Districts
Understand
Minneapolis was destined to be a center of commerce due to its location at the Falls of St.Anthony, which was named by the French explorer Louis Hennepin in 1680. St Anthony Falls is by far the largest source of water power on the Mississippi River. The falls were harnessed to power lumber mills in the 1840s and later for flour milling. By 1870, Minneapolis on the west bank and St Anthony on the east bank formed the largest flour producing center in the world. In 1872, Minneapolis absorbed its older neighbor. Most of the old St Anthony township is now known as Northeast Minneapolis. A small part of the old township comprises most of the current suburb of St. Anthony.
The name "Minneapolis" (meaning "The City of Lakes" in a mash-up of Dakota and Ancient Greek) refers to the city's many lakes. The local jewels are the "Chain of Lakes": Cedar, Isles, Calhoun, Harriet, Nokomis, each 3-4 miles around. The city's excellent parks department maintains walking and biking paths around the lakes, offering residents a place to exercise or stroll. The Lake Harriet Bandshell is a popular summertime event host often featuring the renowned Minnesota Orchestra.
The city has done an excellent job fostering developed neighborhoods, each with a distinctive feel. Downtown is the visual anchor featuring the high-rise suites, sporting events (Timberwolves, Vikings, and Twins all play downtown), and nightclub scene. Northeast is the oldest part of the city, showing off its working-class and immigrant roots in great ethnic food, neighborhood bars, and social clubs, and more recently home to an arts and riverfront redevelopment movement. Uptown historically has been one of the city's youth centers featuring funky food, drink, theater, and plenty of tattoos and mohawks, but is orienting more towards yuppies and young families as real estate anywhere near the lakes becomes an ever more prized commodity. Uptown and the Lakes area dissolves into quiet, tucked-away Linden Hills (a one-time bedroom community) to the south and Lyn-Lake, home to many indie stages, music-oriented cafes and boozers, and alternative lifestyles and hangouts of all sorts, to the east. The University of Minnesota's main campus straddles the Mississippi River in the southeast surrounded by the usual college campus environs.
Get in
By plane
The new light rail train is extremely convenient for those who need to get downtown from the airport. Fare is $1.50-$2 depending on the time of day. The trains are fast and clean. They also serve the Mall of America and parts of South Minneapolis. The light rail station is located at Lindbergh. There is also a station at Humphrey, but it is currently closed through late 2007 due to nearby construction. If you're arriving at Humphrey, you will need to board a shuttle bus heading to Lindbergh.
Northwest Airlines (the world's fourth-largest) maintains one of its three US hubs at MSP and is the predominant presence and is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. Northwest offers non-stop overseas service from MSP to Tokyo-Narita, Amsterdam, and London (Gatwick). Sun Country also calls MSP home, making it that much easier to find discount fares to/from the Twin Cities within the continental United States. Icelandair, the only foreign intercontinental carrier at MSP, offers seasonal service to Keflavik with Boeing 757-200s. Air Canada Jazz is the second foreign carrier offering service to Toronto.
Airlines serving the Lindbergh Terminal:
Airlines serving the Humphrey Terminal:
By car
Interstate Highways 35W and 94 are the main arteries into town. Both will take you very close to downtown. I-35W runs north and south (for the most part) and I-94 east and west. Both interstates will connect you to the 494/694 beltway around the metro area. Be sure to keep an eye on which lane you're in, as freeway interchanges come up fast, and traffic back-ups can occur at any time, day or night.
By train
Amtrak, . Daily service to Midway station, located just off University Avenue near the border between Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The "Empire Builder", Amtrak trains 7/27 and 8/28, serves the Twin Cities area, terminating at Chicago and Seattle or Portland (the train splits in Spokane, Washington). This train covers a route similar to the historic "Empire Builder" of the James J. Hill Great Northern Railway.
Taxi is probably your best bet for getting to your final destination from the train station, particularly if you're coming from Chicago or other points east. The train arrives at 10:30PM or later, when the heavily reduced night shift bus schedules have gone into effect. If a wait doesn't worry you the #16 bus runs along University Avenue, a block south of the station, and it will take you to downtown Minneapolis or Saint Paul. Consider fueling up at The Dubliner on University Ave across from the station. It's a great, friendly little pub and the #16 heading into Minneapolis stops on its doorstep.
