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Minneapolis, Minnesota

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: North American Geography

   Minneapolis, Minnesota
   Skyline of Minneapolis, Minnesota

  Official flag of Minneapolis, Minnesota
                   Flag

                                         Official seal of Minneapolis, Minnesota
                                                          Seal

   Nickname: "City of Lakes"
   Motto: En Avant
   Location in Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota.
   Location in Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota.
   Coordinates: 44°58′48.36″N, 93°15′6.72″W
   Country United States
   State Minnesota
   Counties Hennepin
   Mayor R.T. Rybak ( DFL)
   Area
    - City 58.4 mi² - 151.3 km²
    - Land 54.9 mi² - 142.2 km²
    - Water 3.5 mi² - 9.1 km²
   Elevation 264 m
   Population
    - City (2000) 382,618
    - Density 2,691.4/km² (6,969/sq mi)
    - Metro 2,968,805
   Time zone CST ( UTC-6)
    - Summer ( DST) CDT ( UTC-5)
   Website: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/

   Minneapolis (pronounced [ˌmɪniˈæpəlɪs]) is the largest city in
   Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. It
   adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital and second-largest city.
   Together they form the core of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the
   16th-largest agglomeration in the country (and roughly 65th-largest in
   the world), with about 3,500,000 residents. In the 2000 census, the
   city itself had a total population of 382,618.

   Minneapolis is recognized by the Globalization and World Cities Study
   Group & Network as a world-class city.

History

   The Stone Arch Bridge straddles the Mississippi River in downtown
   Enlarge
   The Stone Arch Bridge straddles the Mississippi River in downtown

   Called in the Ojibwe language Gakaabikaang (at the falls), the city
   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. A lumber mill was built on the falls in
   1822 to supply the fort. In the 1840s, settlers were not allowed to
   stay on land controlled by the military without special permission, so
   the first settlement near the falls, St. Anthony, grew on the northeast
   side of the river, just outside of the fort's jurisdiction.

   The first person authorized to live on the river's west bank was
   Colonel John H. Stevens, who operated a ferry service starting around
   1850. A few years later, the amount of land controlled by the fort was
   reduced with an order from U.S. President Millard Fillmore, and free
   settlement followed. The village of Minneapolis soon sprung up on the
   southwest bank of the river. The village of St. Anthony was
   incorporated by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature in 1855, and
   Minneapolis soon followed in 1856.

   The original campus of the University of Minnesota system first
   appeared near the falls at this time. Today it is a Big Ten university
   with more than 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in
   the Twin Cities alone, making it one of the largest campuses in the
   country.
   Downtown Minneapolis as viewed from the Stone Arch Bridge
   Enlarge
   Downtown Minneapolis as viewed from the Stone Arch Bridge

   Minneapolis grew quickly during and after the Civil War and became a
   city in 1867. Outstripping the growth of its neighbour, the city merged
   with St. 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). Some streets, especially many of the older and more
   traditionally important ones of the city, like Hennepin Avenue and
   Nicollet Avenue, have both orientations at different points along their
   roadways.

   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, Pillsbury and Cargill in the city. In its heyday, it was known
   as the "milling capital of the world." It was the leading producer of
   grain in the world until 1932. 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 terms
   of indoor space in the United States, the Mall of America (actually 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
   and engaged in bootlegging, racketeering, and prostitution.

   In the 1950s and 1960s, 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.

   While it was never official policy, segregation occurred between whites
   and blacks in the city, and racial issues still fuel conflicts in the
   city today. A desegregation program of forced busing to balance the
   number of black and white schoolchildren in city schools began in 1972.
   While ethnic diversity continues to grow in the area (both in quantity
   and variety), some advocacy groups, in particular those representing
   African Americans and Native Americans, complain that their members are
   excessively targeted by the police. Minneapolis has a higher rate of
   black poverty than many other American cities.

