Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Minneapolis, Minnesota
Flag Seal
Nickname: "City of Lakes"
Motto: En Avant
Location in Hennepin County and the state of Minnesota.
Coordinates: 44°58′48.36″N, 93°15′6.72″W
Country	United States
State	Minnesota
Counties	Hennepin
- Mayor	R.T. Rybak (DFL)
Area
- City	151.3 km²
- Land	142.2 km²
- Water	9.1 km²
Elevation	264 m
Population (2000)
- City	382,618
- Density	2,691.4/km² (6,969/sq mi)
- Metro	2,968,805
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Website: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/

This article is about the city in Minnesota in the United States. Two other US cities are named Minneapolis: Minneapolis, Kansas and Minneapolis, North Carolina. See also Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Minneapolis (pronounced [ˌmɪniˈæpəlɪs]) is the largest city in the state of Minnesota in the United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. Minneapolis sits on both banks of the Mississippi River and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital and second-largest city. Together they form the core of the Twin Cities metropolitan area, the 16th-largest^[1] agglomeration in the country, with about three million residents, with Minneapolis itself ranked the country's 48th largest city.

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,^[2] Minneapolis was ranked a Top Tech City by Popular Science^[3] and is a gamma world city. In part in its role as county seat, the city has worked toward the health and welfare of all residents including the least fortunate.^[4]

A diverse population committed to the arts and theater, the city is host to a vibrant nightlife and one of the music capitals of the US. Over nine hundred small lakes in the metropolitan area are now part of a renowned public park system that is used for walking and running, gatherings, cycling and water sports. During the 1990s, Minneapolis overturned a fifty year economic slump and reversed a crime wave.^[5] Commerce from small business to Fortune 500 companies, amateur and professional sports, respected schools and provocative architecture draw conventions and tourists as well as new residents.^[6]

Contents 1 Name and history 2 Geography 3 Climate 4 Demographics and people 5 Crime 6 Economy 7 Law and government 8 Education 9 Sports 10 Arts 11 Minneapolis in popular culture 12 Infrastructure 13 See also 14 Notes 15 References 16 External links

[edit] Name and history

Once the global center of the timber milling industry and later the grain milling industry, Minneapolis is known as the City of Lakes and the Mill City. Residents are called Minneapolitans. The traditional postal abbreviation is Mpls. The airport code is MSP. Early on the community tried several names, rejecting Albion, All Saints, Lowell, Brooklyn, Addiseville and Winona. The twenty four small lakes that are now within the city limits led Charles Hoag, Minneapolis's first schoolmaster, to suggest Minnehapolis, derived from Minnehaha and mni, the Dakota word for water,^[7] and polis, the Greek word for city.^[8]

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. Dakota Sioux were the sole residents of the region until the French explorer Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut and Louis Hennepin, a Catholic priest and missionary also from France, arrived independently in about 1680. The city's land was acquired by the United States in a series of treaties and purchases negotiated with the Mdewakanton band of the Dakota and separately with European nations. England claimed the land east of the Mississippi and, France, then Spain, and again France claimed the land west of the river. In 1787 land on the east side of the river became part of the Northwest Territory and in 1803 the west side became part of the Louisiana Purchase, both claimed by the United States. The Dakota were hunters and gatherers and soon found themselves in debt to fur traders. Pressed by a whooping cough outbreak, loss of buffalo, deer and bear, and loss of forests to logging, in 1851 in the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, the Mdewakanton sold the land west of the river and ceded the east side, allowing settlement in 1852. The Minnesota Territorial Legislature recognized Saint Anthony as a town in 1855 and Minneapolis in 1856. Boundaries were changed and Minneapolis again incorporated in 1867. Minneapolis and Saint Anthony joined in 1872.^[8]

Nearby Fort Snelling spurred the growth of villages and towns in the area. A lumber mill was built on the falls in 1822 to supply the fort. In the 1840s, settlers were not allowed to stay on land controlled by the military without special permission, so the first settlement near the falls, St. Anthony, grew on the northeast side of the river, just outside of the fort's jurisdiction. The first person authorized to live on the river's west bank was Colonel John H. Stevens, who operated a ferry service starting around 1850. A few years later, the amount of land controlled by the fort was reduced with an order from U.S. President Millard Fillmore, and free settlement followed. The village of Minneapolis soon sprung up on the southwest bank of the river.

