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Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Area | ||
State | Minnesota | |
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Residents | 3.112.117 (2016) | |
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Minneapolis and Saint Paul are the two largest cities in the US state Minnesota. In fact, they have grown together and form as a Twin cities a common metropolitan region with a total of 3.6 million inhabitants. Saint Paul is the capital of Minnesota, while Minneapolis is the most populous and economically strongest city in this state. Together they offer a rich cultural offer.
background
The name Minneapolis is derived from the Dakota Indian word for "water" (minne) and the Greek word for "city" (polis) together. It refers to the location of the city on the Mississippi River. The name Saint Paul goes back to a chapel dedicated to the Apostle Paul.
Originally the area was settled by the Dakota, who belong to the Sioux group. The first French explorers reached the area around 1680. The United States acquired the area in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase from France. A permanent European-American presence has existed since the construction of Fort Snelling at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers (10 km southwest of what is now the center of Saint Paul) in 1819.
The French-Canadian smuggler Pierre Parrant, known as "Pig's Eye", opened a tavern in 1838 on the spot where downtown Saint Paul is today. Around this a settlement formed, which one initially looks like the pub and its founder Pig’s Eye called. A French missionary built a Catholic chapel in 1841, which he named Saint Paul. This name was then carried over to the settlement, which was declared the administrative seat of the Minnesota Territory in 1849 and received city charter in 1854. A year before Minnesota became the 32nd US state in 1858, Parliament decided to move the capital to Saint Peter. However, one of the MPs stole the text of the law. Therefore, the decision was never implemented and Saint Paul is still the capital today.
Minneapolis is a few years younger than Saint Paul: Franklin Steele set up a sawmill at Saint Anthony Falls on the left bank of the Mississippi in 1848 (just across from what is now central Minneapolis), around which a settlement was built the following year. After an outbreak of whooping cough and the loss of game and forests through deforestation, the Dakota were forced to sell the land west of the Mississippi to the whites in the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux in 1851. In the same year, John H. Stevens founded the settlement of Minneapolis on the right bank of the Mississippi, which received city rights in 1867 and merged with Saint Anthony in 1872. In the 1880s, both Saint Pail and Minneapolis grew into major cities. The younger and initially smaller Minneapolis even overtook Saint Paul.
An inglorious role in the history of Minneapolis was played by the immigrant gangster Kid Cann from Romania, who had a great influence in the city from the 1920s to 1850s. From 1950 onwards, Minneapolis' population was declining because many - mostly white middle-class people - moved into the Suburbs pulled. The population has been growing again since 1990.
A large part of the residents of Saint Paul (26%) have German roots. Since the end of the Vietnam War, Saint Paul has also had a large proportion of the Asian population, especially the Hmong people, who had to flee the mountainous regions of Vietnam and Laos because they were there as allies of the hated Americans. Clint Eastwoods film Gran Torino, which deals with the relationship between the Hmong and long-established whites, was initially supposed to play in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul area, but was then played in Detroit turned.
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940), one of the most important American writers of the 20th century, was born in St. Paul. Another great son of the city is the comic book author Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000), the inventor of the peanuts. In his honor there were greats all over the city Snoopy-Sculptures erected.
getting there
By plane
The 1 Minneapolis – Saint Paul International Airport(IATA: MSP) is one of the largest airports in the Midwest with over 38 million passengers and one of the 20 largest in the United States. It acts as the hub of the airline Delta Air Lines, which (in combination with its regional subsidiary Delta Connection) offers connections to almost every other airport in the USA. The low-cost line Sun Country Airlines also operates a hub here with numerous connections. You can fly here from Central Europe directly from Amsterdam (Delta, KLM); In addition, there are connections via Paris (Air France, Delta), Reykjavik (Delta, Icelandair), London (Delta), Chicago (American, Delta, United) or Toronto (Air Canada, Delta).
From the airport you can take the blue metro line to downtown Minneapolis. You can get to the center of Saint Paul by bus number 54.
By train
The Amtrak-Long-distance train Empire Builder (Chicago – Saint Paul – Spokane – Portland / Seattle) stops once a day in each direction 2 Saint Paul Union Depot. There you can change to the green metro line. The drive from Fargo (North Dakota) takes 5½ hours, from Milwaukee a good 6 hours, from Chicago almost 8 hours, from Portland (Oregon) or Seattle 37 hours each.
