Minneapolis, Minnesota

History

Minneapolis is the largest conurbation in the north-central region U.S. the city is the headquarters of Hennepin County in southeastern Minnesota. It lies on both banks of Mississippi River and near the river’s confluence with the Minnesota River to the north, while adjoining St. Paul to the east.

In connection with St. Paul, the two forms the twin cities metropolitan, Minneapolis is the largest with a significant number in the population. The suburban communities surrounding the big twin cities include St. Luis park and Plymouth(West), Brooklyn Park (Northwest), Columbia Heights (north), Bloomington and Richfield(south).

The metropolis city is abundantly rich in water and natural environment while in its relatively level plain—Discover 22 lakes within its limits along with 170 parks, the city has been hit by floods several times. The Mississippi national river, with its recreational area, is located adjacent to the city. In its western suburban area are lake Minnetonka and irregular shoreline, 12 miles and 15 miles away from the city, respectively. To the east is Minnehaha falls, dropping from 16 meters high over an escarpment. The population of Minneapolis by the year 2010, was 382,578 while the area cover by the city is 58 square miles. On the other hand, St. Paul registered 3279833 after the rapid increase in its population.

History and Origin

The indigenous inhabitants of these land before it came into development were Sioux and Ojibwa. In 1680, the Franciscan missionary who first visited this place named it St. Anthony Falls. In 1819 Fort Snelling military post utilized the falls to provide power for grinding flour. On the east side of the falls, some settles started occupying the military reservation towards the west in 1849. The government then decided to factor in the quarters and provided them with patent rights in 1855 while the incorporation of Minneapolis took place in 1856. The name Minneapolis originates from the Sioux word "mine," meaning water, and "polis," the Greek word meaning city. St. Anthony and Minneapolis was chartered in 1860 and 1867 respectively, and both were joined together as Minneapolis city in 1872 The falls played a significant role in the economy of these regions since it acted as a lumber and flour milling center. By 1870 Minneapolis emerges to be the top producer of flour countywide. The lumber industry boomed until the late 19th century, while wheat farming increased, surpassing the lumber industry, which eventually came to closure in 1919. It was during the late 19th when the railroad connecting Chicago and the south was completed. After the 1st world war, the cheap freights offered by great lake shipping enhanced the exportation of flour to buffalo, New York, while Minneapolis remained the headquarters for the milling companies. Minneapolis continued growing until the 20th century when it became the nation's largest grain market and eventually the largest cash exchange market all over the world. The Minneapolis population continued to proliferate from the 19th century to mid 20th century when it began to drop in 1990 upon the city's stability. After a while, the populations of the city's metropolitan areas increased rapidly following the movement of people from the city to its suburbs. According to the country's history, a large number of population was constituted by Europeans. Still, ironically, the area is now inhabited by a large number of African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, while African Americans are constituting a more significant percentage.

Contemporary City

The current state of development in Minneapolis is unbelievable. The city is now the center of almost every production and distribution sectors worldwide. The city is now known to lead in the manufacturing of metal products, medical devices, machinery, electronics and computers, automotive parts, food processing, milling, among other major productions. The twin cities are the main terminals for tracking and railroads and international airports. On the other hand, Minneapolis is also known as a world-class educational base since most renowned universities and colleges are located in this area. Minneapolis is known to claim the central portion of the University of Minnesota. With that being said, several professional teams are based in these cities, the likes of; The baseball (Minnesota Twins), the gridiron football (Vikings), the state's men's (Timberwolves), and Lynx. This is world giants' teams and is all based in Minneapolis.