In 1862, the St. Paul and Pacific Railways connected Saint Paul and Saint Anthony. Rail service between Minneapolis and Chicago began in 1867.^[9] Minneapolis grew quickly during and after the Civil War and became a city in 1867. Outstripping the growth of its neighbor, the city merged with St. Anthony five years later in 1872. Following an initial burst of activity in the lumber industry, the city's economy developed around the processing of grain from the Great Plains by companies such as General Mills, Pillsbury and Cargill. In its heyday known as the "milling capital of the world," Minneapolis was the leading producer of grain in the world until 1932.

In the 1950s and 1960s, downtown went through urban renewal during which the city razed about 200 buildings across 25 city blocks—roughly 40% of the area. A slum area known as "Skid Row" was destroyed as were many buildings with notable architecture. One of the most lamented buildings was the Metropolitan Building known as "the Met". Efforts to save the building failed but are credited with jumpstarting interest in historic preservation in the state.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 151.3 km² (58.4 mi²). 142.2 km² (54.9 mi²) of it is land and 9.1 km² (3.5 mi²) of it (6.01%) is water. 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.^[10] The Mississippi, which runs to the southeast, directed the early growth of the city. Most early streets ran parallel to the river to maximize the amount of land that could be used. Eventually, growth of Minneapolis turned to north-south and east-west streets. Many unique intersections like Seven Corners on the eastern periphery of downtown were formed to translate between the two layouts. Some streets, especially older and more traditionally important ones like Hennepin Avenue and Nicollet Avenue, have both orientations at different points.

Minneapolis has a large park system consisting of ten square miles (26 km²) of land and water that is interlinked in many places. Theodore Wirth is often credited with the development of this system that brought a playground within the reach of most children and the canopy of trees and boulevards in much of the city.

Theodore Wirth Park is the largest in the city, shared with Golden Valley, and is about 60% the size of Central Park in New York City. Minnehaha Park is one of the most famous, the site of Minnehaha Falls and cultural heritage events every year. Tower Hill Park in Prospect Park is the home of a 1913 water tower, the highest point in Minneapolis.

The Grand Rounds Scenic Byway circles through the city and many of the larger park areas including land along the Mississippi, lakes and scenic areas. A parkway for cars, a bikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians run parallel paths along the 50-mile route. A growing number of bikeways and walkways crisscross the city and interconnect with neighboring cities.

Twenty four small lakes are within the city limits.^[11] Among the largest freshwater lakes to the west are Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, and Cedar Lake, known together as the "Chain of Lakes". Lake Nokomis and Lake Hiawatha are to the east. Connected by bike, running and walking paths, Minneapolis lakes are used for swimming, fishing, picnics and boating.

Main article: Neighborhoods of Minneapolis

The city is divided into communities, each containing neighborhoods. For example, the Near North community is composed of the Hawthorne, Jordan, Near North, Sumner-Glenwood and Willard-Hay 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 like Dinkytown, Downtown, Midtown and Uptown.^[12]

[edit] Climate

Main article: Climate of Minneapolis, Minnesota

The climate of Minneapolis is typical of cities located in the Midwestern United States. However, due to the city's northerly location, it generally runs on the cold side. Winters are particularly punishing with bitter cold arctic air masses pushing their way south from Canada. Of all the major metropolitan areas in the U.S., the Minneapolis-St.Paul metropolitan area has the coldest annual mean temperature of only 7.5 °C (45.5 °F). There are four distinct seasons, with characteristic large changes in temperatures over a short period of time. Winters are bitterly cold and dry, and summers are warm, sometimes hot, and frequently humid. The city experiences a full range of precipitation and related weather events, including snow, sleet, ice, rain, thunderstorms, and fog.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Minneapolis was 108 °F (42 °C) on July 14, 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded at the city was -41 °F (-40.6 °C), on January 21, 1888. The snowiest winter of record was the winter of 1983–84, when 98.4 in (2.50 m) of snow fell.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high °F (°C)	22 (-6)	29 (-2)	41 (5)	57 (14)	70 (21)	79 (26)	83 (28)	80 (27)	71 (22)	58 (14)	40 (4)	26 (-3)
Avg low temperature °F (°C)	4 (-16)	12 (-11)	23 (-5)	36 (2)	48 (9)	58 (14)	63 (17)	61 (16)	51 (11)	39 (4)	25 (-4)	11 (-12)