By bus
Greyhound long-distance buses connect Minneapolis / Saint Paul several times a day Duluth (2: 20-3½ hours; from $ 15), Fargo (4½ – 5: 40 hours; from $ 45), Sioux Falls (4:45 hours; from $ 56), Des Moines (4: 50-5½ hours; from $ 54), Madison (5:15 - 5:50 hours; from $ 19), Milwaukee (5½ – 7½ hours; from $ 20), Chicago (7½ – 10 hours; from $ 24) and Kansas City (8½ – 10 hours; from $ 78); once a day with Green Bay (6–6½ hours; from $ 70). From direction Omaha coming you have to change trains in Des Moines (a total of 7½ – 8 hours).
- 3 Minneapolis Bus Station, 950 Hawthorne Avenue (Corner of North 10th Street). Tel.: 1 (612) 371-3325.
Long-distance buses stop in Saint Paul Union Depot.
Some long-distance buses also stop directly at the University of Minnesota campus:
In the street
By boat
mobility
Public transportation
The metro in the Minneapolis – Saint Paul area is a light rail-System, comparable to the light rail model in major European cities, d. H. the tram-like trains run partly on the street, partly on their own track bed. The green line connects downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul, as well as the University of Minnesota campus, and the blue line connects Minneapolis with the airport and the Mall of America. The Northstar Line is a regional train line that connects Minneapolis with the northern and northeastern suburbs along the Mississippi (e.g. Fridley, Coon Rapids, to Big Lake 40 miles away). It also operates Metro transit 127 bus routes.
While Metro transit covers most of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metropolitan area, the southern suburbs on the Minnesota River (e.g. Eagan, Burnsville, Apple Valley) have chosen their own transport company. The provider is called there Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) and operates 30 bus routes.
By bike and on foot
Minneapolis is one of the most bike-friendly cities in the United States. Nice ride is a public bike rental system with over 400 stations and over 3000 bicycles. A mobile phone app shows where to find the nearest free bike. A day pass costs $ 6, with it you can make as many trips as you want, each lasting half an hour.
The conditions in Minneapolis are better for pedestrians than in most cities in the United States. The west of downtown and the adjoining districts of Loring Park, Whittier and Uptown to the south are very pedestrian-friendly. A special feature for pedestrians are the skyways: pedestrian bridges on which you can move through downtown for a total of 18 kilometers, protected from wind and weather and without having to cross streets.
Saint Paul is generally a little less bike- and pedestrian-friendly than Minneapolis. In the downtown area you can move around on foot without any problems.
Tourist Attractions
Churches
- 1 Cathedral of Saint Paul, 239 Selby Ave. (Bus 21 "Selby Ave & Summit Ave"). Catholic Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It was built in 1906-15 and has the shape of a cross-domed church in the neo-Romanesque-neo-Byzantine style.
- 2 Basilica of Saint Mary, 1600 Hennepin Ave. (Bus 4, 6, 12 "Hennepin Ave & 16th St"). Catholic Church, co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It was built in the historicist style in 1907-14.
Buildings
- 3 Fort Snelling. Historic US Army fort at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. It was founded in 1819.
- Minneapolis
- 4 Stone Arch Bridge. The historic Mississippi Railroad Bridge is a Minneapolis landmark. It was built in 1883, consists of 21 stone arches and is 640 meters long. Today it is no longer crossed by trains, but only by pedestrians.
- Saint Paul
- 5 Minnesota State Capitol, 75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard (Metro "Capitol / Rice St" or Bus 3, 62 "Rice St & University Ave"). Seat of the Parliament and Government of Minnesota. Built 1898–1905 in a mix of Italian Renaissance and French Beaux Arts styles based on a design by the architect Cass Gilbert. The top of the marble dome is 67 meters high.Open: Mon-Fri 8 am-5.30pm, Sat 10 am-3pm, Sun 1 pm-4pm; Guided tours Mon-Fri 10 am–2pm on the hour.
