Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis is the most populated city in the Midwest state of Minnesota. The city is situated 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. The city is profusely rich in water with over twenty lakes and wetlands, the Mississippi river, creeks and waterfalls, many connected by parkways in the Chain of Lakes and the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway.

The name Minneapolis is attributed to the city's first schoolmaster, who joined the words mni, the Dakota word for water, and polis, the Greek word for city. The city is nicknamed the "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City".

History

Dakota Sioux were the area's sole residents until French explorers arrived around 1680. Nearby Fort Snelling, built in 1819 by the United States Army, spurred growth in the area. In 1856 the Minnesota Territorial Legislature authorized present day Minneapolis as a town on the Mississippi's west bank. Minneapolis was 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 highest waterfall on the Mississippi.

As early as 1886 Minneapolis made dramatic changes to rectify discrimination when Martha Ripley founded Maternity Hospital for both married and unmarried mothers. During the United State's Great Depression, the violent Teamsters Strike of 1934 resulted in laws acknowledging workers' rights. Mayor Hubert Humphrey, a lifelong civil rights activist and union supporter, helped the city establish fair employment practices and a human relations council that interceded on behalf of minorities by 1946.

Today's Minneapolis economy is based in commerce, finance, rail and trucking services, health care, and industry. Sixteen Fortune 500 headquarters are in Minneapolis metro, like: Target Corporation, U.S. Bancorp, Xcel Energy, Ameriprise Financial, and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

The Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins arrived in the state in 1961. The Vikings are an NFL team and the Twins are a Major League Baseball team. The Minnesota Timberwolves brought NBA basketball back to Minneapolis in 1989, followed by the Minnesota Lynx WNBA team in 1999.