| Minnesota's largest city, Minneapolis lies on the | | | | 10% of the total flour and grist output of the United |
| Mississippi and is next to the State capitol of St-Paul. | | | | States. |
| The combined cities are often referred to as | | | | Never a city to sit on its laurels, Minneapolis razed 40% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul forming the 15th largest | | | | of its buildings comprising 25 blocks during a fervent |
| metropolitan area in the US. The city of Minneapolis | | | | urban renewal from the early 1950s to the mid 1960s. |
| has a long and distinguished history, based on water | | | | That renewal has continued and the city is now a |
| and primarily influenced by the St. Anthony Falls. | | | | modern metropolis with a rich history, and is home to |
| Prior to the arrival of early European settlers in 1680, | | | | five Fortune 500 companies. |
| Dakota Sioux had free reign over the lands now | | | | Known as the 'city of lakes' many of the leisure |
| known as Minneapolis. However for 140 years there | | | | activities in the area are water-based, with 6% of the |
| was little development in the area, it was not until the | | | | area covered in lakes. It boasts a thriving art and music |
| construction of Fort Snelling in 1825 that the area saw | | | | culture, and one of the city's claims-to-fame is that |
| any significant expansion. Under pressure from the | | | | internationally renowned rock musician Prince studied |
| relentless inflow of settlers, the Sioux sold their land | | | | at the Minneapolis Dance Theatre. Professional sports |
| forging the way for the incorporation of the city of | | | | are also well represented in the city with the NFL's |
| Minneapolis in 1867. Five years later settlers began | | | | Vikings, baseball's major league Twins, NBA's |
| arriving from Chicago via the newly built railroad, helping | | | | Timberwolves and the WNBA's Lynx all based there. |
| to bolster the settlement's numbers. | | | | Getting around downtown Minneapolis is made easier |
| The Saint Anthony Falls, the only natural waterfall on | | | | by the Skyways, which consist of seven miles of |
| the Mississippi, formed the hub of the city. Here the | | | | walkways linking eighty blocks. Restaurants, retailers |
| timber mills and flour mills flourished and by 1871, | | | | and the occasional lobby of a downtown hotel in |
| Minnesota boasted many thriving businesses including | | | | Minneapolis are all connected via this second floor |
| iron works, other mills for cotton and paper, and a large | | | | walkway. Adam Singleton is an online freelance |
| railway factory. Grain grown by farmers on the Great | | | | journalist from Scotland. His hobbies include travelling |
| Plains found its way to the city's many mills by rail, and | | | | and hiking. |
| by 1905 the Minneapolis was responsible for almost | | | | |