   Another relatively troubled period for parts of Minneapolis was the
   1990s, when the murder rate and incidence of gang violence climbed,
   almost entirely in poorer neighborhoods of the city. The Phillips
   neighbourhood (now referred to as Phillips Community) was particularly
   hard-hit. After reaching a record 97 homicides in 1995, the city gained
   an unpleasant nickname because of the violence: "Murderapolis."
   Supposedly coined by local gun shop owner Mark Koscielski, the term
   gained widespread use after The New York Times used it when reporting
   that Minneapolis had surpassed the per capita homicide rate of New York
   City. The murder rate retreated in the following years, but area
   residents often grow concerned that the nickname may make a comeback
   whenever there is an uptick in violence in the city.
   City council chambers around 1900
   Enlarge
   City council chambers around 1900

   Health and environmental issues have gained importance over the years.
   Many cleanup projects have taken place, and industrial activities have
   been scaled back or modified within the city. In 2005, the City amended
   its Comprehensive Plan and adopted various indicators that strengthen
   its commitment to sustainability. On the scale of individuals, a ban on
   smoking in all bars, bowling alleys and restaurants went into effect in
   March 2005.

   Minneapolis has a long history of prominence as a centre for the arts.
   The Walker Art Centre (opened in 1927) an early proponent of pop and
   postmodern art movements. The Guthrie Theatre (founded in 1963) is a
   repertory company whose stage also showcases local and international
   performances theatrical and otherwise, and features workshops headlined
   by Emmy and Oscar-winning celebrities. The new three-stage Guthrie
   complex opened in the old Mill District in 2006. In the 1980s, a
   diverse range of musicians, including Prince, Hüsker Dü, the
   Replacements, the Suburbs, and Soul Asylum set the pace for the nation
   in pop musical innovation, and local producers Jimmy Jam and Terry
   Lewis's studios became a destination for some of the 1980s and 1990s
   biggest acts. Prince's music and that of groups/artists in his artistic
   influence gave rise to the term "the Minneapolis sound".
   Downtown Minneapolis as seen on a winter night from the Stone Arch
   Bridge. Picture taken on January 18, 2006.
   Enlarge
   Downtown Minneapolis as seen on a winter night from the Stone Arch
   Bridge. Picture taken on January 18, 2006.

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 (6.01%) is water.

   The city centre is located just south of 45 degrees north latitude. On
   the south side of Golden Valley Road just east of Wirth Parkway, there
   is a stone containing a weathered plaque, marking a point on 45th
   parallel.

Climate

   The climate of Minneapolis is typical of cities located in the
   Midwestern United States. However, due to the city's northerly
   location, it generally runs on the cold side. Winters are particularly
   punishing with bitter cold arctic air masses pushing their way south
   from Canada. Of all the major metropolitan areas in the U.S., the
   Minneapolis-St.Paul metropolitan area has the coldest annual mean
   temperature of only 7.5 °C (45.5 °F). There are four distinct seasons,
   with characteristic large changes in temperatures over a short period
   of time. Winters are bitterly cold and dry, and summers are warm,
   sometimes hot, and frequently humid. The city experiences a full range
   of precipitation and related weather events, including snow, sleet,
   ice, rain, thunderstorms, and fog.

   The highest temperature ever recorded in Minneapolis was 108 °F (42 °C)
   on July 14, 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded at the city was
   -41 °F (-40.6 °C), on January 21, 1888. The snowiest winter of record
   was the winter of 1983-84, when 98.4 in (2.50 m) of snow fell.

Demographics

   Minnesota has historically been a home to Scandinavian and German
   immigrants. Scandinavians (mostly Norwegians and Swedes) tended to
   settle in the colder, forested north, and Germans often resided in the
   relatively warmer rolling hills of the south. Minneapolis sits between
   these two regions and thus has large populations of people of German
   and Scandinavian descent. Much of the business and merchant class of
   early Minneapolis was neither German nor Scandinavian, but British by
   way of New England Yankee descent.

   During the great wave of Eastern European immigration in the 1870s
   through the early 20th Century, many immigrants from Poland, the Baltic
   States, and Russia, as well as other people from the region settled in
   the Northeast neighbourhood. "Nordeast" was until recently very
   strongly identified with these populations.

