Minneapolis is more progressive, energetic and cosmopolitan while St. Paul is the smaller, quieter and more traditional of the two. According to one source, the area has more theaters, dance companies, and classical concerts per capita than any city outside of New York. Because Minneapolis-St. Paul is not a tourist destination, the local population enjoys these amenities almost exclusively.
For those not interested in the arts and downtown scene, there is still plenty to do. Sports are a big attraction—the city has a full assortment of major- and minor-league sports teams. On the south side of Minneapolis in Bloomington, the Mall of America—with stores—is the largest mall in the U. Such indoor facilities are particularly attractive given the winter climate. Summer recreation includes outdoor activities on the many surrounding lakes and wildlife viewing.
Winter-sports enthusiasts enjoy ice skating and hockey, snowmobiling, and cross-country and downhill skiing at nearby facilities. For those wishing to get away, air service is excellent, although the dominance of Northwest Airlines can mean higher fares. The downtown area is surrounded by a patchwork of residential and commercial neighborhoods which are on the whole more attractive than most other cities of the size.
Some of the better suburbs lie south and west of Minneapolis. The more upscale Edina and Eden Prairie are comfortable and well planned. Bloomington and Richfield are more middle class with substantial commercial and retail development. Large super-suburbs, including Lakeville and Apple Valley across the Minnesota River to the south, offer excellent family settings.
Farther west, Minnetonka, the small upscale lakefront Wayzata, and the booming Maple Grove to the northwest offer an excellent set of residential choices, with considerable employment nearby. Commutes are busy and getting busier, but the variety of neighborhoods and location of commercial and industrial areas makes it possible for residents to choose their commute. Not to leave St. Paul out, Woodbury, Maplewood, and White Bear Lake are excellent suburbs; each with its own collection of quality employment in commercial areas nearby.
Cost of living has traditionally been high by national, and particularly regional, standards, but the rest of the nation is catching up. That said, the more expensive areas are far more expensive especially on a Midwest scale, and Minnesota taxes are relatively high compared to other states.
For those willing to wear warm clothes and sacrifice a little financially, the Twin Cities have a lot to offer. Terrain around the Twin Cities is flat or gently rolling, with a mix of open and densely wooded areas. Dotting the surrounding landscape are numerous lakes, the largest being Lake Minnetonka, 15 miles west. Most lakes are relatively small and shallow and freeze in winter. The climate is northern continental with seasonal temperatures varying from —30 degrees or lower to over degrees.
The area is near the northern edge of the influx of Gulf of Mexico moisture. Summers can be warm and humid, but are usually pleasant. Winters are cold, with days ranging from cloudy near freezing to clear, bitter cold, and windy. The area averages 34 nights per year below zero, far more than any other large American city.
There's no denying that Minnesota has seen a craft beer boom, and some of the best breweries are right here in Minneapolis.
There are dozens of taprooms to try; some of the favorites include Dangerous Man Brewing Co. Our brewers did quite well this year at the World Beer Cup. Insight's 'Sunken City' took home a bronze medal for the Belgian-style fruit beer category and Bauhaus Brew Labs' 'Wonderstuff' was awarded bronze in the International-style lager category. While we're on the topic of beverages, let's not forget the coffee. Minneapolis was recognized as the 3rd best city for coffee lovers earlier this year.
The Midwest may have a reputation for deep-fried-everything at the state fair, but Minneapolitans don't let these tasty temptations outweigh a healthy lifestyle. In fact, Minneapolis was ranked the 2nd fittest city in the nation in and holds the 8th spot of the list of cities where you will live the longest! According to Runner's World magazine, Minneapolis is the 7th best city for runners in Forbes took a look at the contributing factors to Minneapolis' overall great health and reported that, aside from being one of the earliest metro cities to begin developing bike paths and trails, Minneapolis was also one of the first cities to ban smoking in public areas.
Compared to other American cities, we're less likely to have diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and asthma. Our good health is reflected in many areas of Minneapolis life; we're also ranked the 7th best city for nurses and the 4th best city for your skin We may be smack-dab in the middle of the country, but that doesn't mean we don't have a diverse background.
Minneapolis has become a cultural melting pot and the city has the largest Somali population and the only Somali Cultural Museum in the country. Cultural celebrations like the Ceremonia Chalchiuhtlicue shown here and many others happen throughout the year.
Our famous Sculpture Garden is an obvious expression of our love of art, but we have tons of epic galleries that bring vibrant colors to our community. The Minneapolis Institute of Art has one of the most comprehensive collections in the world - it includes more than 89, pieces that span 20, years of history, including everything from classical painters to early human artifacts to modern art masterpieces.
Minneapolis knows how to party, and we have some epic celebrations. Not only have we been rated in the "Top 20 Most Fun Cities" in the country, but Minneapolis has also been named the 2nd best place to celebrate the 4th of July, the 4th best place to celebrate Oktoberfest, and the 12th best spot for New Year's Eve. Our lovely state has the 10th best school system in the nation and Minneapolis shines as the 15th most educated city in America.
The state is also the 4th best for teachers and the University of Minnesota has helped us climb the list to the 6th place spot on the list of "best large college cities. Minneapolis consistently has one of the highest literacy rates in the country. We climbed from the 3rd most literate city in to the 1 top spot in , according to USA Today's annual survey and St. Paul is the headquarters for 19 Fortune companies—more than any other metro its size—spanning retail Target , health care UnitedHealth , and food General Mills.
Among all college-educated workers, Minneapolis also had the second-lowest outflow. Why is that? And how has the city stayed so affordable despite its wealth and success? The answers appear to involve a highly unusual approach to regional governance, one that encourages high-income communities to share not only their tax revenues but also their real estate with the lower and middle classes.
In the s, local districts and towns in the Twin Cities region offered competing tax breaks to lure in new businesses, diminishing their revenues and depleting their social services in an effort to steal jobs from elsewhere within the area. In , the region came up with an ingenious plan that would help halt this race to the bottom, and also address widening inequality. Paul and throughout their ring of suburbs—to contribute almost half of the growth in their commercial tax revenues to a regional pool, from which the money would be distributed to tax-poor areas.
By spreading the wealth to its poorest neighborhoods, the metro area provides more-equal services in low-income places, and keeps quality of life high just about everywhere. For decades, Minneapolis was also unusually successful at preventing ghettos from congealing. While many large American cities concentrated their low-income housing in certain districts or neighborhoods during the 20th century, sometimes blocking poor residents from the best available jobs, Minnesota passed a law in requiring all local governments to plan for their fair share of affordable housing.
The Twin Cities enforced this rule vigorously, compelling the construction of low-income housing throughout the fastest-growing suburbs. But the fiscal-equalization plan has proved durable. This, in turn, has nurtured a deep bench of and something managers, who support the growth of large companies, and whose taxes flow to poorer neighborhoods, where families have relatively good odds of moving into the middle class.
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