By bus
Greyhound Bus Lines, and Jefferson Lines . Buses arrive at the Hawthorne Transportation Center, located at 950 Hawthorne Ave (at 10th St, one block west of Hennepin) in downtown Minneapolis. It's just a few minute's taxi ride away from most of the downtown hotels. It's 4-5 blocks away from a few major bus routes and the light rail. Check the web site above for schedule details. The depot is near a homeless shelter, so it's not uncommon to see a few homeless people hanging out nearby. The area is well-patrolled and quite safe.
Megabus, . Low-cost bus company that offers service to Minneapolis from Chicago and Milwaukee. From Chicago, you can connect to buses heading to St Louis, Kansas City, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Louisville. Fares can be as little as $1 each way if ordered far enough in advance. There are two marked stops in Minneapolis. The first stop is in downtown Minneapolis on the west side of 3rd Ave N between Washington Ave and 5th St (note: it's directly under the 4th St Garage). The second stop is near the University of Minnesota on the south side of University Ave next to the University Ave Parking Ramp, across the street from Williams Arena.
Get around
The city streets have a grid system that's helpful if you take the time to learn it. Minneapolis is divided into four quadrants: North, South, Northeast and Southeast. Hennepin Avenue forms the divider between streets labeled N and S near downtown. This division continues through the smaller portion of Minneapolis that lies east of the Mississippi River, dividing it into Northeast (NE) and Southeast (SE). Further to the west of downtown, this division lies along Linden Avenue, which is just north of the I-394 freeway. In North, Northeast and Southeast Minneapolis, all roads will carry the N, NE, or SE prefixes on street signs. In South Minneapolis, the north-south running avenues are marked with an S. The east-west running streets are marked with a W or E, depending if you are west or east of Nicollet Avenue. Even though the street signs show these directional designators before the street names, most locals will read the addresses with them at the end. Thus "York Avenue South" appears on street signs as "S York Ave" and "N 33rd Ave" is pronounced as "33rd Avenue North".
Minneapolis also is one of the few cities to use multi-colored street signs. These colors were originally developed to indicate the priority of plowing during winter storms. Although the plowing system has since changed, they can still be helpful to indicate what sort of street you are on. Blue signs indicate major roads which are "Snow Emergency Routes" in winter. These are still the first streets to be plowed after a storm. Rust colored signs indicate roads that run primarily east-west. Light green signs indicate roads that run primarily north-south. Dark green signs indicate scenic parkways that ring the city and the lakes.
Public Transit
Buying a pass via Metro Transit's website in advance of your trip can be a smart bit of preparation depending on your needs. It saves you money, but more importantly it keeps you from having to worry about exact change! Stored Value cards would be the best choice for most visitors except for one glaring mistake: they are only good for bus travel, not the LRT. 31-Day SuperSaver Passes cover both and are ideal for the extended stay in that they are good for unlimited rides and so you never have to worry about buying another or recharging. However, as of Fall 2006 these begin at $76 for access to all trains and buses (other than commuter express buses between downtown and suburbs) and so are likely overkill for a shorter stay.
An Introduction to Minneapolis via Public Transit
The northern head of the LRT is in downtown on Hennepin Avenue and South 5th Street, near the Warehouse District and the Target Center. Along Hennepin next to the LRT station are bus stops for Route 6, connecting Uptown, Downtown, Dinkytown/University of Minnesota. This Route 6/LRT nexus is a good start for first-time visitors, as most of the hotels (provided you're staying in the city and not some dreary airport/suburban business traveler hovel) are within a few minutes' walk. If you are staying at the airport you can get here via the LRT. Other suburban accommodations are likely to be located near express buses, which largely terminate one block over at Hennepin and South 4th Street. Ask your concierge.
Taking the LRT south from downtown, the first stop you might be interested in is The Metrodome. Home to the Minnesota Vikings (football), The Minnesota Twins (baseball), University of Minnesota football and the occasional rock concert, it's an iconic landmark. Alternately known as just the Dome, the Homer Dome, and the Humper Dome, among others, it's stay-puft roof is instantly recognizable.
