Minneapolis voted one of America’s “coolest†cities with or without snow!
According to Kiplinger’s magazine, Minneapolis is one of "7 Cool Cities" in America. Minneapolis is the most fun city in the nation, the most literate city in the country and third on the list of Esquire magazine's "Cities that rock." These are just a few of the distinctions that Minneapolis has earned recently. Minneapolis has also been voted the top city for technology, the best city to get a good night’s sleep and one of the best places to start or jump start a business. Add to these accolades the culture, the incredible natural beauty of the area and the country’s largest enclosed mall and Minneapolis is a dream location for visitors and residents alike.
Minneapolis had its beginnings on the Mississippi River, on land the Sioux and Ojibwe Indian people long called home. Around 1680, a priest named Father Louis Hennepin christened scenic St. Anthony Falls, which would eventually provide the city’s industrial power. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the construction of Fort Snelling in the 1820s ushered more Europeans into the region for trading, trapping and settlement including many Scandinavians who have had a deep and lasting impact on the city’s history and culture. Tourists and artists flocked to St. Anthony, the only waterfall on the river, which was spanned in 1883 by a landmark stone arch bridge that still remains today.
The famous waterfall soon fueled the lucrative flour milling industry and from the 1880s to the 1930s, flour production made Minneapolis the milling capital of the world, becoming home for corporate giants such as Cargill, General Mills and Pillsbury. A progressive city claiming many commercial, political, medical and cultural firsts, Minneapolis has one of the most stable economies in the country, and is home to global leaders Target Corp., Northwest Airlines, Best Buy and 3M putting Minneapolis on the global map for a long time to come. And that’s very cool.
Fast Facts
- Population: 382,618
- Median Household Income: $37,974
- Per Capita Income: $22,685
- Latitude: 44.98 North
- Longitude: 93.263 West
- Minneapolis is on Central Standard Time Zone and observes Daylight Savings Time.
- Travel and Transportation: Travel to and from Minneapolis is easy via the network of interstate highways including: Interstate 90, Interstate 94, Interstate 39, Interstate 35, Interstate 235, Interstate 229. Bus and train transportation is available through the Metro Transit, Light Rail Transit and Amtrak. Air travel is accessible via the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport.