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Minneapolis (pronounced: [ˌmɪniˈæpəlɪs]) is the largest city in the state of Minnesota, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Together Minneapolis and St. Paul form the core of the Twin Cities, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about three million residents. The city's diverse population is estimated at about 350,000 people as of 2005.[1] Once the global center for timber milling and flour milling, Minneapolis is the primary business center between Chicago and Seattle, Washington. Cross-fertilization between industry and the University of Minnesota has strengthened both the school and the economy. Minneapolis is largely liberal and in part of its role as county seat has worked toward the health and welfare of all residents including the least fortunate.[2]
The name Minneapolis is attributed to the city's first schoolmaster who combined Minnehaha and mni, the Dakota word for water,[4] and polis, the Greek word for city.[5] The city is also nicknamed the City of Lakes and the Mill City.[6] Residents are called Minneapolitans. The traditional postal abbreviation is Mpls. The airport code is MSP.
HistoryImage:ChiefLittleCrow.jpg Taoyateduta was among the 121 Sioux leaders who in 1837–1851 ceded what is now Minneapolis.[7] Image:The Leading Flour-A0327-01.jpeg Gold Medal flour ephemeron, late 1880s. Image courtesy General Mills Dakota Sioux were the region's sole residents until explorers arrived from France about 1680. The city's land was acquired in a series of treaties and purchases negotiated with the Mdewakanton band of the Dakota and separately with European nations. Built in 1819 where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers meet, Fort Snelling spurred growth.[8] Minneapolis was incorporated as a city on the Mississippi's west bank in 1867, the same year rail service began between Minneapolis and Chicago, and joined with the east bank city of St. Anthony in 1872.[9] Minneapolis grew up around Saint Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the Mississippi and the end of the commercially navigable section of the river until locks were installed in the 1960s. The city's history is tied to the riverfront and the falls, where, for the half century between 1880 and 1930, Minneapolis became the most important flour producer in the world. People arriving during the mid-1800s from the eastern U.S. knew the potential for power in flowing, falling water and chose the riverbanks near the falls as their home. Millers have used hydropower since the 1st century B.C.,[10] but the results in Minneapolis were so remarkable the city has been described as "the greatest direct-drive waterpower center the world has ever seen."[11] At first forests in northern Minnesota were the source of a lumber industry that operated 17 saw mills on power from the waterfall. The farmers of the Great Plains grew grain that was shipped by rail to the city's 34 flour mills where companies like General Mills, Pillsbury and Cargill became processors. By 1905, they produced almost 10% of the country's flour and grist.[12] Together, at peak production these farmers, rail workers, millers, coopers[13] and packers delivered "enough flour to make 12 million loaves of bread" each day.[14]
Mississippi riverfront in 1915
Geography and climateMinneapolis has a total area of 58.4 square miles (151.3 km²) and of this 6% is water and about 15% is parks.[17] The city center is located just south of 45 degrees north latitude. On the south side of Golden Valley Road just east of Wirth Parkway, a stone containing a weathered plaque marks a point on the 45th parallel.[18] The city's lowest elevation is near the place Minnehaha Creek meets the Mississippi. The Prospect Park Water Tower is the highest point.[19] Twenty four small lakes are within the city limits,[20] known together as the "Chain of Lakes". Connected by bike, running and walking paths, Minneapolis lakes are used for swimming, fishing, picnics and boating. A parkway for cars, a bikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians run parallel paths along the 52 mile (83 km) route of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway.[21] Theodore Wirth is credited with the development of the parks system that brought a playground within the reach of most children and the canopy of trees and boulevards in much of the city.[22] Parks are interlinked in many places and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area connects regional parks and visitors centers. The country's oldest public wildflower garden, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary is near Theodore Wirth Park which is shared with Golden Valley and is about 60% the size of Central Park in New York City.[23] Site of the 53-foot (16 m) Minnehaha Falls, Minnehaha Park is one of the city's oldest and most popular parks, receiving over 500,000 visitors each year.