Next stop, Cedar/Riverside. If you walk a few blocks east to Cedar Avenue, there's a vibrant, diverse and sometimes dangerous neighborhood known, coincidentally, as Cedar-Riverside or the West Bank. When I say dangerous, I'm not talking about Cabrini Green level crime, but rather, a neighborhood where one should stay in well-lit areas and cab home if you have a few too many or stay a little too late. (Bars are open until 2 a.m.) Before you are frightened away, there's much this neighborhood has to offer that really shouldn't be missed. The 400 Bar, on the corner of Cedar and Riverside Avenues, is one of the top clubs in town. It used to be a place where local bands played on pool tables. Now they offer national touring acts from all over the country. The drink prices are a little inflated.
East on Riverside Avenue is the Hard Times Cafe. Hard Times is only closed for two hours every day, from 4:00 am to 6:00 am. The quality of the food can vary widely depending on who is on duty, but you can count on plenty of cool and aloof no matter who it is. They offer good coffee, (often) loud music, games, etc. The Nomad is just a little further south on Cedar Ave. It has a nice outdoor patio for smoking and inside they have a stage where you can see a variety of local rock or jazz shows. Across the street from The Nomad, is Palmers. Palmers gets a little rough, if you don't know how to behave yourself while drinking. Not for the weak of heart or mind. Mind your own business if you go there. Keep heading back south down Cedar Avenue and you'll come to the Triple Rock Social Club, one of a number of Twin Cities music venues which seem to have arisen out of someone's dream of parking a bar in their basement rec-room. The bar side has great food with a lot of vegetarian options. The club side has a big stage and fantastic sound system. Check their web site above for listings.
Still further down Cedar Avenue are the Whiskey Junction and The Cabooze. Whiskey Junction is a favorite hang out for bikers, but a good number of those are the suburban type with expensive Harley Davidsons. The crowd and atmosphere at the Cabooze varies widely, depending at least in part on who is doing their best interpretation of blues that night--from all those people who disappeared from campus freshman year to long-haired exurbans with Polaris ballcaps. Both venues offer live music most nights. If you make it to the Cabooze, you're already near the Franklin Avenue Light Rail stop. Get back on and head down to Lake Street.
Lake Street/Midtown has a lot to offer on weekend days in the spring and summer. Namely an outdoor market with lots of good food and locally made goodies. The neighborhood has become a center for Mexican and Central American immigrants, and hence the food of those regions, in Minneapolis. See the Eat section for more information. Worth a stop for sure. You can also catch a 21 bus from here to Uptown (make sure the bus is going west).
The next few stops take you to mostly residential neighborhoods. While there are things to do along them, they're not easily accessible on foot, so we'll skip ahead to 50th Street/Minnehaha Park. The Minnehaha Park station is adjacent to a park and Minnehaha Falls. You can see the 53 foot falls and walk along the creek on its way to the Mississippi River.
The Fort Snelling station is located after the VA Medical Center station. Fort Snelling makes a great day trip. It's the original settlement in Minnesota and an early wilderness outpost.
Next is the Airport and then the Mall of America, the gargantuan monument to advanced capitalism. The MOA is not quite as sparkling as it was on its opening over a decade ago, but it is still the largest mall around and by some accounts the leading tourist destination in the United States. Tour operators from as far away as Japan organize charter flights and hotel bookings for the single purpose of experiencing "The Mall". It offers an indoor amusement park, movies, restaurants and more shopping than is comprehensible. It's a day trip in itself, but not for the thrifty. Food, shopping and the Camp Formerly Known as Snoopy (now The Park at MOA) can burn through your wallet fast. Not for those with poor impulse control. For the tourist in you, check out local kitsch such as the Lake Wobegone Store.
The return trip: by disembarking at the Lake Street Station and catching a #21 Bus going west, or by returning to the LRT headwaters at Hennepin Avenue and catching a #6 Bus bearing south, one can end up at Uptown and the jewel of Minneapolis, the gorgeous Chain of Lakes. If you're here between Memorial Day and Labor Day, rent a canoe at Lake Calhoun (stop at the nearby Lunds grocery on Lake Street for picnic materials) and see four lakes, three enchanting sheltered canals, two islands, and one classic creosote-tastic railroad trestle from a duck's eye view.
The 21 brings you past the Midtown Market and Lyn-Lake on the way, while the 6 takes you through downtown and past the gleaming Loring Park area, featuring the spectacular Basilica of St. Mary, the infamous Spoon and Cherry, and the shiny metal Rock 'Em-Sock 'Em Robot head that is the new Walker Art Center expansion. Heading north on the 6 will take you across Nicollet Island, another of Minneapolis' abundant urban havens, and through the original Minneapolis/St. Anthony milling district and a touch of the ethnic food and drink haven that is Northeast Minneapolis on the way to Dinkytown and the University of Minnesota (including an old campus district which is on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as some of the top libraries in the world).
