Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI MSA |
|
---|---|
Metropolitan Statistical Area | |
Country | United States |
States | Wisconsin* |
Principal cities | |
Area | |
• Urban | 1,021.8 sq mi (2,646 km2) |
• Metro | 8,120 sq mi (21,000 km2) |
Highest elevation | 1,376 ft (419 m) |
Lowest elevation | 666 ft (203 m) |
Population (2015) | |
• Density | 515.4/sq mi (199.0/km2) |
• Urban | 3,112,117 (14th) |
• MSA | 3,524,583 (16th) |
• CSA | 3,866,768 (14th) |
MSA/CSA: 2015 Urban: 2010 |
|
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a major metropolitan area built around the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in east central Minnesota. The area is commonly known as the Twin Cities after its two largest cities, Minneapolis, the city with the largest population in the state, and Saint Paul, the state capital. It is an example of twin cities in the sense of geographical proximity. Minnesotans often refer to the two together (or the seven-county metro area collectively) as The Cities.
There are several different definitions of the region. Many refer to the Twin Cities as the seven-county region which is governed under the Metropolitan Council regional governmental agency and planning organization. The Office of Management and Budget officially designates 16 counties as the Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington MN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, the 16th largest in the United States. The entire region known as the Minneapolis–St. Paul MN-WI Combined Statistical Area, has a population of 3,866,768, the 14th largest, according to 2015 Census estimates.
Despite the Twin moniker, both cities are independent municipalities with defined borders. Minneapolis is somewhat younger with modern skyscrapers, while Saint Paul has been likened to a European city with quaint neighborhoods and a vast collection of well-preserved late-Victorian architecture.