Minneapolis

Minneapolis is a large city in Minnesota next to St. Paul. St. Paul and Minneapolis are called the Twin Cities because they are right next to each other. Minneapolis is the biggest city in Minnesota with about 392,000 people. People who live here enjoy the lakes, parks, and river. The Mississippi River runs through the city.

Minneapolis, Minnesota
City
City of Minneapolis
Clockwise from top: Downtown Minneapolis, Downtown East from the Stone Arch Bridge, TCF Bank Stadium, the Guthrie Theater, Minnehaha Falls, and First Avenue nightclub.
Flag Seal
Etymology: Dakota word mni (water) with Greek polis (city)
Nickname(s):  "City of Lakes", "Mill City", "Twin Cities" (a nickname shared with Saint Paul), "Mini Apple"
Motto(s):  En Avant (French: 'Forward')
Location within Hennepin County
Minneapolis Location within Minnesota Minneapolis Location within the United States Minneapolis Minneapolis (North America)
Coordinates: 44°58′55″N 93°16′09″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
County	Hennepin
Incorporated	1867
Founded by	John H. Stevens and Franklin Steele
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Body	Minneapolis City Council
• Mayor	Jacob Frey (DFL)
• Council President (DFL)	Lisa Bender
Area
• City	57.49 sq mi (148.89 km2)
• Land	54.00 sq mi (139.86 km2)
• Water	3.49 sq mi (9.03 km2)
Elevation	830 ft (264 m)
Population  (2010)
• City	382,578
• Estimate  (2019)	429,606
• Rank	US: 46th MN: 1st
• Density	7,820.80/sq mi (3,019.64/km2)
• Metro	3,629,190 (US: 16th)
• CSA	4,014,593 (US: 16th)
Demonym(s)	Minneapolitan
Time zone	UTC–6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC–5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	55401–55488 (range includes some ZIP Codes for Minneapolis suburbs)
Area code(s)	612
FIPS code	27-43000
Major airport	Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport
Interstates
U.S. Routes
Public transportation	Metro Transit
Website	www.minneapolismn.gov

History

We know the American Indians first lived in Minneapolis around Lake Calhoun and St. Anthony Falls waterfall. They are called the Dakota or Ojibwe. They thought St. Anthony Falls was a spiritual place. Dakota hunted, fished, and planted food. The United States wanted the land in 1800 and bought it with the Louisiana Purchase. The army built Fort Snelling. Soon, people from the East Coast or "Yankees" came to Minneapolis. They used the waterfall for their flour mills. They named the new city Minneapolis. It comes from the Dakota (American Indian) words for "waterfall" or Minne ha-ha and the Greek word for "city" or polis. Thus Minneapolis means "City of Waters." A nearby city called St. Anthony then joined with Minneapolis. The first mayor was Dorilus Morrison.

Land and weather

Minneapolis is flat near the river and hilly away from it. The city is also in the middle of the country. The weather is like many places in America with hot summers and cold winters. The winter is very long, very cold, and there is almost no spring. Summers are humid, meaning a lot of water is in the air, so it feels very muggy. Mosquitos are frequent in the city.

People

Some people say that Minneapolis residents are "Minnesota Nice." That means that they are generally more polite than other people. Most residents of Minneapolis live in houses and apartments, and some now live in tall buildings called condos. Kids and parents work and play in the city. Many different people make up what is Minneapolis today. After the Dakota Indian were people from Britain, French Canada, and Spanish Mexico. They were followed by Scandinavians who are from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Soon people from almost all parts of the world started arriving including East Europe, Russia, and Asia. Today the newcomers are from East Africa (Somali) and Southeast Asia (Hmong). Once Minneapolis was even larger than it is today with 520,000 people. But many people moved away to suburbs using new highways.

Work and shopping

Lots of big companies are in Downtown in tall skyscraper buildings. These include lawyers, doctors and people in banks. They work near Nicollet Mall where there are restaurants and shops. Minneapolis also has neighborhoods. People there work in small stores too, like barber, grocery, hardware, and coffee shop. Anyone in Minneapolis can get internet to their laptop too.

Theatre and art

There are lots of art and shows in the city. The biggest theater is the Guthrie Theater, and the Children's Theatre Company puts on productions directed at younger audiences. There are also art museums, such as the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center.

Sports

Minneapolis hosts lots of sport teams for the state. The Minnesota Vikings play at US Bank Stadium. The Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Nearby is the Target Center where the Minnesota Timberwolves play.