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Place Name
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Minneapolis
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Place Status (Type)
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city
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Capital Of
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Hennepin County
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Population
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368,383 (1990)
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Location
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Hennepin County, Minnesota (MN), United States, North America
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Latitude
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44°57'N
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Longitude
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93°16'W
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Minneapolis
, city (1990 pop. 368,383),  Hennepin co., E
Minn., at the head of navigation on the Mississippi R., at St. Anthony
Falls; 44°57'N 93°16'W. Lock and Dam No. 1 at falls; river flows
through center of city. The largest city in the state and a port of
entry, it is a major industrial and RR hub. Served by Twin Cities
internatl. airport in nearby Richfield. With adjacent St. Paul to E,
the 2 are known as the Twin Cities; similar in size, Minneapolis is the
dominant twin, downtown St. Paul is
8 mi/12.9 km ESE of downtown Minneapolis. It
is the processing, distributing, and trade center for a vast grain and
cattle area. Minneapolis is also a banking and financial center with a
significant high-technology industry that primarily developed in the
1980s. Diversified mfg., both heavy and light. Although the central
city's pop. has declined since the 1970s, the outlying suburbs have
grown significantly, including Bloomington (S), Plymouth, and
Minnetonka (W). The falls were visited by Louis Hennepin in 1683; Fort
Snelling was est. in 1819; and a sawmill was built at the falls in
1821. The village of St. Anthony was settled c.1839 on the E side of
the river near the falls. Minneapolis originated on the W side of the
river c.1847 and included much of the reservation of Fort Snelling. It
annexed St. Anthony in 1872. The city became the country's foremost
lumber center, and after the plains were planted with wheat and the RR
were built, flour milling developed, with the
50 ft/15 m falls supplying power. The city was
laid out with wide streets and has 22 lakes and 153 parks. In Minnehaha
Park, in SE, is the Stevens House (1849), the 1st frame house in
Minneapolis, and Minnehaha Falls, on Minnehaha Creek. Fort Snelling
State Park and Natl. Cemetery, also to SE, several art galleries and
mus. (including the Amer. Swedish Inst.), the Guthrie Theater, and the
Minneapolis Grain Exchange. The Minn. Symphony was founded here in
1903. The city is the seat of the Univ. of Minn., Augsburg Col.,
Minneapolis Community Col., and Natl. Education Center-Brown Inst.
Campus. Hennepin Co. Historical Society Mus., Minneapolis Inst. of
Arts, Minneapolis Col. of Art and Design, all 3 at Morrison Park in S.
In the early 1960s, the main shopping avenue was converted into a
10-block mall lined with trees and flowers; a skyway system of
sidewalks was provided for pedestrians; and a 51-story skyscraper and
other noteworthy bldgs. were erected. State Theatre; Orchestra Hall;
Convention Center; Bell Mus. of Natural History; Weissman Art Mus., and
Mariucci Area at Univ. of Minn.; Minn. Zoo at suburban Apple valley,
15 mi/24 km to S; Como Park Zoo in St. Paul to
E; Dunwoody Industrial Inst. Hubert Humphrey Metrodome (1982), stadium
in downtown, replaced Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, to S, old
stadium site is now Mall of America, 3d-largest shoping center in
world, a major tourist destination. Inc. 1856.
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