[edit] Demographics and people

Year	Population
1860	3,000
1870	13,000
1880	46,887
1890	164,738
1900	202,718
1910	301,408
1920	380,582
1930	464,356
1940	492,370
1950	521,718
1960	482,872
1970	434,400
1980	370,951
1990	368,383
2000	382,618
2005	350,260[13]

During 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 US 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.^[8]

The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area including suburbs doubled since 1950 and has about three million residents. Minneapolis population decreased since its peak of 521,718 in 1950, with a small rebound between 1990 and 2000. The number of white residents has continued to decline and is now at its lowest level since the early 20th century. The population of downtown declined in the 1960s and 1970s but retained residents better than similar cities and then boomed to 20,201 in 2000. When new condominiums were completed and warehouses were converted to loft-style housing, Maxfield Research estimated the downtown population at 29,350 as of January 2005. Commuters bring the daytime population up to about 165,000 each weekday. Presumably due to decreased average density per housing unit, the number of inhabited houses has remained comparatively steady compared to other rust-belt inner cities where large numbers of houses have been razed.

As of the census² of 2000, there were 382,618 people, 162,352 households, and 73,870 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,691.4/km² (6,970.3/mi²). There were 168,606 housing units at an average density of 1,186.0/km² (3,071.6/mi²). 22.6% of households had children under the age of 18, 29.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had female heads of households, and 54.5% were non-families. 40.3% of households were individuals. 8.0% were individuals 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 3.15. 22.0% of the population was under the age of 18, 14.4% was 18 to 24, 36.6% was 25 to 44, 17.9% was 45 to 64, and 9.1% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.1 males. The median household income was $37,974. The median family income was $48,602. Males had a median income of $35,216 compared to $30,663 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,685. About 11.9% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

See also: :Category:People from Minneapolis, Minnesota and List of people from Minnesota

Among those who have called Minneapolis home are scientists and Nobel prize winners Peter Agre, Paul D. Boyer, Finn E. Kydland, Edward B. Lewis and Edward C. Prescott. Inventor Earl Bakken and surgeon C. Walton Lillehei forever changed the field of heart medicine. Robert R. Gilruth directed the United States Moon landing for NASA, and Jean Piccard, namesake of Captain Picard, and Jeannette Piccard were pioneering balloonists. Marcia McNutt is a leading geophysicist.

A home to artists of all kinds, Robert Bly, Sinclair Lewis, Maud Hart Lovelace, Westbrook Pegler, Clifford D. Simak, Brenda Ueland and Gerald Vizenor are poets, writers and journalists who lived in the city. Actors Eddie Albert, James Arness and Jessica Lange, producer Michael Todd and the burlesque dancer Lili St. Cyr are noted in the performance arts. George Morrison is remembered in the fine arts, as is Charles M. Schulz for the comic strip Peanuts. The Andrews Sisters, Bob Dylan, Prince, Tiny Tim and Paul Westerberg made the city known for music. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis continue to write and produce recordings. Sharon Isbin and Leo Kottke are popular guitarists. The baritone Cornell MacNeil became famous at the Metropolitan Opera.

Among leaders, John S. Pillsbury and George Dayton are remembered as influential city founders and businessmen. Industrialist J. Paul Getty lived in the city for a time. Theodore Wirth planned the city's park system. Dennis Banks, Clyde Bellecourt, Sharon Sayles Belton, Brian Coyle, Keith Ellison, W. Harry Davis and Cecil Newman are among those who changed the city through civic leadership and civil rights activism. Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale were US vice presidents, Eugene McCarthy was an important US senator and Orville Freeman helped millions of Americans through the US Food Stamp program. Jesse Ventura brought unconventional politics and knowledge of wrestling to the state. Lauris Norstad was a supreme commander of NATO.