- Plan a trip on the light rail and bus or find out about fares online at: or call 612-373-3333
By bike
Minneapolis offers abundant biking lanes and biking trails throughout the city, for example one can bike from Chaska to St. Paul using only bike trails, some thirty miles; .
Major bike trails such as the Midtown Greenway are plowed at the same time as major streets. In some neighborhoods like Downtown, Dinkytown, Uptown, and near the University of Minnesota campus, bikes are seen almost as often as cars.
See
The museums, natural parks and waterfronts, malls, shopping districts, dining zones, and should give you several options no matter what your age.
Museums
Theater
Theaters are clustered in Downtown, West Bank, and Uptown
Do
Minneapolis on the surface seems like a pretty but rather quiet tourist destination. If you properly do your research though, there is plenty to do.
Lakes and Parks
Learn
Buy
Clothes
Bookstores
The Twin Cities are a hotbed of independent presses and bookstores.
You can also sell comics here, and the dealers are great. The establishment is over 30 years old.
Record Stores
Eat
Minneapolis is renowned for its restaurants, ethnic or American. It could take weeks to sample just a part of what it has to offer. For a good listing of the city's best restaurants check the City Pages' Best of 2005 or their restaurant reviews . Also, try The Rake or the Star Tribune .
It's all about the locals when looking for a great place to eat. Here are some gems that earn frequent top kudos from Minneapolis' locals:
Areas For Dining
Bakeries and Bistros
Chinese
Diners
French
Fusion or Modern American
Indian
Italian
Japanese
Japanese cuisine is highly competitive. Prepare to spend more at the first two establishments for sushi, which runs $5-$8 at both places per serving. The best showings are probably:
Mexican
In recent years, Minneapolis has developed a core community of Mexican-born residents. As a result, several good, authentic Mexican restaurants have cropped up.
Middle Eastern
Thai
Vietnamese
Vegetarian
Pizza
Sometimes you roll into town and you just want a good slice of pizza. Minneapolis has a few offerings.
:Go to the downtown location if you can on the corner of 5th St. and 2nd Ave N. Easily the best pizza in town. Full bar, punk rock staff. You can get pizza by the slice or sit down and order a whole pie. Open until 3 a.m. The Uptown location is on the corner of 32nd and Lyndale Ave. S. The pizza is still fantastic, but the service is not as good. The Seward location on the corner of 22nd and Franklin Ave has mixed results. Pizza is still good there, but not as good as the other two locations.
:Is probably the only place in town where one can get authentic, Chicago-style pizza. Beer on tap. Good hoagies too.
Drink
Music
Minneapolis has one of the most vibrant and independent music scenes in the country. The city is probably most famous for its purple pop wonder, Prince, but also boasts bands such as Soul Asylum, The Replacements, The Jayhawks, and Polara just to name a few. Several clubs in town play host to shows by local bands and your chances of finding a good one are better than average.
Alcohol
The nightlife in general can be vibrant in several areas. The Warehouse District is great for clubbers, Dinkytown is good for college partygoers, Uptown is good for those with a bit more money, and The Mall of America has several spots for the middle aged and sports fans. Minneapolis is not the 24 hour city that New York is, but bars close at 2AM - so that is still plenty of time, especially if you find a party to go to afterwards (it is best to be accompanied by friends and to know someone either through a reliable acquaintance, friend, or client who knows your host's social status).
Minneapolis certainly accommodates those seeking a good drink. There are over a dozen Irish, German, or British pubs, such as The Local, Black Forest Inn, Brit's Pub, Gastoff's, or Kieran's. Local dining, clubs, pubs, and bars in general compete for the best Happy Hour specials. It's a good idea to pick up a City Pages or to do an internet search to find the best deals.
Most liquor stores in the general metropolitan area close at 10PM. You can save more money by purchasing your own supply. Be sure to check out the yellow pages for liquor stores which specialize in wines or beers.
Coffee/Tea
When you are a stranger, sometimes it's hard to find a good cup of coffee besides the ubiquitous Starbucks. Luckily, Minneapolis' independent spirit has yielded good cups of coffee in so many places, one can hardly throw a rock without it landing in a latte.
Also see district articles for more coffeehouses.
Sleep
There is a good variety of hotels. Most of them are clustered in downtown, or near the University of Minnesota. Avoid straying too far away from town without a car. In downtown, the Doubletree hotel is a great value. There is a good Radisson, Marriott, and many Holiday Inns around the area.
The University of Minnesota Radisson is a good place to stay during times when sports and school are quiet. Refer to the Qwest Dex yellow pages for more MA and PA lodgings or for special luxury suites.
Budget
Minneapolis International Hostel, 2400 Stevens Ave (two blocks east of Nicollet), +1 612 522-5000 (toll-free +1 888-250-3315) - This is the most well-established backpackers hostel in the Twin Cities. Quick walking distance to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and Eat Street. A 15 minute walk or short bus ride to Downtown, and a short bus ride to Uptown. Beds start at $24.95 per night.
Minneapolis EcoHostel, 2409 Lyndale Ave S, +1 612 584-4350, - In the Ecopolitan building. Building houses the Ecopolitan Restaurant, which only serves organic raw vegan fare. Hostel patrons are instructed to abide by certain principles (e.g. don't bring any non-vegan food into the hostel). Quick and easy access to Uptown and Downtown by bus, bike, or even foot. Rates unknown, call for details.
The Railstation Hostel 3619 Snelling Ave, +1 612 242-0928 - Calls itself a "safe, Christian-based hostel," according to some hostel websites. The hostel is located a few blocks away from the 38th Street light-rail station, providng quick access to Downtown, the University area, the airport, and the Mall of America. There isn't much to do in the hostel's surrounding neighborhood, although it isn't too far away from the Mississippi River or Minnehaha Park. Beds start at $30 per night.
Mid-range
Doubletree Guest Suites MinneapolisDowntown Conveniently located just blocks from the Minneapolis Convention Center, the Doubletree Guest Suites Minneapolis places you in the heart of the Midwest's most vibrant big city. Discover the boutique charm of this downtown Minneapolis hotel, which is situated in the city's premier shopping and theater district. Only minutes from the Target Center and Metrodome, we provide easy access to more than 100 restaurants and nightclubs. (612)-332-6800
Holiday Inn MetrodomeDowntown Minneapolis hotel that puts all of the area's most recognizable attractions within easy reach - from the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and the convention center to the University of Minnesota and the Mall of America. 1-800-448-DOME(3663)
Holiday Inn BurnsvilleSouthern Minneapolis hotel that provides direct access to the area's most popular attractions. Holiday Inn Burnsville is the true Getaway to the Twin Cities. 1-888-463-7200
Splurge
Chambers Hotel, 901 Hennepin Ave, +1 612 767-6900 .
Graves 601, 601 First Ave North +1 866 523-1100 .
Hilton Minneapolis, 1001 Marquette Ave, +1 612 376-1000 .
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, 1300 Nicollet Mall, +1 612 370-1234 (fax +1 612-370-1463), - Rooms start at $189 per night, but di
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Minneapolis (pronounced: ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities, these two cities form the core of Minneapolis-St. Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.2 million residents. The city of Minneapolis' population is estimated at 372,811 people as of 2005.
Once a hub for timber and flour milling, Minneapolis is the primary business center in the vast expanse between Chicago, Illinois and Seattle, Washington. Minneapolis is nicknamed the City of Lakes and the Mill City.
History
Dakota Sioux were the region's sole residents until explorers arrived from France in about 1680. Nearby Fort Snelling, built in 1819 by the United States Army spurred growth in the area. Circumstances pressed the Mdewakanton band of the Dakota to sell their land, allowing people arriving from the east to settle there. Present day Minneapolis was incorporated as a town on the Mississippi's west bank in 1856, incorporated as a city in 1867, the year rail service began between Minneapolis and Chicago, and joined with the east bank city of St. Anthony in 1872.
