Minneapolis

I

Introduction

Minneapolis, city in southeastern Minnesota. The seat of Hennepin County, the city is located by the Falls of Saint Anthony, at the head of navigation of the Mississippi River. It is the largest city in Minnesota and one of the largest cities in the upper Midwest, and, with the adjacent city of Saint Paul to the east, dominates the economic and cultural life of this extensive region. Minneapolis and Saint Paul are known as the Twin Cities.

II

Economy

Minneapolis is the center of one of the richest agricultural areas of the United States and is a regional hub of transportation, commerce, and finance. Leading industries include electronics; medical-instrument manufacturing; medical research; processing of food and dairy products; printing and publishing; and the manufacture of machinery, metal and paper products, precision instruments, and transportation equipment. The city is a financial center for the northern Midwest and the headquarters of U.S. Bancorp and of the Ninth District of the Federal Reserve System. It is a rail and highway hub, and one of the leading trucking centers in the United States. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is located south of the city.

Major companies with headquarters in Minneapolis include the food processor General Mills, Northwest Airlines, and the discount department store chain Target. Other major employers in Minneapolis are the government and the University of Minnesota.

III

Population

Minneapolis had a population of 382,618 in 2000, an increase over the 1990 population of 368,383. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area had 2,968,806 inhabitants in 2000; its population was 2,538,834 in 1990.

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According to the 2000 census, whites constituted 65.1 percent of the population of Minneapolis; blacks, 18 percent; Asians, 6.1 percent; Native Americans, 2.2 percent; Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, 0.1 percent; and people of mixed heritage or not reporting race, 8.5 percent. Hispanics, who may be of any race, made up 7.6 percent of the population. In 2005, Minneapolis's population was estimated at 372,811.

IV

The Urban Landscape

Minneapolis covers 142.2 sq km (54.9 sq mi) and occupies a relatively flat terrain. Within the city limits are 22 natural lakes, remnants of glacial activity. The Mississippi River crosses the city from the north to southeast, drops 20 m (65 ft) at the Falls of Saint Anthony, then follows a deep gorge to its confluence with the Minnesota River. Minnehaha Creek flows east through the city over Minnehaha Falls and into the Mississippi River. The city’s lakes and riverfronts form part of the extensive municipal park system.

The downtown area is west of the Mississippi River, adjacent to the Falls of Saint Anthony. Part of the district’s principal thoroughfare, Nicollet Avenue, has been converted into a ten-block shopping center, known as Nicollet Mall, reserved for pedestrians and public transportation; at one end is Gateway Center, a complex that includes several high-rise government and office buildings. Pedestrians may also cross from building to building using skyways, glass-enclosed bridges that cross many downtown streets. The Mall of America, the largest retail and entertainment complex in the United States, is in nearby Bloomington.