[24] The climate of Minneapolis is typical of the Upper Midwestern United States. Winters are bitterly cold and dry, while summer is warm, sometimes hot, and frequently humid. On the Köppen climate classification, Minneapolis falls in the warm summer humid continental climate zone (Dfa). The city experiences a full range of precipitation and related weather events, including snow, sleet, ice, rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes and fog. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Minneapolis was 108 °F (42.2 °C) in July 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -41 °F (-40.6 °C), in January 1888. The snowiest winter of record was 1983–84, when 98.4 inches (2.5 m) of snow fell.[25] Because of its northerly location in the United States and no large bodies of water to moderate the air, Minneapolis is frequently subjected to cold arctic airmasses throughout the winter months. The average annual temperature of 45.4 °F (7 °C) gives the Minneapolis-St.Paul metropolitan area the coldest annual mean temperature of any metropolitan areas in the U.S.[26]
DemographicsDuring the 1850s and 1860s, new settlers arrived from New England and New York, and during the mid-1860s, Scandinavians from Sweden, Norway and Denmark moved to the city. By the end of the 19th century, most of the immigrants had come from Italy, Greece, Poland, and southern and eastern Europe. Jews came from Russia, Poland, Lithuania and Romania. Asians came from China, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea. Two groups came for a short while during U.S. government relocations, Japanese during the 1940s, and Native Americans during the 1950s. From 1970 onwards, Asians arrived from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Beginning in the 1990s, a large Latino population arrived. Since the 1990s, refugees arrived from Africa, many from Somalia, and from Southeast Asia and Latin America.[27] Today, some city services are routinely provided in four languages.[28] Estimates in 2005 show the population of Minneapolis is about 350,000, an 8% or 9% drop since the 2000 census.[29] The population grew until 1950 when the census peaked at 521,718, and then declined as large numbers moved to the suburbs, until about 1990. The number of African Americans, Asians and Hispanics is growing. Black people are now about one fifth of the city's residents.[30] Compared to the U.S. national averages, the city has fewer whites and fewer Hispanics, more people aged over 18, fewer people aged over 65, fewer unemployed, and more with a college degree. While per capita and median family income is higher, in 2005 estimates for Minneapolis compared to U.S. averages, household income is lower and more families and individuals live below the poverty line.[29] Economy
Minneapolis today is a commercial, financial, rail and trucking, health care, and industrial center. The city is also known for publishing, milling, food processing, graphic arts, insurance and high technology. Industry produces metal and automotive products, chemical and agricultural products, electronic, computer, precision and medical instruments and devices, plastics and machinery.[31] The largest business headquartered in Minneapolis, Target Corporation operates about 1500 stores in 47 U.S. states.[32] The company grew from the store George Dayton built on Nicollet Avenue in 1902.[33] Ameriprise Financial, Carlson Companies, Donaldson Company, Dorsey & Whitney, Goldner Hawn, PepsiAmericas, RBC Dain Rauscher, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, U.S. Bancorp, Xcel Energy and Valspar Corporation are based in the city.[34] Dairy Queen, Medtronic and Nash Finch sometimes state that their headquarters are in Minneapolis although they are in nearby suburbs. The giants General Mills and Cargill grew and diversified from their large flour milling businesses created during the city's early years and today are also in the suburbs. The Minneapolis Grain Exchange founded in 1881 as a regional cash market is still located near the riverfront and is the only exchange for hard red spring wheat futures and options. Xcel Energy renewed its license in 2004 for the Hennepin Island Hydroelectric Plant begun by Northern States Power Company in 1882 and still harnesses the waterfall to produce 12 megawatts of electricity.[35] Availability of Wi-Fi, transportation solutions, medical trials, university research and development expenditures, advanced degrees held by the work force and energy conservation are so far above the national average that in 2005, Popular Science named Minneapolis the "Top Tech City" in the U.S.[36] Minneapolis ranked the country's number two best city in a 2006 Kiplinger's poll of Smart Places to Live and one of the Seven Cool Cities for young professionals.