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Minneapolis–Saint Paul

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Minneapolis–Saint Paul
  • Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI
  • Metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
Minneapolis (top) and Saint Paul (bottom)
Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan statistical area (Met Council counties in red)
Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan statistical area (Met Council counties in red)
CountryUnited States
StatesMinnesota and Wisconsin
Principal citiesMinneapolis, Saint Paul
Area
 • Urban
1,021.8 sq mi (2,646 km2)
 • Metro
8,120 sq mi (21,000 km2)
Highest elevation
1,376 ft (419 m)
Lowest elevation
660 ft (200 m)
Population
 (2020[1])
 • Urban
2,650,890 (16th)
 • Urban density2,594.3/sq mi (1,001.7/km2)
 • MSA
3,690,261 (16th)
 • CSA
4,078,788 (16th)
 
  • MSA/CSA: 2020
  • Urban: 2018
GDP
[2]
 • MSA$350.710 billion (2023)
Time zoneUTC−6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Area codes320, 507, 612, 651, 715/534, 763, 952

Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a major metropolitan area built around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix rivers in east central Minnesota.[3] The area is commonly known as the Twin Cities after its two largest cities, Minneapolis, the state's most populous city, and its neighbor to the east, Saint Paul, the capital.[4] Minnesotans often refer to the two together (or the metro area collectively) as "the Cities."[4][5] It is the third-largest metropolitan area in the Midwest and the 16th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S.

Minneapolis and Saint Paul are independent municipalities with defined borders. Minneapolis is mostly west of the Mississippi River and is somewhat more modern, with a relatively young downtown and trendy uptown. Saint Paul, which is mostly east of the river, has been likened to an East Coast city, with quaint neighborhoods and many well-preserved houses with late-Victorian architecture.[6] The cities' distinct cultures led an observer to say, "St. Paul is the last city of the East; Minneapolis the first city of the West."[7]

Originally inhabited by Ojibwe and Dakota people, the area was settled by many European groups. Minneapolis was influenced by early Scandinavian and Lutheran settlers, while Saint Paul was settled predominantly by French, Irish, and German Catholic communities. Today, the cities are home to large immigrant communities, including Somali, Hmong, and Oromo groups.

"Twin Cities" is sometimes used to refer to the seven-county region governed by the Metropolitan Council regional governmental agency and planning organization. The Office of Management and Budget designates 15 counties as the "Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area".[8] It had a population of 3,690,261 at the 2020 census. The larger 21-county Minneapolis–St. Paul MN–WI Combined Statistical Area, the nation's 16th-largest combined statistical area, had a population of 4,078,788 at the 2020 census.

History

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St. Croix River in Stillwater
St. Paul with barges on the Mississippi River, the Capitol dome, and Minneapolis's skyline in the far background (right of St. Paul). In the lower right is a typical 19th century home in Indian Mounds Park.

European settlement

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The first European settlement in the region was near what is now the town of Stillwater, Minnesota, about 20 miles (30 km) from downtown Saint Paul and on the western bank of the St. Croix River, which forms the border of central Minnesota and Wisconsin. Another settlement that fueled early interest in the area was the outpost at Fort Snelling, which was constructed from 1820 to 1825 at the confluence of the Minnesota River and the Mississippi River.[9]

The Fort Snelling military reservation bordered both sides of the river up to Saint Anthony Falls. The town of Saint Anthony grew just outside the reservation on the river's east side. For several years, the only European resident to live on the west bank of the river was Colonel John H. Stevens, who operated a ferry service across the river. When the military reservation was reduced in size, settlers quickly moved to the land, creating the new village of Minneapolis. The town grew, with Minneapolis and Saint Anthony eventually merging.[10] On the eastern side of the Mississippi, a few villages such as Pig's Eye and Lambert's Landing grew to become Saint Paul.[11]

2025-2026

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Operation Metro Surge, a Department of Homeland Security operation involving the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Customs and Border Protection, began in December 2025, focused on detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants.[12] Initially targeting Minneapolis and Saint Paul,[12] between 2,000 and 3,000 agents deployed in the state.[13] Grassroots activists took trainings to observe and record ICE actions.[14] In January 2026, ICE officers killed Renée Good in Minneapolis; later in the month, Border Patrol agents killed Alex Pretti.[15][16] Tens of thousands engaged in mostly peaceful protests.[17] Legal challenges were filed to stop the large-scale deployment of ICE agents.[18]

Following the events of Operation Metro Surge, the people of the Twin Cities received a Profile in Courage Award for their efforts to defend the human rights of their neighbors and immigrant communities. Imam Yusuf Abdulle, Natalie Ehret, Carolina Ortiz, and Zena Stenvik represented the people of the Twin Cities during the award ceremony, held in Boston on May 31, 2026.[19]

