Minneapolis is the largest city on Minnesota located in Hennepin County. With Saint Paul it forms the 15-county Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan statistical area. History of Minneapolis can be traced back to the early exploration of the Northwest Territory. The city is famous for its sixteen lakes, parklands and the beauty that nature provides. St Paul and Minneapolis is rated as one of the best cities to settle.
Minneapolis is situated at the junction where the Minnesota River joins the Mississippi River on flat or gently rolling terrain. Sixteen lakes are located within the city limits but most of them are small and shallow, covered by ice in the winter.
Minneapolis enjoys a continental type of climate with extreme seasonal temperature variations and a favorable growing season of 166 days. Blizzards, freezing rain, tornadoes, and wind and hail storms are fairly common in Minneapolis. Winter recreational weather is excellent, however, because of the dry snow reaches average depths of 6 to 10 inches.
Area: 54.9 square miles (1999)
Elevation: Ranges from 687 feet to 1,060 feet above sea level
Latitude: 44.96 N
Longitude: 93.27 W
Average Temperatures: January, 11.2° F; August, 70.6° F; annual average, 44.7° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 26.36 inches
Colleges and universities: University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Augsburg College, Capella University, Minneapolis College of Art And Design, Minneapolis Community & Technical College, North Central University, Saint Mary's Twin Cities Campus
Festivals:
- Adventure Festival - Sept. 7-11, 2006
- Fall Fine Arts Festival - Nov. 10-12, 2006
- Minnesota Fringe - Aug. 3-13, 2006
- Norway Day - July 9, 2006
- Swedish Heritage Day - June 25, 2006
Attractions:
