Minneapolis: Introduction
www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us
The largest city in Minnesota, Minneapolis is the seat of Hennepin County and the sister city of Saint Paul, with which it forms the 15-county Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan statistical area. Strategically located on the navigable head of the Mississippi River, Minneapolis traces its history to the early exploration of the Northwest Territory. The city encompasses within its boundaries 16 lakes (said to have been formed by Paul Bunyan's footprints) and is noted for its natural beauty and parklands. First a milling and lumbering center, Minneapolis today has one of the largest concentrations of high-technology firms in the nation. The combined cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are highly rated for their livability and rank among the country's best places for growing a business.
Minneapolis ranks among top places to raise a family
Minneapolis has been recognized among the country's top 10 cities to raise a family according to Best Life magazine. Minneapolis came in seventh among the magazine's survey of the "100 Best Places to Raise a Family," which looked at a number of factors including child safety, good schools, student-teacher ratios, above-average test scores, respectable budgets, number of museums, parks, and pediatricians, multi-hour commutes, and affordable housing.
Editors used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, FBI, American Association of Museums, National Center for Health Statistics, and American Bar Association to evaluate 257 cities.
Honolulu ranked as the top city to raise a family. To view the complete list, visit Best Life magazine's survey site.
Minneapolis one of best U.S. cities for the outdoors
Minneapolis placed seventh in the Forbes list of America's Best Cities For The Outdoors, noted for its commitment to parkland and activities for every season, such as sailing and summer concerts, trail walking and cross country skiing. Forbes recognizes Minneapolis for devoting 15 percent of its land to parks and including such diverse attractions as a wildflower garden, bird sanctuary and 29 outdoor skating rinks. San Francisco was ranked first.
Minneapolis has more than 150 parks, 22 lakes and 43 miles of alking, biking, running and rollerblading trails. The Mississippi riverfront, Minnehaha Creek and tree-lined neighborhood sidewalks provide welcoming, scenic outdoor spaces any time of year.
The city's 6,400 acres of parkland are managed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The high per-resident investment in Minneapolis parks put it ahead of bigger cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Forbes used data from the Trust for Public Land, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to determine rankings. Factors cited in the study included percentage of parkland, spending per resident, recreation facilities, air quality, precipitation and weather extremes. Minneapolis' parkland makes up 15.3 percent of city land, while the average for the top 40 is 10.5 percent.
See the entire Forbes article on America's Best Cities for the Outdoors.
Minneapolis named among top travel destinations for 2006
World class attractions, revitalized riverfront development play key roles in attracting visitors
Travel and Leisure, a national travel magazine, has named Minneapolis as the "Where to Go Next" city in 2006. The magazine cites cutting-edge art and architecture, including the new Guthrie Theater and downtown public library, expansions of the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, along with booming riverfront development, museums, theaters, restaurants and new hotels as reasons for "style-driven" travelers to visit and enjoy the city.
Read more about what Travel and Leisure has to say about Minneapolis.