Minneapolis grew up around Saint Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the Mississippi. Millers have used hydropower since the 1st century B.C., but the results in Minneapolis between 1880 and 1930 were so remarkable the city has been described as "the greatest direct-drive waterpower center the world has ever seen." In early years, forests in northern Minnesota were the source of a lumber industry that operated seventeen saw mills on power from the waterfall. By 1871, the west river bank had twenty-three businesses including flour mills, woolen mills, iron works, a railroad machine shop, and mills for cotton, paper, sashes, and planing wood. The farmers of the Great Plains grew grain that was shipped by rail to the city's thirty-four flour mills where Pillsbury and General Mills became processors. By 1905 Minneapolis delivered almost 10% of the country's flour and grist. At peak production, a single mill at Washburn-Crosby made enough flour for twelve million loaves of bread each day.
Minneapolis made dramatic changes to rectify discrimination as early as 1886 when Martha Ripley founded Maternity Hospital for both married and unmarried mothers. When the country's fortunes turned during the Great Depression, the violent Teamsters Strike of 1934 resulted in laws acknowledging worker's rights. A lifelong civil rights activist and union supporter, mayor Hubert H. Humphrey helped the city establish fair employment practices and a human relations council that interceded on behalf of minorities by 1946. Minneapolis contended with white supremacy, participated in desegregation and the African-American civil rights movement, and in 1968 was the birthplace of the American Indian Movement.
During the 1950s and 1960s as part of urban renewal, the city razed about two hundred buildings across twenty-five city blocks—roughly 40% of downtown, destroying the Gateway District and many buildings with notable architecture including the Metropolitan Building. Efforts to save the building failed but are credited with jumpstarting interest in historic preservation in the state.
Geography and climate
Minneapolis history and the city's economic growth are tied to water, the city's defining physical characteristic, which was sent to the region during the last ice age. Fed by receding glaciers and Lake Agassiz ten thousand years ago, torrents of water from a glacial river undercut the Mississippi and Minnehaha riverbeds, creating waterfalls important to modern Minneapolis. Lying on an artesian aquifer Water is managed by watershed districts that correspond to the Mississippi and the city's three creeks.
The city center is located just south of 45° N latitude. The city's lowest elevation of 686 ft (209 m) is near where Minnehaha Creek meets the Mississippi River. The site of the Prospect Park Water Tower is often cited as the city's highest point and a placard in Deming Heights Park denotes the highest elevation, but a spot at 974 ft (296.8 m) in or near Waite Park in Northeast Minneapolis is corroborated by Google Earth as the highest ground.
The climate of Minneapolis is typical of the Upper Midwestern United States. Winters are bitterly cold and dry, while summer is warm, sometimes hot, and frequently humid. On the Köppen climate classification, Minneapolis falls in the warm summer humid continental climate zone (Dfa). The city experiences a full range of precipitation and related weather events, including snow, sleet, ice, rain, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and fog. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Minneapolis was 108 °F (42.2 °C) in July 1936, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was -41 °F (-40.6 °C), in January 1888. The snowiest winter of record was 1983–84, when 98.4 in (2.5 m) of snow fell.
Because of its northerly location in the United States and lack of large bodies of water to moderate the air, Minneapolis is frequently subjected to cold arctic air masses throughout the winter months. The average annual temperature of 45.4 °F (7 °C) gives the Minneapolis–St.Paul metropolitan area the coldest annual mean temperature of any metropolitan area in the continental U.S.
Parks and recreation
The Minneapolis park system has been called the best-designed, best-financed and best-maintained in America. Foresight, donations and effort by community leaders enabled Horace Cleveland to create his finest landscape architecture, preserving geographical landmarks and linking them with boulevards and parkways. The city's Chain of Lakes is connected by bike, running, and walking paths and used for swimming, fishing, picnics, boating, and ice skating. A parkway for cars, a bikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians run parallel paths along the 52 mile (83 km) route of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway.
Theodore Wirth is credited with the development of the parks system that brought a playground within the reach of most children, the city's canopy of trees, and a park within six blocks of each home. Today 15% of the city is parks and there are 770 square feet (71 m²) of parkland for each resident.
Parks are interlinked in many places and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area connects regional parks and visitor centers. The country's oldest public wildflower garden, the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary is near Theodore Wirth Park which is shared with Golden Valley and is about 60% the size of Central Park in New York City. Site of the 53-foot (16 m) Minnehaha Falls, Minnehaha Park is one of the city's oldest and most popular parks, receiving over 500,000 visitors each year. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow named Hiawatha's wife Minnehaha for the Minneapolis waterfall in his The Song of Hiawatha, a bestselling and often-parodied 19th century poem.