[edit] Crime

The early years of the city were noted for crime. 150 brothels operated in hotels and candy stores earning the city $50,000 annually in 1900 dollars. Two historical figures are remembered in particular. Four-term mayor "Doc" Ames turned the police force into organized criminals who directed swindlers, pickpockets and burglaries. Ames earned income from prostitution, 45% of the profit from a stacked game of poker, and $15,000 a year from slot machines. During Prohibition, Kid Cann processed what some estimates say was 600 gallons of liquor per day and by 1933 had made himself a nationally known bookmaker. Shortly after this time, depleted forests and a drop in the price of iron ore in northern Minnesota, loss of the seat as milling capital of the country to Buffalo, New York, and cheap water transport combined into an economic downturn and drop in crime. Since 1950 the city lost 150,000 people and lost much of downtown to urban renewal and highway construction, resulting in a "moribund and peaceful" environment during the second half of the 20th century.^[15]

During the 1990s the murder rate climbed. After 97 people died in 1995, people called the city "Murderapolis," a T-shirt slogan mentioned by The New York Times when reporting that Minneapolis had nearly 70% more murders per capita and had surpassed the annual number of homicides in New York City.^[16] Under police chief Robert Olson, Minneapolis imported a computerized New York City system known as CODEFOR or Computer Optimized Deployment Focused On Results that sent officers to high crime areas despite accusations of racial profiling. By 1998 the overall rate of major crime dropped by 16 percent, the department's largest one year improvement in two decades, and continued to drop for seven more years until 2005.^[5] The number of homicides increased three times during that period 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.^[17]

[edit] Economy

See also: Companies based in Minneapolis-St. Paul

Minneapolis's early economy was based on agriculture. Today, after the government and the University of Minnesota, some of the largest employers are the medical and financial industries. Ameriprise Financial, Carlson Companies, Donaldson Company, Dorsey & Whitney, General Mills, Goldner Hawn, PepsiAmericas, RBC Dain Rauscher, Target Corporation, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, U.S. Bancorp, Xcel Energy and Valspar Corporation are based in Minneapolis.^[18] Dairy Queen, Medtronic and Nash Finch sometimes state that their headquarters are in Minneapolis although they are in nearby suburbs. Availability of Wi-Fi, transportation solutions, medical trials, advanced degrees held by the work force, university research and development expenditures, energy conservation are so far above the national average that in 2005, Popular Science named Minneapolis the "Top Tech City" in the United States.^[3]

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 US. 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.^[19]

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.^[20]

[edit] Law and government

Main article: Minneapolis City Council

See also: List of mayors of Minneapolis

Minneapolis is well known for its liberal politics and is a stronghold for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Minneapolis has an arguably convoluted set of government entities. The Minneapolis City Council holds the most power. The mayor has some power to appoint certain individuals such as the chief of police, but is otherwise relatively weak and must coordinate with the city council. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis Public Library's Board of Trustees, the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, the Public Housing Authority, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation are semi-independent and some can levy their own taxes and fees.

A number of the city boards were created by the Minnesota Legislature between the time of the city's founding and 1920 when the city finally gained home rule by passing a new charter (simply an agglomeration of the various laws that had been specifically written for the city at the time). The city government is being examined to see if it can be streamlined.

R.T. Rybak is the current mayor of Minneapolis. A number of notable individuals have held the office and most are known for their positive influences on the city. Hubert Humphrey, who became mayor in 1945, started what may be the first equal employment commission while he was in office. He later served as US vice president and ran for president in 1968. Arthur Naftalin was the first Jewish mayor, while Sharon Sayles Belton became the first woman and the first African-American to hold the office.

The Minneapolis City Council has 13 single member districts called wards. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) dominates the council with twelve members. Barbara Johnson is the president and Robert Lilligren is the vice president. The Green Party has one member as of 2006.

