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Minneapolis, Minnesota 

The county seat of Hennepin County and the biggest city in Minnesota, United States, is Minneapolis. With thirteen lakes, marshes, the Mississippi River, creeks, and waterfalls, the city has an abundance of water. Minneapolis was founded on the lumber industry and is known as the world's center for flour milling. It is located next to Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota, and takes up both banks of the Mississippi River.

The Dakota people lived on the land where Minneapolis now stands before European settlers arrived. The town was established at Saint Anthony Falls on a plot of land to the north of Fort Snelling; its expansion is credited to the town's close proximity to the fort and the power the falls provided for industrial activity. The city's population was projected to be 425,336 in 2021. It is the most populated city in the state and ranks 46th in terms of population in the country. The Twin Cities are Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the surrounding region as a whole.

One of the largest public park systems in the country is located near Minneapolis, and the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway connects several of them. Many areas of the city are covered by biking and walking paths, some of which follow old railroad tracks, including the Mill District in the Saint Anthony Falls Historic District, the area surrounding Lake of the Isles, Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, and the area by Minnehaha Falls. Minneapolis experiences hot, muggy summers and chilly, icy winters. General Mills, the Pillsbury Company, and the Target Corporation were all founded in Minneapolis. The Guthrie Theater, First Avenue nightclub, and four professional sports teams are among the city's cultural attractions. 

Minneapolis is home to the majority of the University of Minnesota's main campus and a number of other post-secondary educational institutions. A light rail system provides service to a portion of the city.

A mayor-council form of government is used in Minneapolis. Since 1968, the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) has controlled a majority of council seats, and since 2018 the DFL's Jacob Frey has served as mayor. Following the death of Black man George Floyd by White Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020, racism and Minneapolis became the focus of both domestic and global media attention. 

Geography 

Water is a key element in Minneapolis' history and economic development. It is also the city's defining physical feature. What is now Minneapolis was carved out by multiple riverbeds during long glacial and interglacial ages. When the ice in these old river routes melted during the last glacial period, around 10,000 years ago, basins that later became the lakes of Minneapolis were created.

Lake Agassiz meltwater nourished the glacial River Warren, which in turn produced a huge cascade that eroded upstream past the Mississippi River's junction and left a 75-foot (23 m) dip in the Mississippi. This location is in what is now Saint Paul's downtown. In turn, the Mississippi River valley was carved as the new waterfall, subsequently known as Saint Anthony Falls, traveled upstream along the Mississippi River for nearly eight miles (13 km). Similar methods were used during this time to develop Minnehaha Falls.

Minneapolis is situated on a flat piece of land over an artesian aquifer. Six percent of Minneapolis' total area, or 59 square miles (152.8 km2), is covered by water. Four watershed districts that correspond to the Mississippi and the three creeks in the city are in charge of managing the water supply. There are five nameless wetlands, three sizable ponds, and thirteen lakes in the city.

The U.S. Soil Conservation Service reported in 1959 that Minneapolis was 830 feet above mean sea level (250 m). The area close to where Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River meet is where the city's lowest point, 687 feet (209 meters) above sea level, is located. The highest point of the city, according to several sources, is said to be between 294 and 300 meters (965 to 985 ft) above sea level. 

Climate 

Minneapolis is located in USDA plant hardiness zone 4b and has a hot, humid summer continental climate (Köppen: Dfa), which is typical of southern Upper Midwest regions. Some tiny areas of Minneapolis are also in USDA zone 5a. As is common for a continental climate, Minneapolis experiences cold, snowy winters and hot, muggy summers. The average temperature difference between the coldest winter month and the warmest summer month is 58.1 degrees Fahrenheit (32.3 degrees Celsius).

The NOAA reports that 58% of the year is spent with sunshine. The complete spectrum of precipitation and associated meteorological phenomena, including snow, sleet, ice, rain, thunderstorms, and fog, are experienced in Minneapolis. The lowest recorded temperature is 41 °F (41 °C) in January 1888, while the highest recorded temperature is 108 °F (42 °C) in July 1936. The winter with the most snow on record was 1983–84, when 98.6 inches (250 cm) fell; the winter with the least snow, 1890–91, saw 11.1 inches (28 cm). 

Religion 

The Great Spirit was revered by the native Dakota people who were the first inhabitants of the Minneapolis region. Minneapolis is home to more than 50 different religious groups, with Christians making up the majority of the city's residents. Most of the settlers that came from New England were Protestants, Quakers, and Universalists. The Universalists erected the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in 1856, and a French Catholic congregation soon bought it. It is the oldest continually operating church.