- 6 James J. Hill House, 240 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul (Bus 21 "Selby Ave & Summit Ave"). Spacious villa of the railway magnate James J. Hill, built in 1891 in neo-Romanesque style.
- 7 Wabasha Street Caves, 215 Wabasha St S (Bus 62, 75 "Wabasha St & Vision Loss Resources"). Caves carved into the sandstone rock in the 1840s. In the past they were used as a speakeasy (illegal bar) and meeting place for the underworld, later as a disco and more recently for swing nights with big band music.
- 8 Minnesota Governor's Residence, 1006 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul (Bus 63 "Grand Ave & Chatsworth St" or "Grand Ave & Oxford St"). Tudor style villa built in 1910 for a timber merchant. It was donated to the State of Minnesota by the daughters of the original owner in 1965 and has been the official residence of the governors and their families ever since.
- 9 F. Scott Fitzgerald House, 599 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul (Bus 65 "Summit Ave & Dale St"). The young writer F. Scott Fitzgerald lived with his parents in the row house made of brown sandstone from 1918-2020. He wrote his debut novel here This side of paradise.
- 10 Saint Paul Union Depot. The main station of Saint Paul is not only a place to arrive and depart, the neoclassical building from 1917-23 is also a sight.
Museums
- 11 Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55403 (Bus 4, 6 "Lyndale Ave S & Vineland Place"). Considered one of the best museums for modern and contemporary art in the United States. The museum building, built between 1999 and 2005, was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron. On view are works of fine art (including by Franz Marc, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol), but also theater performances and films.
- 12 Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 Third Avenue South (Whittier; Bus 11 "3rd Ave S & 25th St E" or Bus 18 "Nicollet Ave S & 25th St W"). Comprehensive art museum with paintings, photographs, prints and drawings, textiles and architecture; American, Asian, African, Oceanic, and European art. The classicist main building dates from 1915 and was designed by McKim, Mead & White.
- Science Museum of Minnesota, 120 W. Kellogg Boulevard, Saint Paul (Metro "Central Station" or Bus (various lines) "6 St at Washington St" or Bus 94 "5th St & Market St"). Large museum for natural history, technology, physics and mathematics.
various
- 13 Lakewood Cemetery, 3600 Hennepin Ave. (between Lake Calhoun and Lake Harriet; Bus 6 "Hennepin Ave S & 36th St W"). Scenic, architecturally and historically interesting cemetery. It was laid out from 1872 on the model of French park cemeteries (such as Père Lachaise in Paris). The neo-Byzantine style cemetery chapel, built in 1910, is remarkable with artistic mosaics, various mausoleums and grave monuments of wealthy citizens. Frank C. Mars (inventor of the Snickers and Milky Way chocolate bars), Hubert H. Humphrey (US Vice President), George Mikan (basketball player) and Karl Mueller (bassist for the rock band Soul Asylum) found their final resting place here.
- 14 Lake Calhoun (Bde Maka Ska). The largest lake in Minneapolis at 161 acres. Popular local recreation area for bathing, sailing, windsurfing, jogging, cycling, swimming or fishing.He's with the neighbor 15 Lake of the Isles connected, which in turn connects to the 16 Cedar Lake having.
activities
Sports
The metropolitan region of Minneapolis-Saint Paul is represented with teams in all four major professional sports leagues in the USA:
- Minnesota Vikings. American football team in the NFL. Home games are in U.S. Bank Stadium.
- 1 U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Ave (U.S. Bank Stadium Metro). Modern covered football stadium with over 66,000 seats (inaugurated in 2016). Home of the Minnesota Vikings, it is also used for major college baseball games for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and major concerts by pop and rock stars.
- Minnesota Twins. Baseball team in the MLB American League. Three-time World Series winner. Home stadium is the Target Field.
- 2 Target Field, 1 Twins Way (Metro, Northstar "Target Field"). Minnesota Twins ballpark with seating for around 39,000 spectators. ESPN magazine rated it as the best baseball stadium in North America in 2010. Big pop and rock concerts are also held here.
- Minnesota Timberwolves. Basketball team in the NBA. The home arena is the Target Center.
