Minneapolis, Minnesota

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	58.4 mi² - 151.3 km²
- Land	54.9 mi² - 142.2 km²
- Water	3.5 mi² - 9.1 km²
Elevation	264 m
Population
- City (2000)	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.

The twenty four small lakes that are now within the city limits led Charles Hoag, Minneapolis's first schoolmaster, to suggest a name derived from mni, the Dakota word for water,^[2] and polis, the Greek word for city. The traditional postal abbreviation is Mpls. The airport code is MSP. 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 city 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. Minneapolis is called Gakaabikaang (at the falls) in the Ojibwe language.^[3]

History

The Pillsbury "A" Mill

Father Louis Hennepin was the first European to explore the area, giving the falls their name in 1680, as well as lending his name to the county in which Minneapolis is located. In 1805, Zebulon Pike led a US Army exploration party to find the source of the Mississippi. In 1806, the Lakota Sioux (?) signed a treaty with Pike, ceding land including the falls and the site of today's Minneapolis to the United States.^[4]

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. The village of St. Anthony was incorporated by the Minnesota Territorial Legislature in 1855, and Minneapolis soon followed in 1856.

In 1862, the St. Paul and Pacific Railways connected Saint Paul and Saint Anthony. Rail service between Minneapolis and Chicago began in 1867.^[5] 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.

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.^[6]

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.

Climate

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.

Demographics

Ethnicity	Percent
White	65.1%
African American	18.0%
Hispanic or Latino	7.6%
Asian	6.1%
Native American	2.29%
Pacific Islander	0.1%

Recycling instructions in a Minneapolis park are given in four languages: English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali

Historically Native American, the city has been a home for immigrants. Minneapolis welcomed African-Americans from the southern United States.^{[citation needed]} Early European immigrants were Norwegians, Danes, Swedes, Germans and British of New England Yankee descent.^{[citation needed]} Eastern Europeans from Poland, the Baltic States, and Russia settled in the Northeast neighborhood nicknamed Nordeast, arriving from 1870 to the early 20th century. After the Vietnam War, Hmong and Vietnamese refugees arrived. In the 1990s, Somali refugees began to arrive. Beginning in (?), Mexicans settled in Minneapolis in large numbers.^{[citation needed]} Laotians, Cambodians, and Somalians settled in Minneapolis in large numbers. Tibetans have also moved in large groups to the city.^{[citation needed]} Jews who were once in the northern part of the city moved to suburbs such as St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, and Minnetonka.^{[citation needed]}

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.

Neighborhoods

The city is divided into communities, each containing neighborhoods. For example, the Near North community is composed of the Hawthorne, Jordan, Near North, 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 like North Minneapolis, South Minneapolis, Dinkytown, Uptown, Midtown and the North Loop.

Crime

"Doc" Ames was forced out of office a century ago for turning the police force into organized criminals. Organized crime and corruption were prevalent during the 1920s and 1930s. Kid Cann (Isadore Blumenfeld), a gangster of the time, operated bootlegging, racketeering, and prostitution from the West Hotel.

During the 1990s the murder rate and incidence of gang violence climbed. After 97 homicides occurred in 1995, The New York Times called the city "Murderapolis" when reporting that Minneapolis had surpassed the per capita homicide rate of New York City. The crime rate dropped by 16 percent by 1998^[7] and was more stable until 2001. Since then violent crime has increased in every year. Between 2004 and 2006 crime jumped 15 percent, six times the 2.5 percent national figure. Based on FBI data, Morgan Quitno ranked Minneapolis the 23rd most violent city in the United States or 27th if burglary and auto theft are counted. The city government has tried but failed to help North Minneapolis with its reputation for crime, violence and poverty.

Economy

Federal Reserve districts

Minneapolis's 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. Target Corporation, Ameriprise, U.S. Bancorp, Xcel Energy, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, PepsiAmericas, Bemis, Alina and Valspar are based in Minneapolis.^{[citation needed]}

Major corporations, some with deep roots in the city of Minneapolis like Wells Fargo/Norwest Bank, Medtronic and General Mills, maintain a large presence or are based in the surrounding suburbs.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has been closed to the public since 9/11. The bank serves Minnesota, Montana, North and South Dakota, and parts of Wisconsin and Michigan.

Technology

In 2005, Popular Science named Minneapolis the "Top Tech City" in the United States.^[8] Among the factors used to determine this ranking, Minneapolis was first in innovative transportation solutions and fourth in energy technology.

Law and government

R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, 2002 to the present

Hennepin County Government Center. Minneapolis is the county seat.

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 H. 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.

Parks

Minnehaha Falls

Lake Nokomis

Lake Calhoun

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.^[9] 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.

Education

University of Minnesota

The new Central Library, designed by César Pelli, completed in 2006

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 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^[10]. The new Central Library downtown opened in 2006.

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.^[11] 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.

Sports

Target Center downtown, home of the Timberwolves and Lynx

Professional sports are well-established in Minneapolis. Most teams have been lauded at one time or another for their high-caliber play although they are not particularly successful in championships. The city boasts first rate baseball, American football and basketball teams. 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.

Arts

The Rembrandt Lucretias in Minneapolis and Washington D.C. were shown together in 1991–1992.^[12]

Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Performers names in silver stars on the former Greyhound depot, now First Avenue

Minneapolis claims to have the highest per capita attendance at theater and arts events in the United States outside of New York City and Chicago.^{[citation needed]} The region is the third-largest theater market in the country.^[13] 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 located in Minneapolis^{[citation needed]} until it moved to Saint Paul where it continues as a volunteer organization (?).^[14]

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.^[15] he helped make First Avenue & 7th Street Entry and Minneapolis one of the most important music venues in the United States.^[16]. 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.

Festivals

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.^[17]. 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.

Medicine

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.

Media

Transportation

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 Hiawatha Line train approaching Cedar-Riverside station

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 28,800, making it the United States's 14^th busiest light rail system. The line opened its first and second phases to the public in 2004, connecting the airport and Bloomington's Mall of America to downtown.

Minneapolis is one of the most-biked cities in the United States, with an average of 10,000 people riding daily for commuting and recreation Many people bike year-round. Over the last twenty years, the system of bicycle trails was expanded from a long-standing system of recreational trails called the Grand Rounds to include a network of on-street bike lanes and an increasing number of commuter trails. Trails include the Midtown Greenway, Kenilworth Trail, Cedar Lake Trail and the West River Parkway along the Mississippi. The city provides free online bicycle maps.

Rail traffic through the city is diminished, and some of the old bridges such as the Stone Arch Bridge have been converted for bicycle and pedestrian use and link into the city's parks and trails.

Famous Minneapolitans

See also: Category:People from Minneapolis, Minnesota

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. 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]}

World

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.^[18] Minneapolis has eight sister cities:

The city also maintains informal connections with the cities of Hiroshima, Japan and Kampala, Uganda.

See also

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

Notes

References

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

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
• 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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