   Minneapolis also has a large Native American population, one of the
   largest in the United States. 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. Smaller populations of Laotians, Cambodians, Ethiopians,
   Mexicans, and others can also be found in the city. One of the largest
   Tibetan immigrant populations in the United States resides there as
   well.
   Recycling instructions in a Minneapolis park are given in four
   languages: English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali
   Enlarge
   Recycling instructions in a Minneapolis park are given in four
   languages: English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali

   The population residing within the city's limits has decreased
   significantly 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 very early 20th century when the city had a much smaller
   total population. Jews, for example, were once a significant presence
   in the northern part of the city, but they have largely moved out into
   suburbs such as St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, and Minnetonka. In
   general, the Twin Cities suburbs have seen massive growth, and the
   Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area has roughly doubled since 1950
   and now has about three million residents.

   The downtown region also saw a major decline in population, but managed
   to retain residents better than many similar cities. The downtown
   population has been booming in the last decade as new condominiums are
   completed and warehouses are converted to loft-style housing. The U.S.
   census recorded 20,201 residents in the city centre in 2000, but an
   estimate by Maxfield Research just five years later in January 2005 put
   the number at 29,350, fully recovering from losses in the 1960s and
   1970s. Considering the number of new condos in development, the
   downtown district could reach 40,000 by 2010. Still, the people living
   downtown are greatly outnumbered by commuters, who bring the daytime
   population up to about 165,000 each weekday.

   While the overall population has declined, the number of inhabited
   houses has remained comparatively steady (as compared to other
   rust-belt inner cities where large numbers of houses have been razed).
   Presumably some of the population loss is due to decreased average
   density per housing unit.

   As of the census ² of 2000, there were 382,618 people, 162,352
   households, and 73,870 families residing in the city. The population
   density was 2,691.4/km² (6,970.3/mi²). There were 168,606 housing units
   at an average density of 1,186.0/km² (3,071.6/mi²).
                             Racial makeup
             Ethnicity            Percentage of Minneapolis population
   White                          65.1%
   African American               18.0%
   Hispanic or Latino of any race 7.6%
   Asian                          6.1%
   from two or more races         4.4%
   Native American                2.29%
   Pacific Islander               0.1%

   There were 162,352 households out of which 22.6% had children under the
   age of 18 living with them, 29.0% were married couples living together,
   12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.5% were
   non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals and
   8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The
   average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 3.15.

   In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years.
   For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age
   18 and over, there were 100.1 males.

   The median income for a household in the city was $37,974, and the
   median income for a family was $48,602. Males had a median income of
   $35,216 versus $30,663 for females. The per capita income for the city
   was $22,685. About 11.9% of families and 16.9% of the population were
   below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 10.9%
   of those age 65 or over.
   Population history
   1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990
   2000
   3,000 13,000 46,887 164,738 202,718 301,408 380,582 464,356 492,370
   521,718 482,872 434,400 370,951 368,383 382,618

Minneapolis neighborhoods

   Minneapolis neighborhoods
   Enlarge
   Minneapolis neighborhoods

   The city is officially divided into several communities, each
   containing multiple neighborhoods. For example, the area typically
   referred to by locals as "North Minneapolis" is actually the Near North
   community, which is composed of the Hawthorne, Jordan, Near-North, and
   Willard-Hay neighborhoods. The north side has been continually plagued
   with poverty, crime, and violence. The city government has repeatedly
   tried to improve this area, but has failed many times.

   Most of the neighborhoods in Minneapolis coordinate certain activities
   under the Neighbourhood Revitalization Program. In some cases, two to
   four neighborhoods act together under a single neighbourhood
   organization.

   Some areas of the city are more commonly known by locally established
   nicknames, many of which are predominantly business districts. One such
   place is Dinkytown (several square blocks of small businesses in the
   Marcy Holmes neighborhood, although the name is sometimes used
   informally to refer to the whole Marcy Holmes neighbourhood), near the
   University. To the southwest of Downtown is Uptown, which is loosely
   defined as the area around the Uptown Theatre near the intersection of
   Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street, and features a large number of
   restaurants, bars, and independently owned businesses. The North Loop
   is a primarily residential section of the warehouse district extending
   to the west bank of the Mississippi river that is primarily made up of
   $1,250 a month apartments and $500,000 lofts.

Crime

   The FBI released data as of Tuesday June 13, 2006, Minneapolis had
   experienced a 15 percent jump from 2004. This increase is six times the
   2.5 percent national rise in murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated
   assaults in 2005, figures disclosed in preliminary data from the FBI's
   Uniform Crime Report. Violent crime in Minneapolis has increased in
   every year since 2001.