[37] The Twin Cities contribute 63.8% of the gross state product of Minnesota. The area's $145.8 billion gross metropolitan product and its per capita personal income rank 14th in the U.S. Recovering from the nation's recession in 2000, personal income grew 3.8% in 2005, though it was behind the national average of 5%. The city returned to peak employment during the fourth quarter of that year.[38] The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, with one branch in Helena, Montana, serves Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, and parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. One of the twelve regional banks in the Federal Reserve System, it operates a nationwide payments system, oversees member banks and bank holding companies, and serves as a banker for the U.S. Treasury. The bank distributes $43 million, receives $37 million, and destroys about $3 million of damaged currency each day.[39] Law and governmentImage:Minneapolis-march-Rybak-2007-03-18.jpg Mayor of Minneapolis R.T. Rybak Minneapolis is a stronghold for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), an affiliate of the Democratic Party. The Minneapolis City Council holds the most power and represents the city's 13 districts called wards. The council has 12 DFL members and one from the Green Party. R.T. Rybak also of the DFL is the current mayor of Minneapolis. The office of mayor is relatively weak but has some power to appoint individuals such as the chief of police. Parks, libraries, taxation and public housing are semi-independent boards and levy their own taxes and fees subject to Board of Estimate and Taxation limits.[40] Minneapolis is divided into communities, each containing neighborhoods. Neighborhoods coordinate activities under the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. In some cases two or more neighborhoods act together under one organization. Some areas are commonly known by nicknames of business associations.[41] Image:Minneapolis City Hall.JPG Minneapolis City Hall is "among the grandest" courthouses in the U.S.[42] The organizers of Earth Day scored Minneapolis ninth best overall and second among mid-sized cities in their 2007 Urban Environment Report, a study based on indicators of environmental health and their effect on people. Minneapolis did well on median household income, level of education, and access to parks, farms and groceries. But in water pollution, violent crime and cost of living the city ranked lower.[43] Early Minneapolis experienced a period of corruption in local government and crime was common until an economic downturn in the mid 1900s. Since 1950 the population decreased and much of downtown was lost to urban renewal and highway construction. The result was a "moribund and peaceful" environment until the 1990s.[44] With economic recovery the murder rate climbed. The police imported a computer system from New York City that sent officers to high crime areas despite accusations of racial profiling and saw a nearly immediate drop in major crime. Since then the number of homicides has increased during three years, and rose to its highest in recent history in 2006. Politicians debate the causes and solutions, from improving on the lack of police officers caused by balancing the city's budget, to providing youths with alternatives to gangs and drugs, to helping families in poverty. For 2007, the city invested in public safety infrastructure, hired over forty new officers, and has a new police chief, Tim Dolan.[45] EducationThe Minneapolis Public Library system operates the city's public libraries. It faced a severe budget shortfall for 2007, and has been forced to close (but not sell) three of its neighborhood libraries.[46] The new downtown Central Library designed by César Pelli opened in 2006. The project has public art by several artists including Ripple Effect by Lita Albuquerque in the main lobby. Pelli described the building, "In the evening, the library glows like a lantern."[47] Ten special collections hold over 25,000 books and resources for researchers, the Minneapolis Collection and the 10,000 digital images in the Minneapolis Photo Collection.[48] At recent count 1,696,453 items in the system are used annually. The library answers over 500,000 research and fact-finding questions each year.[49] Image:Weisman-Art-Museum-2006-11-05.jpg The Weisman, the teaching art museum of the University of Minnesota Minneapolis has 36,370 enrolled students in public primary and secondary schools. The Minneapolis Public Schools administer all 99 public schools including 45 elementary schools, seven middle schools, seven high schools, eight special education schools, eight alternative schools, 19 contract alternative schools and five charter schools. With authority granted by the state and legislature, the school board makes policy, selects the superintendent, and oversees the district's budget, curriculum, personnel and facilities. Students speak 90 different languages at home and most school communications are printed in English, Hmong, Spanish and Somali.