- 3 Target Center, 600 N 1st Ave (Metro "Warehouse Hennepin Ave" or Bus 94 "7th St N & Hennepin Ave"). Multipurpose hall in Minneapolis. It is primarily used for the Minnesota Timberwolves (men) and Minnesota Lynx (women) basketball games; also for concerts, MMA and wrestling matches.
- Minnesota Wild. Ice hockey team in the NHL. Home games at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul.
- 4 Xcel Energy Center ("The X"), 199 W Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul (Bus 94 "5th St & 7th St" or Bus (various lines) "6th St & Washington St"). The multi-purpose hall in Saint Paul is primarily used for Minnesota Wild ice hockey games, but also for concerts, basketball and lacrosse games, and political gatherings.
The University of Minnesota college sports teams are called Golden Gophers. You play in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I, the top division of US university sports. The men's football, basketball and ice hockey teams are particularly well-known and popular. The spacious sports facilities for home games are located on the university campus, near the metro stations Stadium Village and East bank.
- 5 Minnesota Golden Gophers Football. Home games at the TCF Bank Stadium with over 50,000 seats.
- 6 Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Basketball. Home games at the Williams Arena.
- 7 Minnesota Golden Gophers Men's Ice Hockey. Home games in the Mariucci Arena.
Culture
- Minneapolis
After New York City, Minneapolis is the city with the highest density of theaters in the United States. Most of them can be found along Hennepin Avenue, which corresponds to the "Broadway" of Minneapolis, so to speak.
- 8 Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd Street (Bus 22 "Washington Av at Chicago Av" or Metro "U.S. Bank Stadium"). The most famous theater in Minneapolis. The modern building from 2006 was designed by Jean Nouvel.
- 9 Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall (Corner of 11th Street). Classical symphony orchestra, founded in 1903. Osmo Vänskä from Finland has been chief conductor since 2002. The concerts will take place in the Orchestra Hall at Peavey Plaza.
- 10 Orpheum Theater, 910 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55403. Traditional theater in a historic building from 1921; Mainly musicals are performed. The Lion King by Elton John and Tim Rice premiered here.
- 11 State Theater, 805 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55402. Another traditional theater, since 1921.
- Saint Paul
- 13 Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul. Cultural center in Saint Paul with a theater and a concert hall. Used for Broadway musicals, operas (Minnesota Opera), orchestral concerts (Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra), and other performances.
- Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Professional chamber orchestra, cooperates with soloists of international standing (e.g. the violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja).
Regular events
- Minnesota State Fair, in Falcon Heights. On 12 days in late August / early September up to and including Labor Day, one of the largest folk festivals in the USA.
- Saint Paul Winter Carnival. In January, with ice sculptures, in some years also with an ice palace.
shop
- 1 Dinkytown, around SE 4th Street and 14th Ave SE (Bus routes 2, 3 and 6). Many students live in the area north of the university campus. There are a few small shops, restaurants and cafes.
kitchen
nightlife
The district 1 Uptown (southwest of the city center) is a nightlife area and center. Along from Hennepin Avenue, West Lake Street and its back streets there are numerous restaurants, cafes, bars, a theater and two cinemas. The same applies to the neighboring quarter 2 Lyn-Lake (around the intersection of Lyndale Avenue and Lake Street).
Night clubs are mostly concentrated in the 3 Warehouse District , along North 1st Avenue, Hennepin Avenue, and 5th Street.
accommodation
Learn
- 1 University of Minnesota (short "U of M" or just "the U"), along Washington Ave SE (Metro "East Bank"). With over 50,000 students, the largest university in Minnesota and one of the most prestigious in the Midwest. The alumni include 29 Nobel Prize winners (including Bob Dylan), three Pulitzer Prize winners and two US Vice Presidents. The main campus is located in the eastern part of Minneapolis, another campus is 5 km further east in the suburb of Falcon Heights.
- 2 Macalester College, 1600 Grand Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55105-1899. Renowned liberal arts college with an international focus that has existed since 1874. The approximately 2000 students come from over 90 different countries. Prominent graduates include UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, US Vice President Walter Mondale and actor Peter Berg.
- 3 University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Ave, Saint Paul, MN, 55105-1078. Catholic university with almost 10,000 students.
Work
security
health
Practical advice
trips
literature
Web links
- An official website is not known.