Geography

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Natural geography played a role in the two cities' settlement and development. The Mississippi River Valley in the area is defined by a series of stone bluffs that line the river. Saint Paul grew up around Lambert's Landing, the last place to unload boats coming upriver at an easily accessible point, seven miles (11 km) downstream from Saint Anthony Falls, the geographic feature that, due to the value of its immense water power for industry, defined Minneapolis's location and its prominence as the Mill City. The falls can be seen from the Mill City Museum, housed in the former Washburn "A" Mill, which was among the world's largest mills in its time. The phrase "St. Paul is the last city of the East, Minneapolis the first city of the West" alludes to the historical difference.[20]

Farming

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Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Mississippi River upstream from the Minnesota River

The state's oldest farms are in Washington County. The county borders the St. Croix River and Wisconsin on the eastern side of the metropolitan area. Joseph Haskell was Minnesota's first white farmer, harvesting the first crops in the state in 1840 on what is now part of Afton Township on Trading Post Trail.[21]

Grand Excursion

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The Grand Excursion, a trip into the Upper Midwest sponsored by the Rock Island Railroad, brought more than a thousand curious travelers into the area by rail and steamboat in 1854. In 1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published The Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem based on the Ojibwe legends of Hiawatha. A number of natural area landmarks appear in the story, including Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha Falls. Tourists inspired by the coverage of the Grand Excursion in eastern newspapers and those who read The Song of Hiawatha flocked to the area in the following decades.

Rail transport

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At one time, the region had numerous passenger rail services, including both interurban streetcar systems and interstate rail. Due to the river's width at points farther south, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area was briefly one of the few places where the Mississippi could be crossed by railroad. Much commercial rail traffic also ran through the area, often carrying grain to be processed at Minneapolis mills or delivering other goods to Saint Paul to be transported along the Mississippi. Saint Paul was long at the head of navigation on the river, until a lock and dam facility was added upriver in Minneapolis.

Passenger travel hit its peak in 1888, with nearly eight million traversing to and from Saint Paul Union Depot.[citation needed] This amounted to approximately 150 trains daily. Soon, other rail crossings were built farther south and travel through the region began to decline. In an effort by the rail companies to combat the rise of the automobile, some of the earliest streamliners ran from Chicago to Minneapolis/Saint Paul and eventually served distant points in the Pacific Northwest. Today, this interstate service is served by Amtrak's Seattle/Portland-to-Chicago Empire Builder route, running once daily in each direction, and supplemented by the Borealis route to Chicago. The Empire Builder is named after James J. Hill, a railroad tycoon who settled on Summit Avenue in Saint Paul in what is now known as the James J. Hill House.

Socioeconomic history

[edit]

Like many northern cities that came of age during the Industrial Revolution, Minneapolis and St. Paul experienced shifts in their economic base as heavy industry and manufacturing jobs shifted to the South or abroad, especially in the 1960s and 1970s. With the economic nadir of those decades came a population decline in the central city areas, white flight to suburbs,[22] and, in 1967, race riots on Minneapolis's North Side.[23] But by the 1980s and 1990s, Minneapolis and Saint Paul were often cited as former Rust Belt cities that had made successful transitions to service, high-technology, finance, and information economies.[24]

In May and June 2020, the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area became a focus of international attention after MPD officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for almost ten minutes. The murder sparked local, nationwide and international protests against racism and police brutality, bringing considerable attention to the MPD.[25] Minneapolis–Saint Paul was the site of the second-costliest act of civil disobedience in U.S. history, after the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.[26] Local protests and riots caused an estimated $550 million in damages[27] and affected around 1,600 businesses.[28]

Rivalry

[edit]

Minneapolis and Saint Paul have competed since they were founded, resulting in some duplication of effort.[29] After Saint Paul completed its elaborate cathedral in 1915, Minneapolis followed up with the equally ornate Basilica of St. Mary in 1926. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the rivalry became so intense that an architect practicing in one city was often refused business in the other. The 1890 United States census even led to the two cities arresting and/or kidnapping each other's census takers, in an attempt to keep each city from outgrowing the other.[30][31][32]

The rivalry occasionally erupted into inter-city violence, as at a 1929 game between the Minneapolis Millers and the St. Paul Saints, both baseball teams of the American Association.[33] In the 1950s, both cities competed for a major league baseball franchise (which resulted in two rival stadiums being built), and there was a brief period in the mid-1960s when the two cities could not agree on a common calendar for daylight saving time, resulting in a few weeks when people in Minneapolis were one hour "behind" those in Saint Paul.[34]