[50] Besides public schools, more than 20 private schools and academies and about 20 charter schools are in the city.[51] Minneapolis is dominated by the main campus of the University of Minnesota where more than 50,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students attend 20 colleges, schools, and institutes. Created in 1851 as a preparatory school, the university is noted for engineering, applied mathematics, management, health, and economics and holds more than 140 research facilities.[52] A Big Ten school and home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the U of M is the fourth largest campus in the U.S.[53] Minneapolis Community and Technical College, the private Dunwoody College of Technology and Art Institutes International Minnesota provide career training. Augsburg College, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, North Central University and University of St. Thomas are private four year colleges. Capella University, Minnesota School of Professional Psychology and Walden University are headquartered in Minneapolis and some others including the public four year Metropolitan State University have campuses.[54] Arts and media
Image:Juxtaposition Arts-studio class.jpg Studio class at Juxtaposition Arts Minneapolitans support arts education, twelve large art, cultural, science and historical museums alongside smaller galleries and museums, four large ballet, dance and folkdance companies, filmmakers groups and numerous theater companies.[55] The city publishes updates to the The Minneapolis Plan for Arts and Culture which has produced results such as the formal recognition of the Northeast Arts District.[56] The Minneapolis Institute of Arts built in 1915 in south central Minneapolis is the largest art museum in the city with 100,000 pieces in its permanent collection. A new wing designed by Michael Graves was completed in 2006 for contemporary and modern works and more gallery space.[57] The Walker Art Center near downtown doubled its size with an addition in 2005 by Herzog & de Meuron and is continuing its expansion to fifteen acres with a park designed by Michel Desvigne across the street from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.[58] Frank Gehry's addition to the Weisman Art Museum he designed for the university is expected to open in 2009.[59] The region is second only to New York City in live theater per capita and is the third-largest theater market in the U.S., supporting the Theatre de la Jeune Lune, Illusion, Jungle, Mixed Blood, Penumbra, the Brave New Workshop, Theater Latté Da and the Children's Theatre Company.[60][61] Jean Nouvel designed the Guthrie Theater's new complex on the riverfront.[62] Minneapolis purchased and renovated the Orpheum, State and Pantages Theatre theaters, three historic vaudeville and film houses on Hennepin Avenue now used for concerts and plays.[63] The son of a jazz musician, Prince is Minneapolis's most famous musical progeny. With fellow local musicians, many of whom recorded at Twin/Tone Records,[64] he helped make First Avenue & 7th Street Entry and Minneapolis one of the most important music venues in the U.S.[65] The Minnesota Orchestra plays classical music at Orchestra Hall under music director Osmo Vänskä who has set about making it the best in the country.[66] The Minnesota Opera produces both classic and new operas and moved back to Minneapolis from St. Paul in 1990.[67] Originally a violin school and today teaching jazz, classical, pop and world music in 45 locations, the MacPhail Center for Music is building a new facility near the Mississippi riverfront expected to open in late 2007.[68] Home to the MN Spoken Word Association, the city has garnered notice for rap and hip hop and its spoken word community.[69] Four major newspapers are published in the Minneapolis, the daily Star Tribune, the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder serving the African American community, Finance and Commerce, the official business paper, and the university's Minnesota Daily. The city also supports the City Pages weekly now part of Village Voice Media, the Mpls.St.Paul, Minnesota Monthly, and The Rake monthlies, and Utne magazine.[70] The Loft Literary Center and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts support many of the writers and poets who flourish in the area which is one of the largest U.S. centers for the printing and publishing industries.[70] Listeners support three radio stations, the Minneapolis Public Schools operate one station as does the university, the networks have some affiliates, religious organizations have two stations, and seven radio stations are owned by Clear Channel Communications[71] who is negotiating a private buyout.