   The 15 percent jump helped Minneapolis be recently ranked by the Morgan
   Quitno research group as the 23rd most violent city based on 2005 FBI
   statistics of murders, forcible rapes, robberies, and aggravated
   assaults. When burglary and motor vehicle theft are included, it is
   ranked at 27th.

Economy

   Minneapolis's economy has been historically based on the adjoining
   agricultural area, though that has changed as can be seen from the list
   of Fortune 1000 companies headquarted in the city:
     * Target Corp.
     * Ameriprise Financial
     * U.S. Bancorp
     * Xcel Energy
     * Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
     * PepsiAmericas Inc.
     * Bemis Co. Inc.
     * The Valspar Corp

   Many other major corporations, some with deep roots in the city of
   Minneapolis (for example General Mills, founded in the Historic Mill
   District), are based in the suburbs.

Law and government

   Image:FatherofWaters.jpeg
   Mississippi, Father of Waters. 1904, Minneapolis City Hall

   Minneapolis is a city that is well known for its liberal politics and
   to this day remains a stronghold for the Democratic Party. For example
   in 2004 John Kerry won the city by a rather large margin. Minneapolis
   has an arguably convoluted set of different government entities that
   oversee actions in the city. The most prominent is the Minneapolis City
   Council, which holds the most power. The mayor has some power to
   appoint certain individuals, such as the chief of police, but is
   otherwise relatively weak and must coordinate with the city council for
   most other activities. Other groups in the city include the Minneapolis
   Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Public Library's Board of
   Trustees, the Neighbourhood Revitalization Program, the Public Housing
   Authority, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation. These councils tend
   to be semi-independent, and some can levy their own taxes and fees.

   There are some efforts currently underway to examine how the city
   government can be streamlined, though it is hard to say how quickly any
   changes might come about. A number of the city boards were created by
   the Minnesota Legislature between the time of the city's founding and
   1920 when the city finally gained home rule by passing a new charter
   (simply an agglomeration of the various laws that had been specifically
   written for the city at the time).

Mayor

   City Hall
   Enlarge
   City Hall

   The current mayor of Minneapolis is R.T. Rybak. There have been a
   number of notable individuals who have held the office. Most are known
   for their positive influences on the city. Hubert H. Humphrey, who
   became mayor in 1945, started what may be the first equal employment
   commission while he was in office. He later went on to serve as US vice
   president and ran for president in 1968. Arthur Naftalin was the first
   Jewish mayor, while Sharon Sayles Belton became the first woman and the
   first African-American to hold the office. The city government has not
   been immune to corruption, however, and the man who exemplified that
   was "Doc" Ames. He essentially turned the police force into a group of
   organized criminals before an investigation forced him out of office
   more than a century ago.

City council

   The Minneapolis City Council is composed of 13 single member districts,
   called wards. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) dominates the
   council, with twelve members, and Barbara Johnson is council president.
   The Green Party has one member as of 2006.

Minneapolis Public Schools

   The school board exists as a separate legal entity from the city as
   Special School District Number 1, commonly called the Minneapolis
   Public Schools.

2008 Republican National Convention

   Minneapolis, along with St. Paul, will be co-hosts of the 2008
   Republican National Convention, to be held from September 1 to
   September 4, 2008. The main convention activities will be held at the
   St. Paul Xcel Energy Centre; convention attendees are expected to use
   up to 25,000 hotel rooms in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area out of
   30,000 total hotel rooms in the area.

Culture

Nomenclature

   The city sits along the Mississippi River and also has 24 small lakes
   in city limits. The abundance of lakes led Charles Hoag, an early
   settler and Minneapolis's first schoolmaster, to suggest a name derived
   from minne, the Dakota word for water, and polis, the Greek word for
   city. Other names considered at the time were Brooklyn and Albion. The
   early use of "Brooklyn" for the then-village lives on into the 21st
   century in the names of two suburbs north of Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park
   and Brooklyn Centre. The city is also known as the "City of Lakes," a
   phrase that appears on many municipal vehicles and properties. The
   traditional postal abbreviation for the city's name is Mpls., and much
   old correspondence can still be found dated from "Mpls., Minn." Once
   the global centre of the timber milling industry and then later the
   grain milling industry, Minneapolis is still often known by the
   appellation Mill City.