The first Jewish congregation, known as Shaarai Tov, was established in 1878, and Temple Israel was constructed in 1928. The first Russian Orthodox seminary in the US was established by St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral, which was established in 1887. Both the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church and St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, which are situated south of the city center, were built by Edwin Hawley Hewitt. Pope Pius XI bestowed the name "Basilica of Saint Mary" on the nation's first basilica in 1926. It serves as the co-cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The Islamic Center of Minnesota was founded in 1965, and the Temple of Islam was already situated in north Minneapolis by 1959. In 1967, the first mosque in the city was erected. The majority of Somali residents in Minneapolis is Sunni Muslims. A Hindu temple next to the institution hosted classes in 1971 with 150 students reportedly present. The first Shi'a Muslim family from Uganda was resettled in the Twin Cities in 1972 by a humanitarian organization. There are roughly 20 Buddhist and meditation centers in the city. Ordo Templi Orientis has a presence in Minneapolis. 

Minneapolis served as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's main office from the late 1940s until the early 2000s. After meeting at Pentecostal North Central University, Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye started a television ministry that by the 1980s had 13.5 million households as its audience. With roughly 6,000 attendance, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in southwest Minneapolis was the second-largest Lutheran congregation in the US as of 2012. Eliel Saarinen's final project, Christ Church Lutheran in the Longfellow area, features an education facility that was created by his son Eero. 

Economy 

The Minneapolis-St. Paul region will overtake Chicago as the second-largest economic hub in the American Midwest by 2020. In the early years of the city's existence, millers were obligated to purchase wheat during the growing season with cash and to hold it until it was necessary for flour. Large quantities of capital were needed for this, which boosted the local banking sector and established Minneapolis as a significant financial hub. By the middle of 2022, trade, transportation, utilities, education, health services, and professional and business services will make up the majority of jobs in the Minneapolis area. Manufacturing, leisure and hospitality, mining, logging, and construction all employ fewer people.

As of 2021, the Twin Cities metropolitan area had the seventh-highest concentration of significant company headquarters in the US, and as of 2020, Minneapolis was home to the headquarters of four Fortune 500 companies. Accenture, Bellisio Foods, Canadian Pacific, Coloplast, RBC, and Voya Financial are American businesses having US offices in Minneapolis. Minneapolis serves as the corporate home of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology & Education. 

By 2020, the Minneapolis metropolitan area will have contributed $273 billion, or 74%, of Minnesota's gross state product. Minneapolis ranks as the fifteenth wealthiest city in the US as of 2015, as determined by the gross metropolitan product ($62,054) per resident. The region had a $199.6 billion gross metropolitan product in 2011 and had the 13th-highest per capita personal income in the country.

The only marketplace for hard, red, spring wheat futures and options is the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, which was established in 1881 and is situated close to the riverfront. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, one of the 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve System, has the smallest population and serves Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, as well as a portion of Wisconsin and Michigan. The bank supports customers and the neighborhood in addition to carrying out monetary policy, controlling banks operating within its jurisdiction, disbursing cash, and managing electronic deposits. 

Sports 

Four professional sports teams compete in Minneapolis. Since 1961, the Minnesota Twins baseball team and the Minnesota Vikings American football team have both competed there. The Twins were created when the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota, and the Vikings were an expansion franchise in the National Football League (NFL). The Twins have played at Target Field since 2010, and in 1987 and 1991 they won the World Series. Following the 1969, 1973, 1974, and 1976 seasons, the Vikings participated in the Super Bowl; they lost all four games. In 1989, the Minnesota Timberwolves brought National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball back to Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Lynx did the same in 1999. In the Target Center, both basketball teams compete.

The Lynx were the city's most successful sports club in the 2010s and a dominant force in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), making it to the WNBA finals in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017 and taking home the championship in 2011, 2015, and 2017. Following the shooting deaths of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling in 2016, Lynx captains displayed their support for social change by donning black shirts.

Most of the Minnesota Golden Gopher college sports teams, which are part of the University of Minnesota, are located in Minneapolis along with professional sports teams. Huntington Bank Stadium is home to the Gophers football team, which has won national championships in 1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, and 1960. The Gophers women's ice hockey team competes at Ridder Arena and has won six NCAA championships. In 2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016, the team won the national title. Playing at 3M Arena at Mariucci, the Gophers men's ice hockey team has won NCAA national championships in 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002, and 2003. Williams Arena is the home of the Golden Gophers men's and women's basketball teams.

At a cost of $1.122 billion, the 1,750,000 square foot (163,000 m2) U.S. Bank Stadium was constructed for the Vikings, with $348 million coming from the state of Minnesota and $150 million from the city of Minneapolis. The stadium, dubbed "Minnesota's biggest-ever public works project," had 66,000 seats when it first opened in 2016, but those numbers were increased to 70,000 for the 2018 Super Bowl. In addition to rollerblading and running competitions, concerts are frequently held at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Major athletic events held in the city include the WNBA All-Star Game, World Series, Super Bowls, NCAA Division 1 men's and women's basketball Final Fours, AMA Motocross Championship, and X Games. 