[72] KSTP-TV, the ABC affiliate located in St. Paul, was the area's first television station. The first to broadcast in color was WCCO-TV, the CBS affiliate.[70] The city also receives FOX, NBC, PBS, UPN and WB affiliates and one independent station.[73] Religion, charity and healthThe Dakota believed in the Great Spirit and were surprised by the lack of religion among European settlers. Over 50 denominations and religions and some well known churches have since been established in Minneapolis. Those who arrived from New England were for the most part Christian Protestants, Quakers and Universalists. The oldest continuously used church in the city, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in the Nicollet Island/East Bank neighborhood was built in 1856 by Universalists and soon afterwards was acquired by French Catholics.[74] The first Jewish congregation formed in 1878 as Shaarai Tov, and after a fire in 1902 built the synagogue Temple Israel in East Isles.[75] The first Russian Orthodox seminary in the U.S. was founded at St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral in 1905.[76] The first basilica built in the country, the Roman Catholic Basilica of Saint Mary near Loring Park was named by Pope Pius XI. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Decision magazine, and World Wide Pictures film and television distribution were headquartered in Minneapolis for about 40 of the years between the late 1940s into the 2000s.[77] Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye met while attending the Pentecostal North Central University and began a television ministry that by the 1980s reached 13.5 million households.[78] Today, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in southwest Minneapolis has 13,000 members and is the largest Lutheran congregation in the world.[79] Philanthropy and charitable giving are part of the community.[80] Catholic Charities is one of the largest providers of social services locally and operates in many locations.[81] The American Refugee Committee helps one million refugees and displaced persons in ten countries in Africa, the Balkans and Asia each year.[82] Although no Minneapolis businesses are top corporate citizens, Business Ethics was based in Minneapolis and was the predecessor of CRO magazine for corporate responsibility officers.[83] The Minneapolis Foundation is the oldest foundation in Minnesota. It invests and administers over 900 charitable funds created by individuals and organizations and connects donors to nonprofits.[84] The metropolitan area gives 13% of its total charitable donations to the arts and culture. The majority of the estimated $1 billion recent expansion of arts facilities was contributed privately.[85] Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the Britton Center for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Children's Hospitals and Clinics, University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, and Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) serve the city. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota is a 75-minute drive away.[86] U.S. News & World Report ranks Abbott, the university and HCMC among the best U.S. hospitals. All three were founded under other names during the 1800s and early 1900s.[87] A public teaching hospital and Level I trauma center, the HCMC safety net sees 350,000 patient visits and 95,000 emergency room visits each year and provides an increasing part of the uncompensated care given in Minnesota, about 18% in 2006.[88] Sports
Minneapolitans are sports fans and participate in all areas of individual, organized, amateur and professional sports. The Twin Cities Marathon run in Minneapolis and St. Paul every October draws 250,000 spectators. The 26.2 mile race is a Boston and USA Olympic Trials qualifier. The organizers sponsor three more races: a Kids Marathon, 1 mile, and 10 mile.[89] Minneapolis is home to more golfers per capita than any major U.S. city. [90] Five golf courses are located within the city limits, with nationally renowned Hazeltine National Golf Club, Bearpath Country Club and Bunker Hills Golf Course located in nearby suburbs. [91] The state of Minnesota has per capita, the nation's most bicyclists, sport fishermen and snow skiers. Hennepin County has the second-most number of horses per capita in the U.S.[60] Scott and Brennan Olson founded (and later sold) Rollerblade in Minneapolis; the company became synonymous with inline skates.[92] Gifted amateur athletes have played in Minneapolis schools, notably starting in the 1920s and 1930s at Central, De La Salle and Marshall high schools. The Golden Gophers of the Univerisity of Minnesota have won national championships in football, baseball and hockey since the 1930s.