About Minneapolis, MN

In recent years Minneapolis has become ranked as the nation's "Most Literate City" in some studies that analyze factors such as library resources, local bookstores, education levels, and newspaper circulation. It also one reason why Minneapolis and the greater Twin cities area which includes St. Paul is able to boast one of the highest concentrations of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. Many large brands including Target, Best Buy, General Mills, and Land O'Lakes are headquartered here.

The Mall of America is another large entity in Minneapolis. It outranks all other malls in the country for being the biggest mall of all of them. In addition to its size, people love to shop here because there is no sales tax on apparel and accessories.

But literate professionals like to do more than just shop. That's why the Twin Cities area is third in the nation when it comes to the theatre market. And the area is second in the nation only behind New York City when counting live theatre seats per capita.

Theatre and shopping isn't for everyone, though. For those who prefer the outdoors, the state of Minnesota hosts 10,000 lakes, and there's 22 in Minneapolis alone which is where its name comes from. "Minneapolis" is a name that comes from the Sioux word "mini" and the Greek word "polis", which when put together means "city of waters". All of these lakes make ample opportunity for parks, which Minneapolis has some of the best in the country. The parks alone span over 5,000 acres in aggregate.

St. Anthony Falls is a popular spot because it is the only true waterfall that exists on the Mississippi River. But Minnehaha Falls is even more popular. The famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about the falls in his poem "The Song of Hiawatha".

The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary is the country's oldest public wildflower garden, and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden hosts more than 40 sculptures on 11 acres of land, making it the largest sculpture garden in the U.S.

Another local gem that is part of the Minneapolis heritage is the clock tower in the Old City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse. It's more than 340 feet tall. The clock faces are larger than those on London's Big Ben.

The winters in Minnesota get extremely cold but that doesn't keep everyone indoors. Many people here like to go ice fishing. Lake Harriet is one of the local favorites. Others enjoy the winter festivals and skiing.

Obviously in a place so cold coffee is very important. Coffee is a lifestyle here and there's plenty of coffee shops around to meet your needs.

Residents also keep warm by using the Minneapolis Skyway which links many downtown buildings. This indoor pedestrian walkway spans 69 blocks and 7 miles. It's the longest continuous skyway system on Earth.

Not only is Minneapolis easy to walk through in the winter due to the skyway, it's also easy to bike in the warmer seasons. The city is known for being one of the most bike able cities in the U.S.