The cities' mutual antagonism was largely healed by the end of the 1960s, aided by the simultaneous arrival in 1961 of the Minnesota Twins of the American League and the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, both of which identified themselves with the state as a whole (the former explicitly named for both Twin Cities) rather than either city (like the earlier Minneapolis Lakers). Since 1961, it has been common practice for any major sports team based in the Twin Cities to be named for Minnesota as a whole. In terms of development, the two cities remain distinct in their progress, with Minneapolis absorbing new and avant-garde architecture while Saint Paul continues to carefully integrate new buildings into the context of classical and Victorian styles.[29]

Geology

[edit]

Like much of Minnesota, the Twin Cities area was shaped by water and ice over millions of years. The area's land sits atop thick layers of sandstone and limestone laid down as seas encroached upon and receded from the region. Erosion caused natural caves to develop, which were expanded into mines when white settlers came to the area. During Prohibition, at least one speakeasy was built into these hidden spaces—eventually refurbished as Saint Paul's Wabasha Street Caves.

Lakes across the area were formed and altered by the movement of glaciers. This left many bodies of water in the region, some with unusual shapes. For example, Lake Minnetonka, toward the western side of the Twin Cities, consists of a complex arrangement of channels and large bays. Elevations in the area range from 1,376 feet (419 m) above sea level in the northwest metro to 666 feet (203 m) at the edge of the Mississippi River in the southeast.

Bald eagle in Burnsville

Climate

[edit]
August swimming at Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, Waite Park near St. Cloud

Owing to their northerly latitude and inland location, the Twin Cities experience the coldest climate of any major metropolitan area in the United States.[35] But due to their southern location in the state and the urban heat island, the Twin Cities are among Minnesota's warmest places.[36] The average annual temperature recorded at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport is 45.4 °F (7.4 °C); 3.5 °F (1.9 °C) colder than Winona, Minnesota, and 8.8 °F (4.9 °C) warmer than Roseau, Minnesota.[37] Monthly average daily high temperatures range from 21.9 °F (−5.6 °C) in January to 83.3 °F (28.5 °C) in July; the average daily minimum temperatures for those months are 4.3 °F (−15.4 °C) and 63.0 °F (17.2 °C) respectively.[38]

Viewing the Saint Paul Winter Carnival parade in January.

Minimum temperatures of 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower are seen on an average of 29.7 days per year, and 76.2 days do not have a maximum temperature exceeding the freezing point. Temperatures above 90 °F (32 °C) occur an average of 15 times per year. Higher temperatures at or above 100 °F (38 °C) are recorded once every 4–5 years on average, and sometimes more than one day during a single summer.[39] The lowest temperature ever reported at the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport was −34 °F (−37 °C) on January 22, 1936; the highest, 108 °F (42 °C), was reported on July 14 of the same year.[40] Early settlement records at Fort Snelling show temperatures as low as −42 °F (−41 °C). Recent records include −40 °F (−40 °C) at Vadnais Lake on February 2, 1996 (National Climatic Data Center).

Precipitation averages 29.41 inches (747 mm) per year, and is most plentiful in June (4.34 inches (110 mm)) and least so in February (0.79 inches (20 mm)). The greatest one-day rainfall amount was 9.15 inches (232 mm), reported on July 23, 1987. The cities' record for lowest annual precipitation was set in 1910, when 11.54 inches (293 mm) fell throughout the year; coincidentally, the opposite record of 40.15 inches (1,020 mm) was set the next year.[41] At an annual average of 56.3 inches (143 cm), snowfall is generally abundant.[42]

The Twin Cities area takes the brunt of many types of extreme weather, including high-speed straight-line winds, tornadoes, flash floods, drought, heat, bitter cold, and blizzards. The costliest weather disaster in Twin Cities history was a derecho event on May 15, 1998. Hail and wind damage exceeded $950 million, much of it in the Twin Cities.[43] Other memorable Twin Cities weather-related events include the tornado outbreak on May 6, 1965, the Armistice Day Blizzard on November 11, 1940, and the Halloween Blizzard of 1991. In January 2019, Minnesota experienced its coldest temperatures since 1996, when a polar vortex dropped temperatures as low as −56 °F (−49 °C) in Cotton, Minnesota, with wind-chill temperatures lower than −60 °F (−51 °C) in much of the state. These temperatures are colder than those found on the surface of Mars. (See: Department of Natural Resources - Cold Outbreak: January 27-31, 2019)

A normal growing season in the metro extends from late April or early May through the month of October.[44] The USDA places the area in the 4a plant hardiness zone.[45]

Communities

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Metropolitan Statistical Area

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The Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington, MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, or Twin Cities, includes 15 counties, of which 13 are in Minnesota and two in Wisconsin. The Minnesota portion accounts for almost two-thirds of Minnesota's population.