Technology

   In a 2005 issue of Popular Science the publication determined
   Minneapolis, MN to be the "Top Tech City" in the United States . Among
   many factors that determined this ranking, Minneapolis ranked first
   among U.S. cities in innovative transportation solutions and fourth in
   energy technology.

   CAPTION: A Sampling of Numbers that Make Minneapolis the Top Tech City

                    Category National Average Minneapolis
                  Number of High Tech Companies 1,260 3,939
              Percent of Work Force with Advanced Degrees 9 10
                       Number of Wi-Fi Hotspots 61 110
     Percent Deployment of "Intelligent Transportation Solutions" 34 61
        Percent of Transit System Accepting Electronic Payment 44 100
              Annual Number of Clinical Medical Trials 206 333
               Annual University R&D Expenditures $200M $462M
                    EPA-Lauded Energy Star Buildings 4 8

Arts

   The State Theatre on Hennepin Avenue
   Enlarge
   The State Theatre on Hennepin Avenue

   Minneapolis claims to have the highest per capita attendance at theatre
   and arts events outside of New York City and Chicago. The region is
   reportedly the third-largest theatre market in the country, attracting
   major performances. The Guthrie Theatre is the most famous theater in
   the city. Minneapolis also supports two Tony Award winning theater
   companies: the Children's Theatre Company and Theatre de la Jeune Lune.
   In order to help revitalize the downtown and warehouse district areas
   of Minneapolis, which had declined in the mid to late 20th century, the
   city purchased and renovated a few theaters on Hennepin Avenue to
   create the Hennepin Theatre District, including the State, Orpheum, and
   Pantages venues.

   In 2004 with an attendance of 50,197, Minneapolis's Minnesota Fringe
   Festival was the largest non-juried performing arts festival in the
   United States and the third largest Fringe festival in North America.
   In 2005, the Minnesota Fringe ran 11 days, August 4-14 with 44,630 paid
   tickets. In 2004, 1,100 artists produced over 800 individual
   performances and events.

   The most extensive museum in the city is the Minneapolis Institute of
   Arts. Modern art is displayed in the Walker Art Centre. The Walker
   includes an outdoor sculpture garden with " Spoonbridge and Cherry,"
   which has become a symbol of the city.
   Spoonbridge and Cherry in mid-winter
   Enlarge
   Spoonbridge and Cherry in mid-winter
   The Irene Hixen Whitney Bridge, Siah Armajani
   Enlarge
   The Irene Hixen Whitney Bridge, Siah Armajani

   The Warehouse District adjoining downtown was a hub of studio and
   gallery activity in the 1980s, but most artists have been driven out by
   high rents. Today the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is the most
   vibrant visual arts community in the city, though the largest art event
   (one of the largest in the nation) is the annual Uptown Art Fair.

   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.

   Arts education is also strong in the Minneapolis area with schools like
   the Perpich Centre for Arts Education, an arts-oriented charter high
   school, in Golden Valley, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, an
   arts college adjacent to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, playing a
   central role in the city's visual, music and literary scenes, and the
   Art Institutes International Minnesota, located in downtown Minneapolis
   on the corner of Hennepin Ave. and 9th Street, is an arts college which
   focuses more on computer arts, such as graphic design, animation and
   media graphics, photography, and interactive media design.
   One of many sculptures, this one depicting the solar system.
   Enlarge
   One of many sculptures, this one depicting the solar system.

   Throughout the city are scattered various sculptures and murals.

   Minneapolis was home to the " Minneapolis Sound" in pop music in the
   1980s. Prince is Minneapolis's most famous musical progeny. Several of
   his songs include references to the city.

   Alternative rock groups such as Hüsker Dü and The Replacements were a
   force in the 1980s, and Paul Westerberg (of the Replacements) still
   lives and works in Minneapolis. Popular acts from the 1990s include The
   Jayhawks, Semisonic and pop group Information Society. In recent years
   Minneapolis has garnered a significant hip hop community with labels
   such as Rhymesayers Entertainment and Doomtree. It has also developed a
   vibrant spoken word community, led by organizations such as the MN
   Spoken Word Association ( MNSWA), Slam MN, Trú Rúts Endeavors, SASE:
   The Write Place and others.

