Vaughn
Jesse Ventura, wrestler and former Governor of Minnesota
Companies headquartered in Minneapolis
Minneapolis's economy has been historically based on the adjoining
agricultural area.
General Mills
Target
USBancorp
Xcel Energy
Thrivent Financial
American Express Financial Advisors
RBC Dain Rauscher
Fair Isaac Corporation
Wells Fargo also has a very large regional office in Minneapolis. In 1998
Norwest Bank of Minneapolis bought Wells Fargo Bank of San Francisco, and
then changed its name to Wells Fargo Bank and moved its headquarters from
Minneapolis to San Francisco. An erroneous impression that Well Fargo
acquired Norwest may result.
3M and Ecolab are based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Northwest Airlines is based
in Eagan, Minnesota. Dairy Queen is based in Edina, Minnesota. Best Buy is
based in Richfield, Minnesota. Supervalu is based in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota. UnitedHealth Group is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Medtronic
is based in Fridley, Minnesota.
Minneapolis in the media
The movies Fargo and The Mighty Ducks and the television show The Mary Tyler
Moore Show are all set in Minneapolis.
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