In 2006 Keith Ellison was elected in the 5th Minnesota Congressional District which includes Minneapolis. Ellison who succeeded Martin Olav Sabo is the first African American elected to the House from Minnesota and the first Muslim member of the Congress. Other elected officials who are residents of Minneapolis include Senator Amy Klobuchar and Lawrence Pogemiller, Minnesota State Senate Majority Leader.

Canada, Norway, and Ecuador maintain consulates in the city. Minneapolis is recognized by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network as a Gamma World City.^[21] Minneapolis maintains informal connections with the cities of Hiroshima, Japan and Kampala, Uganda and has eight sister cities:

- Santiago, Chile (1961) - Kuopio, Finland (1972) - Winnipeg, Canada (1973) - Ibaraki City, Japan (1980) - Novosibirsk, Russia (1988, with St. Paul)

- Tours, France (1991) - Harbin, China (1992) - Eldoret, Kenya (2000) - Uppsala, Sweden (2000)

[edit] Education

Main article: Minneapolis Public Schools

Main article: Minneapolis Public Library

Main article: University of Minnesota

Main article: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System

Minneapolis is dominated by the main campus of the University of Minnesota, which is the original campus and home of the system's administration and Regents. The U of M is a Big Ten university with more than 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Twin Cities alone, making it one of the largest campuses in the country. The Minneapolis campus of Metropolitan State University is also a public 4-year institution. Private schools in the city include Augsburg College, North Central University and the Minneapolis campuses of the University of St. Thomas, College of St. Catherine, William Mitchell College of Law and Hamline University. Community and technical colleges include the Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Dunwoody College of Technology and MacPhail Center for Music. Minneapolis is the headquarters of online universities Capella University and Walden University. The city has two art schools, the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and the Art Institutes International Minnesota.

The Minneapolis Public Schools administers all 99 public schools in the city with a budget of over a half a billion dollars, including 45 elementary schools, 7 middle schools, 7 high schools, 8 special education schools, 8 alternative schools, 19 contract alternative schools and 5 charter schools totaling 36,370 students.^[22] The school board exists as a separate legal entity from the city as Special School District Number 1. A desegregation program of forced busing to balance the number of black and white schoolchildren in city schools began in 1972.

The 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^[23]. The new Central Library downtown opened in 2006.

[edit] Sports

Gifted amateur athletes have played organized sports notably starting in the 1920s and 1930s at Central and Marshall high schools as well as De La Salle. Since the 1920s, the University of Minnesota's Gophers have won national championships in football, baseball and hockey.^[24] Today, runners and inline skaters, coed volleyball teams and touch football teams have access to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Two thirds of the year the dome hosts high schools and colleges, concerts and community activities.^[25]

Minneapolis also is home to the most golfers per capita of any US city, who enjoy the outstanding Hazeltine National Golf Club, Bearpath and Bunker Hills golf courses in nearby suburbs. Along with golf, per capita the state of Minnesota has the nation's most bicyclists, sport fishermen and snow skiers. Hennepin County which includes Minneapolis has the second-most number of horses per capita in the US.^[6]

Professional sports are well-established in Minneapolis. First playing in 1884, the Minneapolis Millers baseball team produced the best won-lost record in the minor leagues 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, and later moved to Los Angeles. In 1961, the Minnesota Vikings arrived and the Washington Senators moved to Minneapolis to become the Minnesota Twins. Both teams played outdoors in an open air stadium in the suburb of Bloomington for twenty years. The Minnesota Timberwolves brought NBA basketball back to Minneapolis in 1989, followed by the Minnesota Lynx in 1999. Today the city boasts major league baseball, American football and basketball teams. Most teams have been lauded at one time or another for their high-caliber play although they are not particularly successful in championships. The American Wrestling Association based in Minneapolis since 1960 became part of World Wrestling Entertainment in 1991. The NHL ice hockey team Minnesota Wild and USL-1 soccer team Minnesota Thunder play in Saint Paul.^[24]