   It is also interesting to note that one of the most replayed songs of
   the past fifty years, Funkytown, came out of the Minneapolis scene. It
   was recorded by the disco group Lipps, Inc. and former Miss Minnesota
   finalist Cynthia Johnson.

Parks

   Minnehaha Falls
   Enlarge
   Minnehaha Falls

   Minneapolis has a large park system consisting of ten square miles (26
   km²) of land and water that is interlinked in many places. The Grand
   Rounds Scenic Byway circles through the city and brings together many
   of the bigger park areas including land along the Mississippi River,
   many of the city's lakes, and other scenic areas of the city. The route
   has 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^ . Additional routes in the
   Minneapolis park system crisscross 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
   take place there every year. Prospect Park is the home of the 1913
   water tower, a Minneapolis icon.

   There are several freshwater lakes across the southern part of the
   city. The most significant grouping is the western " Chain of Lakes"
   consisting of Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, and Cedar
   Lake. Lake Nokomis and Lake Hiawatha lie farther to the east.

Sports

   Professional sports are well-established in Minneapolis, and although
   the city's teams have not been particularly successful in acquiring
   championships, all have been lauded at one time or another for their
   high-caliber play. The city is the origin of one of the most famous
   basketball teams of all time, the Los Angeles Lakers (formerly the
   Minneapolis Lakers). It is also the original home of the Minnesota
   North Stars (now the Dallas Stars).
   Club Sport League Venue Championships
   Minnesota Twins Baseball Major League Baseball; AL Metrodome World
   Series: 1987, 1991
   Minnesota Vikings American football National Football League; NFC
   Metrodome
   Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball National Basketball Association;
   Western Conference Target Centre
   Minnesota Lynx Basketball Women's National Basketball Association;
   Western Conference Target Centre
   Minnesota Wild Hockey National Hockey League; Western Conference Xcel
   Energy Centre

   The Hennepin County board on May 3, 2006 approved a new ballpark for
   the Twins in the Warehouse District, across the street from the Target
   Centre. The NHL team Minnesota Wild plays in Saint Paul. Minneapolis
   also has a slight bit of infamy in the WWE world as it was the location
   of the death and subsequent tribute shows of superstar Eddie Guerrero.
   A number of popular professional wrestlers also hail from Minneapolis.

Transportation

   Skyways connect many downtown buildings
   Enlarge
   Skyways connect many downtown buildings
   Street corner in winter
   Enlarge
   Street corner in winter

   A system of " skyways" (small, fully enclosed pedestrian bridges) link
   the buildings across more than 60 city blocks of the downtown region,
   providing a way to travel around the city without being exposed to the
   wide temperature extremes of the climate. The system is widely used by
   the daytime worker population and downtown residents, who are able to
   move around without their coats and other outdoor gear all day long.
   The street-level foot traffic is greatly reduced (especially as the
   outdoor temperature dips) and many businesses that would normally be
   located at ground level in other cities are instead brought up to the
   second floor. In fact, the interconnected passageways that include
   restaurants and retailers are sometimes considered as one of the
   largest shopping centers in the Twin Cities (though most businesses in
   the skyways close down at night and on the weekend).

   Historically, Minneapolis and St. Paul provided some of the earliest
   rail passages across the Mississippi River, which widens downriver
   where the St. Croix River joins the Mississippi. Today, rail traffic
   through the city is diminished, and some of the old bridges such as the
   Stone Arch Bridge have been converted for bicycle and pedestrian use.
   These link into the extensive park and trail system of the city.

   Most residents of Minneapolis get around the region by car, and a
   number of highways snake through the city. Minneapolis and St. Paul are
   the junction points between Interstate 94 and Interstate 35. I-35
   splits into two parts when entering the metro area. The western half,
   I-35W, goes through downtown Minneapolis. The I-394 spur connects the
   downtown region to western suburbs. Two spurs from I-94, I-494 and
   I-694, make a loop around the metro area, but do not pass through the
   cities of Minneapolis or St. Paul.

