Minneapolis, Minnesota
History
Minneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota. The city lies in the southern part of the state, and it is found where Mississippi River confluence with the Minnesota River. Minneapolis forms Twin Cities with St. Paul, the largest metropolitan area in the U.S. north-central region. Communities that live in the outcast of Minneapolis, we have Brooklyn Park in the northwest, Richfield and Bloomington in the south, Plymouth and St. Louis Park in the west, and the Columbian Heights in the north.
Minneapolis is blessed with several natural physical features that can act as a tourist attraction. This populous city is in a relatively plain area and therefore has 22 lakes and lagoons, not forgetting the 170 parks, the city has also been affected by water damage on multiple occasions. The famous national River Mississippi runs through this city. Have you ever heard of Minnehaha Falls? Water flowing eastwards from Minnehaha creeks falls 16 meters down over a mountain forming the waterfalls. The climate in this city is cool, and it has long, cold winters and warm summers. Minneapolis covers 150 square kilometers, which are equivalent to 58 square miles.
Origins
The early inhabitants of Minneapolis were the Sioux and Ojibwa. Even the name of this city originated from a Sioux word mine, meaning water and a Greek word polis meaning city. In 1680, a Franciscan missionary by the name Louis Hennepin visited the area and named St. Anthony Falls. A military outpost at the River's confluence generated their power from the falls, and this power was used for grinding flour used in Fort Snelling. With time, settlers began occupying the west side of the falls as St. Anthony developed on the eastern side. It is in 1855 that the government gave the settlers patent rights to the land. In 1860, St. Anthony was declared a city, seven years later Minneapolis has also charted a city, but the two came to merge in 1872. The availability of a waterfall made lumbering and flour milling the economic activity in the city. This led to significant economic growth for many years until wheat-growing increased in the northwest. With time, the lumbering industry in the area was shut down. Minneapolis was connected to other cities by railroad, and after World War 1, great lakes was used to export flour from the city. Up to date, Minneapolis grain exchange still stands as one of the largest markets in the globe. The city being a metropolitan area led to the rapid growth of the population in the 19th century. The numbers began to drop again until the late 90s when it stabilized. Most of the area's inhabitants were of Scandinavian ancestry, but now one-fifth of the population is black. In 2007, the caught the world's attention as one of the bridges on River Mississippi collapsed. It was later known the collapse was due to design flaws.
The Contemporary City
Minneapolis is now developed and has nearly all sought of industries. Transport, agriculture, and health systems are currently highly diversified in this city, and the technology used is of a high standard. Minneapolis now has many educational institutions, and some are well known globally, for example, the University of Minnesota. Museums and theatres have also been built in this area to commemorate the history of the city. In terms of sports, there are several sports teams based in Minneapolis. There are football and basketball teams in this area, and they participate in national leagues. The Minnesota United FC, which engages in the major league, is in the city, and their home stadium is TCF Bank Stadium.