Minnesota General Tips by traveldave

Favorite Thing: The settlement that was to become Minneapolis was founded in 1856 on the south bank of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls. Minneapolis was established at Saint Anthony Falls because it was impossible to travel upriver from the falls at the time, and the falls also provided a source of power for new industries.

Originally called Albion, the name was changed to Minneapolis in 1852. Minneapolis is a derivation of Minnehaha which means "Laughing Waters" in the dialect of the Mdewakantan band of the Dakota Indian tribe, and polis which is Greek for "city."

Early in the city's history, the Mississippi River was an important means of transportation, mainly for the shipping of logs cut in the surrounding forests. Many sawmills were built along the banks of the Mississippi River and lumber became the first major industry in the fledgling community.

The lumber industry was soon overtaken by milling, however. A cold-hardy strain of wheat that could be grown in the cold climate of the Upper Midwest was developed, and much of the area was converted to wheat farms. Because of the transportation potential provided by the river, and its central location in the Upper Midwest, Minneapolis became a center for milling, or the grinding of wheat into flour. Within a couple of decades, Minneapolis became the world's largest producer of flour.

After the First World War, the milling of flour became less important and many of the mills closed. But as milling diminished in importance, other industries, such as finance, banking, and transportation helped spur the city's economy.

Nowadays, Minneapolis is the economic, commercial, transportation, and cultural center of the Upper Midwest. It, along with its twin city, Saint Paul, forms the center of a metropolitan area of 3,510,000 inhabitants known as the Twin Cities.


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Favorite Thing: The settlement that was to become Saint Paul was established in the 1840s by French-Canadian voyageurs at a location where two clefts in an 80-foot (24-meter) bluff created a convenient landing.

A retired fur trader named Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant established a saloon in the new settlement, which took the name of Pig's Eye Landing. However, Father Lucien Galtier arrived in 1841 and built a chapel dedicated to Saint Paul. He asked that the settlement's name be changed to Saint Paul, which it was.

In 1849, Minnesota became a territory, and Saint Paul was named its capital. When Minnesota became a state in 1858, the city remained its capital.

Due to its strategic location on the Mississippi River, Saint Paul became an important center for trade and commerce, especially the fur trade.

Saint Paul continued to prosper and grow, and now, along with its twin city, Minneapolis, forms the center of a metropolitan area of 3,510,000 inhabitants known as the Twin Cities.


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