Major League Sports in Minneapolis
Club	Sport	League	Venue	Championships
Minnesota Lynx	Basketball	Women's National Basketball Association Western Conference	Target Center
Minnesota Timberwolves	Basketball	National Basketball Association Western Conference	Target Center
Minnesota Twins	Baseball	Major League Baseball American League	Metrodome	World Series 1987 and 1991
Minnesota Vikings	American football	National Football League National Football Conference	Metrodome

[edit] Arts

See also: Music of Minnesota

See also: Theater in Minnesota

The region is second only to New York City in support for the arts and and live theater per capita and is the third-largest theater market in the country.^[6][27] Founded by Tyrone Guthrie in 1963, the Guthrie Theater opened a new three-stage complex in the Mill District in 2006. Minneapolis supports two Tony Award winning theater companies, the Children's Theatre Company and Theatre de la Jeune Lune, the Jungle Theatre and the Mixed Blood Theatre. In order to help revitalize the downtown and warehouse district areas of Minneapolis, which had declined in the mid to late 20th century, the city purchased and renovated historic theaters and movie houses on Hennepin Avenue to create the Hennepin Theatre District, including the State, Orpheum and Pantages theaters.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts founded in the late 1890s and early 1900s is located near the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in south central Minneapolis. Already the largest art museum in the city, the institute completed a second major expansion in 2006. The Minneapolis Park Board collaborated with the Walker Art Center to build the outdoor Minneapolis Sculpture Garden near downtown and across the street from the center. The home of modern and contemporary art, the Walker recently doubled in size. The Warehouse District adjoining downtown was a hub of studio and gallery activity in the 1980s, but artists have been driven out by high rents. Today Northeast Minneapolis is perhaps the most vibrant visual arts community in the city, including the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District established in 2001, and the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association. Art-a-Whirl in May and Art Attack at the Northrup-King building in November are open-studio events in Northeast Minneapolis. The Stone Arch Festival is held on the riverfront across from downtown. The Uptown Art Fair and art fairs in Loring Park and Powderhorn Park are held during August. Founded during the 1970s to include women who are often missing in the male-dominant history of the art world, the Women's Art Registry of Minnesota (WARM) collective and gallery was in Minneapolis until it moved to Saint Paul where it continues as a volunteer organization.^[28]

Minneapolis is fortunate to have live music performances of all kinds. Koerner, Ray & Glover played West Bank cafes while the Metropolitan Opera stopped at Northrop Auditorium. The State Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, Dakota, Walker Art Center and Guthrie Theater bring new music to Minneapolis. Classical music is performed at Orchestra Hall as well as small venues like the Bakken Library and Museum. The Minnesota Opera moved back to Minneapolis from Saint Paul in 1990. Concerts at stadiums and theaters in the area continue to draw the world's finest musicians. The MacPhail Center for Music founded in 1907 built new facilities near the Mississippi riverfront in 2006. Prince is Minneapolis's most famous musical progeny. With fellow local musicians, many of whom recorded at Twin/Tone Records.^[29] he helped make First Avenue & 7th Street Entry and Minneapolis one of the most important music venues in the United States.^[30]. Hüsker Dü, The Time, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Boiled in Lead and Tapes 'n Tapes are well known Minneapolis bands. The city has garnered significant notice for rap and hip hop. A home to poetry readings in live music venues, Minneapolis has also developed a vibrant spoken word community.

The Loft Literary Center founded in 1974 and the Minnesota Center for Book Arts support many of the writers and poets who flourish in the area.

Numerous festivals are held across the city during the year. Fireworks displays occur several times a year. One of the largest in the United States is at the Aquatennial, the city-wide celebration held in mid-July.^[31]. The In the Heart of the Beast May Day Parade near Powderhorn Park the first Sunday in May draws 35,000 people each year. With attendance now over 50,000, the Minnesota Fringe Festival is the largest non-juried performing arts festival in the United States and the third largest fringe festival in North America.