Runner's World ranks Minneapolis America's sixth best city for runners. The Twin Cities Marathon run in Minneapolis and St. Paul every October draws 250,000 spectators. The 26.2 mile (42 km) race is a Boston and USA Olympic Trials qualifier. The organizers sponsor three more races: a Kids Marathon, a 1 mile (1.6 km), and a 10 mile (16 km). Minneapolis is home to more golfers per capita than any major U.S. city. Five golf courses are located within the city, with nationally renowned Hazeltine National Golf Club, Bearpath Country Club, and Bunker Hills Golf Course in nearby suburbs. The state of Minnesota has the nation's highest number of bicyclists, sport fishermen, and snow skiers per capita. Hennepin County has the second-highest number of horses per capita in the U.S. While living in Minneapolis, Scott and Brennan Olson founded (and later sold) Rollerblade, the company that popularized the sport of inline skating.
Government
Minneapolis is a stronghold for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), an affiliate of the Democratic Party. The Minneapolis City Council holds the most power and represents the city's thirteen districts called wards. The council has twelve DFL members and one from the Green Party. R.T. Rybak also of the DFL is the current mayor of Minneapolis. The office of mayor is relatively weak but has some power to appoint individuals such as the chief of police. Parks, libraries, taxation, and public housing are semi-independent boards and levy their own taxes and fees subject to Board of Estimate and Taxation limits.
Citizens have a unique and powerful influence in neighborhood government. Neighborhoods coordinate activities under the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), funded in the 1990s by the city and state who appropriated $400 million for it over twenty years. Minneapolis is divided into communities, each containing neighborhoods. In some cases two or more neighborhoods act together under one organization. Some areas are commonly known by nicknames of business associations.
The organizers of Earth Day scored Minneapolis ninth best overall and second among mid-sized cities in their 2007 Urban Environment Report, a study based on indicators of environmental health and their effect on people.
Early Minneapolis experienced a period of corruption in local government and crime was common until an economic downturn in the mid 1900s. Since 1950 the population decreased and much of downtown was lost to urban renewal and highway construction. The result was a "moribund and peaceful" environment until the 1990s. Along with economic recovery the murder rate climbed. The police imported a computer system from New York City that sent officers to high crime areas despite accusations of racial profiling; the result was a drop in major crime. Since 1999 the number of homicides increased during four years, and to its highest in recent history in 2006. Politicians debate the causes and solutions, including increasing the number of police officers, providing youths with alternatives to gangs and drugs, and helping families in poverty. For 2007, the city invested in public safety infrastructure, hired over forty new officers, and has a new police chief, Tim Dolan.
Canada and Norway have permanent consulates in Minneapolis. Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Guatemala, Korea, The Netherlands, Romania and Sweden have honorary consuls.
Education
Minneapolis Public Schools enroll 36,370 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers about one hundred public schools including forty-five elementary schools, seven middle schools, seven high schools, eigth special education schools, eight alternative schools, nineteen contract alternative schools and five charter schools. With authority granted by the state legislature, the school board makes policy, selects the superintendent, and oversees the district's budget, curriculum, personnel, and facilities. Students speak ninety different languages at home and most school communications are printed in English, Hmong, Spanish, and Somali. Besides public schools, the city is home to more than twenty private schools and academies and about twenty additional charter schools.
Minneapolis' collegiate scene is dominated by the main campus of the University of Minnesota where more than 50,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attend twenty colleges, schools, and institutes. Created in 1851 as a preparatory school, the university is noted for engineering, applied mathematics, management, health, and economics and administers more than 140 research facilities. A Big Ten school and home of the Golden Gophers, the U of M is the fourth largest campus in the U.S. in terms of enrollment.
Minneapolis Community and Technical College, the private Dunwoody College of Technology, and Art Institutes International Minnesota provide career training. Augsburg College, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, North Central University, and University of St. Thomas are private four-year colleges. Capella University, Minnesota School of Professional Psychology, and Walden University are headquartered in Minneapolis and some others including the public four-year Metropolitan State University have campuses there.
The Minneapolis Public Library system operates the city's public libraries. It faced a severe budget shortfall for 2007, and has been forced to close three of its neighborhood libraries. A merger with Hennepin County Library is proposed but not funded. The new downtown Central Library designed by César Pelli