The Major League Soccer soccer team Minnesota United FC plays at Allianz Field, while the National Hockey League team Minnesota Wild plays at the Xcel Energy Center, both of which are in Saint Paul. Within the borders of Minneapolis are six golf courses. Inline skating was made popular by the Minneapolis-based company Rollerblade, which Scott and Brennan Olson established and later sold. 

The Twin Cities Marathon is a prerequisite for the Boston Marathon. 

Population 

Minneapolis is a city in the Minnesotan counties of Anoka, Carver, and Hennepin. It serves as Hennepin County's County seat as well. It is the largest city in Minnesota and the 45th largest city in the United States as of 2023, with a population of 444,168. Minneapolis' population has grown by 3.31% from the most recent census, which showed a population of 429,954 in 2020, and is now rising at a pace of 1.08% each year. Minneapolis, which spans more than 57 miles, has an 8,225 inhabitants per square mile density.

The poverty rate in Minneapolis is 21.28%, with an average household income of $89,282. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. Males and females in Minneapolis have median ages of 32.3 and 32.2 respectively.

The first teacher in Minneapolis is credited with giving the city its name by fusing the Greek term "polis," which means city, with the Dakota word "mini," which means water. The Mississippi River, twenty lakes and marshes, creeks, waterfalls, and Minneapolis itself are all connected by the Chain of Lakes and the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, hence the name is fitting.

On both sides of the Mississippi River, Minneapolis is situated, and to the north it is connected to Saint Paul, the state's capital. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan region, which has more than 3.4 million citizens, includes the two cities together known as the Twin Cities.

3.4 million people were counted in the population in 2010, however according to the most recent census, the Twin Cities region has grown by 60,000 individuals, with Minneapolis leading the increase. 

The good news about Minneapolis' growth is that demographers were taken aback by it. They were reluctant to even describe it as a trend because the city had seemed resigned to hollow success since the 1950s, with a thriving culture and stunning architecture but a declining population that was becoming poorer. 

After losing one-third of its population by 1990, Minneapolis experienced a 20-year period of moderate population growth. The population of its suburbs tripled over this time, and in 2010, they passed Detroit to become the second-largest metropolitan region in the Midwest. 

The city began to experience rapid growth in 2011, with more individuals moving there in the last two years than in the previous 20. 

Top News Websites 

StarTribune 

The most recent breaking news, as well as information on the weather, entertainment, politics, and other topics, are all provided by StarTribune. You can get the latest news, features, pictures, and more from Minneapolis and elsewhere right here. 

Mill City Times 

Get the most recent news and details on the main stories coming out of Minneapolis' Downtown and Central Riverfront Neighborhoods. 

Current City Mayor 

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey attended the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, on a track scholarship after growing up in northern Virginia. He started running professionally after earning a degree in government and was enrolled in Villanova University's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, law school at the same time. He arrived in Minneapolis for the Twin Cities Marathon at that time, and it was then that he developed a love affair with the city. He traveled 1,200 miles west to Minneapolis, his preferred home, the day after graduating.

Jacob started out as a civil rights and employment lawyer before getting involved in community organizing. He spearheaded the 2011 Big Gay Race campaign, which gathered over $250,000 to support the Minnesota constitutional amendment that would have prohibited marriage between a man and a woman. Additionally, he started supporting others who were homeless by assisting tenants in North Minneapolis who had lost their homes. For his civil rights activities, Jacob received the City of Minneapolis' first Martin Luther King, Jr. Award in 2012.

In 2013, Jacob ran and was elected to serve on the city council for the Third Ward. Jacob's priorities as a council member included providing services to constituents, boosting residential development, expanding the quantity and variety of small and neighborhood businesses, and completely funding affordable housing.

Since being elected mayor in 2017, Jacob has fought for policies that will improve community-police relations, expand access to affordable housing throughout the city, and stimulate economic growth. For the city's work on affordable housing, he has been successful in securing record-breaking investments, bolstering efforts to increase and sustain affordable homes. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo and Jacob have collaborated to change the department's culture, improve accountability, and put officer wellbeing first. Jacob has been steadfast in his efforts to increase public safety in Minneapolis, whether it is by tightening the police department's body camera policy or reforming the department's use of force policy.

Additionally, the mayor has focused resources where they are most needed to spur economic growth in order to assist reduce racial inequities in the city. Together with his council colleagues, he created seven new cultural districts that were given investment priority. He established a first-of-its-kind Commercial Property Development Fund to direct resources to areas that have traditionally faced disinvestment in order to ensure that more business owners of color have an equal opportunity to own their property.

With his wife Sarah Clarke by his side, Jacob resides on the Eastside of Minneapolis. Sarah works in public relations, specializing in early childhood education.