   Only two U.S. highways pass through the city, but they are unmarked.
   Interstate 394 is largely an upgraded segment of U.S. Highway 12 which
   comes into the city from the western and then joins I-94 to follow that
   road around downtown and into St. Paul. U.S. Highway 52 follows
   Interstate 94 north of the metro area, so it is considered to follow
   that all of the way through the city today, though it had originally
   been routed along surface streets and along University Avenue between
   Minneapolis and St. Paul.

   Minnesota state highways include:
     * Minnesota State Highway 47 (Minneapolis to Aitkin) enters the city
       from the North as University Avenue
     * Minnesota State Highway 55 (Tenney to Hastings) passes through
       outer Minneapolis as Olson Memorial Highway and Hiawatha Avenue
       (though, since June 2005, it now follows I-94 around downtown).
     * Minnesota State Highway 62 (Eden Prairie to Fort Snelling - known
       as the "Crosstown") runs along the southeastern edge of the city as
       the Crosstown Highway (west of Chicago Ave and east of Xerxes Ave,
       the highway is considered as part of Richfield), however, the
       Richfield-Minneapolis line lies right at the northern edge of the
       Highway 62 right-of-way during that 3-mile stretch).
     * Minnesota State Highway 65 (Minneapolis to Littlefork) follows
       Central Avenue through Northeast Minneapolis, and until June 2005,
       it also followed Washington, 4th, and 5th Avenues though downtown
       Minneapolis. A freeway stub running from I-35W to 10th Avenue is
       still considered part of Highway 65, creating a gap in the official
       routing.
     * Minnesota State Highway 77 (Apple Valley to Minneapolis) ends as it
       enters the city from the south as Cedar Avenue.
     * Minnesota State Highway 121 (Richfield to Minneapolis) is a spur
       that connects Interstate 35W with Lyndale Avenue in South
       Minneapolis.

   The city is served by air with the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International
   Airport, which is at the southeast corner of the city off of Minnesota
   State Highway 5. The airport is also bordered by Saint Paul,
   Bloomington, and Richfield. It is a hub and home base for Northwest
   Airlines as well as for Mesaba Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and
   Champion Airlines.
   Metro Transit Hiawatha Line train approaching Cedar-Riverside Station.
   Downtown Minneapolis is in the background, Metrodome on the right.
   Enlarge
   Metro Transit Hiawatha Line train approaching Cedar-Riverside Station.
   Downtown Minneapolis is in the background, Metrodome on the right.

   Metro Transit runs most of the area's buses and has begun operation of
   a light rail system, the Hiawatha Line, which has a daily ridership of
   28,800, making it the 14^th busiest light rail system in the country.
   The line opened its first and second phases to the public in 2004,
   connecting the airport and Bloomington's Mall of America into downtown.
   A number of other rail projects including new commuter rail lines
   linking the city to the suburbs are in the planning stages, and the
   city council has officially begun "explor[ing] the feasibility of
   bringing back a streetcar system." Some bus rapid transit lines are
   also likely to be built in the coming years.

   Proposed commuter and light rail lines head in several directions from
   Minneapolis and St. Paul.
     * Hiawatha_Line, Minneapolis to the Mall of America
     * Northstar Corridor Commuter Line, Minneapolis north to Big Lake,
       MN.
     * Central Corridor, Downtown Minneapolis to St. Paul
     * SouthWest Transitway, Minneapolis to St Louis Park, Hopkins,
       Minnetonka, and Eden Prairie
     * Red Rock Corridor, Commuter Rail from Minneapolis southeast to
       Hastings, through St Paul.

   Over the last twenty years, the system of bicycle trails has expanded
   from a long-standing system of recreational trails, the Grand Rounds,
   to include a network of on-street bike lanes and an increasing number
   of commuter trails. Trails include:
     * The Midtown Greenway
     * The Kenilworth Trail
     * The Cedar Lake Trail
     * The West River Parkway along the Mississippi.

   Free online bicycle maps are provided by the city here.

   Minneapolis is one of the most heavily-biked cities in the country,
   with an average level of 10,000 people riding daily for commuting and
   recreation (there are significant seasonal variations, but many people
   bike year-round).