[93] Professional sports are well-established in Minneapolis. First playing in 1884, the Minneapolis Millers baseball team produced the best won-lost record in their league at the time and fifteen players who were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. During the 1940s the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team, the city's first in the major leagues in any sport, played in and won basketball championships in three leagues before moving to Los Angeles. The American Wrestling Association, formerly the NWA Minneapolis Boxing & Wrestling Club, ran in Minneapolis from 1960 until the 1990s and today is known as AWA Wrestling Entertainment.[94] The Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins arrived in the state in 1961. The Vikings were an expansion team and the Twins were formed when the Washington Senators relocated to Minnesota. Both teams played outdoors in open air Metropolitan Stadium in the suburb of Bloomington for twenty years before moving to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Minnesota Timberwolves brought NBA basketball back to Minneapolis in 1989, followed by the Minnesota Lynx WNBA team in 1999. Today the city boasts major league baseball, American football and basketball teams. The NHL ice hockey team Minnesota Wild and USL-1 soccer team Minnesota Thunder play in St. Paul.[93] The Metrodome downtown is the largest sports stadium in Minnesota. Uncovering the Dome by Amy Klobuchar describes the ten-year effort to build the venue which opened in 1982.[95] The three major tenants are the Vikings, the Minnesota Twins and the Gophers football team. The Metrodome is the only stadium in the country to have hosted a Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, the World Series and NCAA Basketball Men's Final Four.[96] Runners, walkers, inline skaters, coed volleyball teams and touch football teams all have access to "The Dome." Events from sports to concerts, community activities, religious activities and trade shows are held more than 300 days per year, making the facility one of the most versatile stadiums in the world.[97][98]
TransportationMany residents drive cars but 60% of the 160,000 workers downtown commute by means other than a single person per auto.[99] Commuters who use alternatives are guaranteed a ride home through Metro Transit who operates the light rail system and most of the city's buses.[100][99] One of the busiest in the U.S., the Hiawatha Line LRT serves 34,000 riders daily and connects the airport and Mall of America to downtown.[101] The planned Central Corridor LRT will connect downtown with the University of Minnesota and downtown St. Paul via University Avenue.[102] Seven miles (11 km) of of enclosed pedestrian bridges called skyways link 80 city blocks downtown. Second floor restaurants and retailers connected to these passageways are open weekdays.[103] Image:Skyway system map-Minneapolis-2005-09-27.jpg Skyway system downtown The taxicab ordinance requires 10% wheelchair accessibility by 2009 and some use of alternative fuel or fuel efficient vehicles. Starting in 2011 the city's limit of 343 taxis will be lifted and in the interim 45 additional taxis can be licensed per year.[104] 10,000 cyclists use the bike lanes in the city each day, and many ride in the winter. The Public Works Department expanded the bicycle trail system from the Grand Rounds to 56 miles (90 km) of off-street commuter trails including the Midtown Greenway, the Light Rail Trail, Kenilworth Trail, Cedar Lake Trail and the West River Parkway Trail along the Mississippi. The city encourages cycling and provides online bicycle maps.[105] Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is to the southeast off Minnesota State Highway 5. The airport has three international, twelve domestic, seven charter and four regional carriers[106] and is a hub and home base for Northwest Airlines, Mesaba Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and Champion Air.[107] Passenger trains through the city disappeared but Amtrak's Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle stops once daily in each direction at Midway Station in St. Paul.[108] For 2009, the Metropolitan Council plans the Northstar Corridor between downtown and Big Lake, Minnesota on existing railroad tracks, and projects that 5,000 commuters will ride daily.[109] Old rail lines and bridges within the city such as the Stone Arch Bridge have been converted for bicycles and pedestrians.[110] Consulates and sister citiesCanada and Norway have permanent consulates in Minneapolis. Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Korea, The Netherlands, Romania and Sweden have honorary consuls.[111] The Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network calls Minneapolis a gamma world city.[112] Citizens maintain international connections with eight sister cities:[113]
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