[edit] Minneapolis in popular culture

The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a popular television situation comedy in the 1970s, was set in Minneapolis. A statue of Mary Tyler Moore was erected by TV Land downtown, on Nicollet Mall, in 2002 to commemorate the program. On the TV series Beverly Hills, 90210, twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh were said to be from Minneapolis. The underground rap group Atmosphere is from Minneapolis. It is made up of Slug (rapper) and Ant (producer). They have been highly succesful, but reject signing with major labels. American Idol had auditions for its sixth season in Minneapolis in 2006. Tom Waits wrote two songs about the city, Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis (Blue Valentine 1978) and 9th & Hennepin (Rain Dogs 1985). The Roches gave Quitting Time (The Roches 1979) to Minneapolis or to an audience at the Guthrie Theatre in 1980.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Infrastructure

See also: Media in the Twin Cities

Minneapolis is served by Hennepin County Medical Center. Other major medical facilities are Abbott Northwestern Hospital, the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, the Children's Hospital and the Phillips Eye Institute. Minneapolis is an hour's drive from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Main article: Transportation in Minnesota

Small, fully enclosed pedestrian bridges called skyways link more than 80 city blocks of downtown, providing shelter from temperature extremes for daytime workers and downtown residents. Second floor restaurants and retailers connected to these passageways are open weekdays.

Most residents drive cars. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are the junction points between Interstate 94 and Interstate 35. I-35W goes through downtown. The I-394 spur connects downtown to the western suburbs. Two spurs from I-94, I-494 and I-694, loop around the metro area but do not pass through Minneapolis or Saint Paul. Two unmarked U.S. highways pass through the city. Interstate 394, largely an upgraded segment of U.S. Highway 12, enters the city from the west and then joins I-94 to go around downtown and into Saint Paul. U.S. Highway 52, originally routed along surface streets and University Avenue, follows Interstate 94 north of the metro area all of the way through the city.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is at the southeast corner of the city off of Minnesota State Highway 5. The airport is also bordered by Saint Paul, Bloomington, and Richfield. It is a hub and home base for Northwest Airlines as well as for Mesaba Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and Champion Air.

Metro Transit runs most of the area's buses and has begun operation of a light rail system, the Hiawatha Line, which has a daily ridership of 34,000, making it the United States's 13^th busiest light rail system.^[32] The line opened its first and second phases to the public in 2004, connecting the airport and Bloomington's Mall of America to downtown. The Central Corridor Light Rail Line is currently under development. This line will connect downtown Minneapolis with the University of Minnesota and downtown St. Paul via University Avenue.

Over the last twenty years, the system of bicycle trails was expanded from a long-standing system of park-owned trails called the Grand Rounds to include a network of on-street bike lanes and an increasing number of commuter trails operated by the Public Works Department. Trails include the Midtown Greenway, the Light Rail Trail, Kenilworth Trail, Cedar Lake Trail and the West River Parkway Trail along the Mississippi. The city provides free online bicycle maps.

Rail passenger traffic through the city is diminished. Amtrak provides service to the Twin Cities at the industrial St. Paul Midway Station. The Empire Builder Line runs between Chicago and Seattle. However, the Northstar Commuter Rail Line is scheduled to open in 2009, marking a turning point for rail passenger service in Minnesota. This line will provide local regional service between Big Lake and downtown Minneapolis. Many of the old rail lines and bridges such as the Stone Arch Bridge have been converted for bicycle and pedestrian use and link into the city's parks and trails.

[edit] See also

• American Refugee Committee NPC located in Minneapolis
• Minneapolis-St.Paul
• Hero Card
• Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Minnesota Historical Society (1999-2004). Minneapolis Music Collection. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.
• Marchex, Inc. (2006). Famous Minnesotans. Retrieved on 2007-01-14.

[edit] External links

• City of Minneapolis Home Page
• Phototour of Minneapolis
• Minneapolis Issues Forum - Large online forum on city issues
• Minnescraper.com: Metro Area development forum
• GreenGuardian.com: Recycling in the Twin Cities
• Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitor Association
• Minneapolis City Charter
• Downtown Minneapolis - Minneapolis Downtown Council
• Minneapolis Neighborhood Organizations
• Archives of Minneapolis Property Rights Action Committee, a landlord group that fought City Hall
• Minneapolis Who's Who
• A History of Minneapolis - Minneapolis Public Library
• WikiTravel Entry For Minneapolis
• National Weather Service Twin cities
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 44.977° -93.266°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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