Famous Minneapolitans

     * Eddie Albert, actor famous for role in Green Acres
     * Ken Anderson, professional wrestler better known as Ken Kennedy.
       Comes from Minneapolis, Minnesota but billed as being from Green
       Bay, Wisconsin.
     * Louie Anderson
     * Richard Dean Anderson
     * Lew Ayres
     * Ann Bancroft
     * C.C. Beck
     * Jason Behr, actor
     * David Brudnoy
     * Mitch Clem, cartoonist
     * Joel and Ethan Coen
     * Rachael Leigh Cook
     * Sean Daley, Rapper Slug of Atmosphere (music group)
     * Dr. Demento (aka Barry Hansen)
     * Gordon R. Dickson
     * Khalid El-Amin
     * Kimberly Elise
     * Craig Finn, lead singer of The Hold Steady and Lifter Puller
     * Al Franken
     * Thomas L. Friedman, journalist
     * Neil Gaiman
     * J. Paul Getty
     * Terry Gilliam, the Stateside Monty Python
     * Genevieve Gorder, Trading Spaces
     * Peter Graves (actor)

     * Josh Hartnett, actor
     * George Roy Hill
     * Kent Hrbek
     * Hubert H. Humphrey, former Vice President of the United States
     * Dan Israel, songwriter
     * Jimmy Jam
     * T.R. Knight
     * Jerry Lynn, professional wrestler for Total Nonstop Action
       Wrestling
     * Mark Mallman, musician
     * Zach Miller, cartoonist ( Joe and Monkey)
     * Walter Mondale, former Vice President
     * Doug Pagitt
     * Kristen Pazik, model
     * John Piper, Internationally known reformed author, theologian, and
       pastor of Bethlehem Baptist in downtown Minneapolis
     * P.O.S., (aka Stefon Alexander) well-known rapper; a member of the
       Doomtree hip-hop collective and punk rock band Building Better
       Bombs
     * Prince
     * Charles Schulz, Creator of the Peanuts comic
     * Lili St. Cyr
     * Tiny Tim (aka Herbert Khaury, buried in the city's Lakewood
       Cemetery)
     * Vince Vaughn
     * John Warne, bassist for the Christian rock band Relient K
     * David Wheaton, former professional tennis player
     * Bobby Z.

Famous people from the Twin Cities area (near Minneapolis), or in Minneapolis
for a brief time

     * Garrison Keillor, host of A Prairie Home Companion (Anoka, Saint
       Paul)
     * Jesse Ventura, wrestler and former Governor of Minnesota (Brooklyn
       Park)was born James Janos in Mpls and attended Roosevelt High
       School in Mpls
     * Kirby Puckett (grew up in Chicago, lived in Minneapolis suburbs)
     * Bob Dylan (grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota, spent brief time in
       Minneapolis)
     * Loni Anderson Born in Saint Paul, TV and film actress
     * Bradley Joseph Born in Willmar, now resides in Twin Cities metro
       area
     * David D. Burns Born in Minneapolis

Famous music groups from Minneapolis

     * American Head Charge Hard Rock Band
     * The Andrews Sisters
     * Atmosphere Rap Group
     * Dillinger Four Punk Band
     * Hüsker Dü, influential punk band
     * Mint Condition, famous band
     * Motion City Soundtrack
     * The Plastic Constellations
     * The Replacements
     * Root City Blues Band
     * Semisonic
     * Soul Asylum
     * The Soviettes, punk rock band
     * Tapes 'n Tapes

Diplomacy

   Canada, Norway, and Ecuador maintain consulates in Minneapolis.
     * Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis
     * Royal Norwegian Consulate General in Minneapolis

Sister cities

   Minneapolis has eight sister cities:
     * Chile - Santiago, Chile (1961)
     * Finland - Kuopio, Finland (1972)
     * Canada - Winnipeg, Canada (1973)
     * Japan - Ibaraki City, Japan (1980)
     * Russia - Novosibirsk, Russia (1988, with St. Paul)

     * France - Tours, France (1991)
     * People's Republic of China - Harbin, China (1992)
     * Kenya - Eldoret, Kenya (2000)
     * Sweden - Uppsala, Sweden (2000)

   The city also maintains informal connections with the cities of
   Hiroshima, Japan and Kampala, Uganda.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneapolis%2C_Minnesota"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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