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Our Twin Cities

Although separated by the Mississippi River, Minneapolis and Saint Paul are virtually one city. Together they form the core of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the country (and roughly 65th-largest in the world), with more than 3 million residents.

By nearly every measure, the Twin Cities area ranks among the country’s most desirable places to live, offering exceptional cultural, social, and recreational opportunities.

The Twin Cities community has long been noted for its tremendous spirit of civic cooperation. Private corporations and foundations often join with government and community organizations to improve and expand the resources available to the community. The substantial private investment that results enriches the whole Twin Cities area and helps maintain it as a dynamic metropolitan center.

Economic Profile

Minnesota’s economy is one of the most diversified in the nation with more than 90% of all major U.S. industries located in the state, including 32 Fortune 1000 companies and 15 S&P 500 firms. Many large companies started in Minnesota, such as Target, General Mills, Medtronic, Cargill, 3M, and Honeywell, to name a few. Other leading companies located here include United Health Group, Best Buy, Carlson Companies, Aveda Corporation, St. Paul Travelers Companies, U.S. Bancorp, and Xcel Energy. Minnesota was one of two states to earn a perfect score on the 2006 Development Report Card for the States, an annual ranking that measures relative state-by-state economic development success. Minnesota’s median income for 4-person families ranks fifth nationally.

The Twin Cities metropolitan area serves as the economic center of the upper Midwest. It is no surprise that beautiful scenery, world-class art museums, professional sports, and exciting nightspots abound.


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London-based magazine Monocle names Minneapolis as the 19th most liveable city in the world--one of only two US cities to make their annual top 20 list (July 2008).

Minneapolis ranks number one as the “Most Affordable Place to Live Well” in a November 2007 Forbes report.

Minneapolis-St. Paul ranks No. 1 in the 2007 MarketWatch study of the best cities for business. The Twin Cities region was noted to be “a magnet for companies big and small, public and private.”

A 2007 study ranked Minneapolis as “America’s Most Literate City,” with the city of St. Paul ranked third nationally.

In Gallup’s 2006 Soul of the City survey of twenty major U.S. cities, the Twin Cities ranked second in satisfaction as a place to live.

For the past twelve years straight, the Morgan Quitno Press has ranked Minnesota one of the top two “Most Livable States” in its annual survey based on 43 factors (and ranked first for seven years in a row).

Money magazine named the Twin Cities the “Best Place to Live in the Midwest.”

Popular Science in 2005 declared Minneapolis to be the country’s “Top Tech City.”

The 2007 United Health Foundation's America’s Health Rankings ranked Minnesota as the second most-healthy state (Minnesota held the top position for four years in a row, and for the past 18 years Minnesota has never been ranked less than second).

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.