Note: Counties that are bolded are under jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Council. Le Sueur and Mille Lacs Counties were added to the MSA when the Office of Management and Budget revised its delineations of metropolitan statistical areas in 2013.[46][47] Sibley County was included in the metropolitan statistical area from 2013 to 2018.[48]

Map of the 21 counties of the Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI Combined Statistical Area as of 2018.
  MSA counties under the Metropolitan Council
  Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MSA counties defined by the Census as "central"
  Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MSA counties defined by the Census as "outlying"
  Counties included in the St. Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area
  Counties that are separate Micropolitan Statistical Areas
County Seat 2025 estimate 2020 census Change Area Density
Hennepin Minneapolis 1,284,7841,281,565+0.25% 607 sq mi (1,570 km2) 2,117/sq mi (817/km2)
Ramsey Saint Paul 541,623552,352−1.94% 170 sq mi (440 km2) 3,186/sq mi (1,230/km2)
Dakota Hastings 457,710439,882+4.05% 587 sq mi (1,520 km2) 780/sq mi (301/km2)
Anoka Anoka 381,605363,887+4.87% 446 sq mi (1,160 km2) 856/sq mi (330/km2)
Washington Stillwater 286,895267,568+7.22% 423 sq mi (1,100 km2) 678/sq mi (262/km2)
Scott Shakopee 159,017150,928+5.36% 365 sq mi (950 km2) 436/sq mi (168/km2)
Wright Buffalo 157,559141,337+11.48% 714 sq mi (1,850 km2) 221/sq mi (85/km2)
Carver Chaska 114,379106,922+6.97% 376 sq mi (970 km2) 304/sq mi (117/km2)
Sherburne Elk River 104,19497,183+7.21% 451 sq mi (1,170 km2) 231/sq mi (89/km2)
St. Croix, WI Hudson 98,27693,536+5.07% 736 sq mi (1,910 km2) 134/sq mi (52/km2)
Chisago Center City 59,14256,621+4.45% 442 sq mi (1,140 km2) 134/sq mi (52/km2)
Isanti Cambridge 44,38641,135+7.90% 452 sq mi (1,170 km2) 98/sq mi (38/km2)
Pierce, WI Ellsworth 43,51942,212+3.10% 592 sq mi (1,530 km2) 74/sq mi (28/km2)
Le Sueur Le Center 29,45328,674+2.72% 449 sq mi (1,160 km2) 66/sq mi (25/km2)
Mille Lacs Milaca 27,75326,459+4.89% 682 sq mi (1,770 km2) 41/sq mi (16/km2)
Total 3,790,2953,690,261+2.71% 8,093 sq mi (20,960 km2) 468/sq mi (181/km2)

Combined Statistical Area

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The Minneapolis–St. Paul, MN–WI Combined Statistical Area is made up of 19 counties in Minnesota and two counties in Wisconsin. The statistical area includes two metropolitan areas and four micropolitan areas. In 2018, the Owatonna Micropolitan Statistical Area was added to the CSA.[49]

Statistical Area 2025 Estimate 2020 Census Change Area Density
Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington MN–WI Metropolitan Statistical Area 3,790,2953,690,261+2.71% 8,093 sq mi (20,960 km2) 468/sq mi (181/km2)
St. Cloud, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area (Stearns and Benton counties) 205,854199,801+3.03% 1,803 sq mi (4,670 km2) 114/sq mi (44/km2)
Faribault-Northfield, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (Rice County) 69,93967,097+4.24% 516 sq mi (1,340 km2) 136/sq mi (52/km2)
Red Wing, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (Goodhue County) 48,19547,582+1.29% 780 sq mi (2,000 km2) 62/sq mi (24/km2)
Owatonna, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (Steele County) 37,46437,406+0.16% 432 sq mi (1,120 km2) 87/sq mi (33/km2)
Hutchinson, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (McLeod County) 36,63136,771−0.38% 506 sq mi (1,310 km2) 72/sq mi (28/km2)
Total 4,188,3784,078,788+2.69% 12,130 sq mi (31,400 km2) 345/sq mi (133/km2)

Cities and suburbs

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There are approximately 218 incorporated municipalities in the Twin Cities metropolitan region. This includes census-designated places (CDPs) and villages in Wisconsin, but excludes unincorporated towns in Wisconsin, known as civil townships in other states. The below categories are based on United States Census Bureau 2025 population estimates.[50] No population estimates are released for CDPs, which are marked with an asterisk (*) and categorized based on their 2020 Census population. Places designated "principal cities" by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget are italicized.[8]

Places with more than 100,000 inhabitants

Places with 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

Places with 25,000 to 49,999 inhabitants

Places with 10,000 to 24,999 inhabitants

Places with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants

Culture

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