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Graduate Student Handbook
History - The
Twin Cities - Information and
Educational Resources - Campus
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About Minnesota and the Twin Cities
Minnesota and the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are renowned for their outstanding quality of life. They are repeatedly cited for such life quality indicators as negligible pollution, low crime rates, ethnic diversity, and friendly people. In 2006 the United Health Foundation ranked Minnesota as the healthiest state in the nation. Minnesota has ranked #1 or #2 by United Health since 1990. In May 2007 Forbes magazine recognized Minneapolis as the fifth cleanest city in the world.
With a population of almost 3 million, the Twin Cities area also is an exciting urban center with two flourishing downtowns, sophisticated educational and cultural institutions, thriving entertainment and athletic scenes, and 900 lakes, 500 parks, and 3 rivers. In June, 2006, Minneapolis and St. Paul were ranked #2 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine as a "Smart Place to Live"
Minneapolis and St. Paul
Minneapolis, named one of Frommer's "Top Travel Destinations for 2007", is a vibrant urban center along the Mississippi River. Its scenic parks and waterways have caused it to be dubbed the "City of Lakes." In the summer, you can sail on Lake Calhoun and bicycle or inline skate around Lake Harriet. In the winter, you can ice skate on Lake of the Isles. Then you can go out and participate in the lively artistic, athletic, and entertainment scenes that make Minneapolis a cultural center.
Home of the state government, the annual Winter Carnival, and some of the world's grandest ice castles, St. Paul is known for its historic neighborhoods and strong support of the arts. It is a city of contrasts. Progressive, but steeped in tradition and committed to preservation, St. Paul has distinctive glass and steel skyscrapers that mirror the turrets and gargoyles of its restored historic structures.
Although the Twin Cities campus is just minutes away from both city centers, it is an oasis of open grass, trees, water, and flowers. There are also shops, restaurants, bookstores, and theaters located near each area of the campus.
The Minnesota State Capitol, located in St. Paul, celebrated its centennial in 2005. This Minnesota landmark was designed by Cass Gilbert, who also won the master campus plan design competition for the University in 1908. Northop Mall was the centerpiece of his winning design.
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Cultural opportunities
The Twin Cities area is the cultural center of the Upper Midwest: it ranks second after New York in per capita attendance at theater and arts events. World-renowned theater, music, and museums—as well as hundreds of smaller organizations—are all part of the cultural richness of the area.
Plays
Theater-goers will find Tony® award-winning professional theater companies like the Guthrie Theater and Theatre de la Jeune Lune, as well as a multitude of small and community theater groups. These groups specialize in areas such as African American, experimental, or classic plays, and include the Guthrie Lab, Park Square Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Southern Theater, and Theatre in the Round.
The Children's Theater Company—also the winner of a regional Tony® award—stages classic and new plays for children of all ages. The Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater and the Stages Theater provide additional opportunities. There are also comedy troupes, suburban dinner theaters, and touring Broadway shows. In addition, the University's Department of Theatre Arts & Dance offers a full schedule of all genres of plays.
Museums
Minneapolis and St. Paul are home to a number of museums. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts displays an encyclopedic collection of world art from antiquity to the present. The recently expanded Walker Art Center, which placed in the Wall Street Journal's list of "Americans' Favorite Buildings" in February, 2007, highlights contemporary painting, sculpture, and prints, and includes the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The Walker also offers extensive programming in dance and film.
The Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Minnesota History Center, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Children's Museum are located in St. Paul. For more information, visit twincities.citysearch.com.
The University's Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum houses a notable collection of early 20th-century American art, as well as holdings in ceramics and Asian decorative arts. Designed by Frank Gehry, it has received worldwide acclaim for its creative and controversial design of stainless steel and brick, and also placed in the "Americans' Favorite Buildings" list.
Concerts and dance events
The Minnesota Orchestra, located in Minneapolis, and the Grammy Award-winning St. Paul Chamber Orchestra are world-renowned ensembles. Their homes, Orchestra Hall and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, also host internationally known performers in classical, pop, and jazz music.
Popular artists also perform at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center, and Minneapolis's First Avenue and Target Center. Other musical programs are presented by the Minnesota Opera Company and a variety of dance troupes.
Minnesota International Center
The Minnesota International Center is a community organization that is an important resource for international students who want to experience life off campus. Programs include dinner visits, world affairs forums, discussion groups, and activities with Minnesotans interested in exchanging perspectives about cultures and current affairs. For more information, visit the Minnesota International Center Web site.
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Recreational options
Outdoor activities
The Twin Cities area offers a wide range of recreational activities in a beautiful setting. With a multitude of lakes, parks, and rivers in the metropolitan area, summer sports include swimming, golfing, canoeing, sailing, rowing, running, and fishing. In the winter, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, skating, snowshoeing, and ice fishing are popular. Intramural sports and clubs at the University provide the opportunity for students to participate in team sports.
The St. Croix River, a segment of which forms part of the Minnesota/Wisconsin border, was named a National Scenic Riverway in 1968. It provides 252 miles of recreational opportunities, some as close as 30 minutes from St. Paul.
Metropolitan area bicycling
Many bicycle routes in the Twin Cities are directly accessible from campus. They run through or near state parks, the Mississippi River and its bluffs, historical and cultural sights, several university campuses, and two major metropolitan areas. Get more information on the Twin Cities Bicycling Club Web site.
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The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway is a series of pedestrian and bicycle trails running through the metropolitan area. Along its route you can experience many lakes, outdoor concerts, special events, natural areas, historic sites, interpretive exhibits, and cultural activities.
The Cedar Lake Trail is part of a 13-mile loop that intersects with the Grand Rounds trail just west of downtown Minneapolis. The Cedar Lake Trail is the nation's first "pedestrian highway" with four lanes of trails for walking, running, biking, and inline skating. For access points, parking, and a trail map, visit the Minnesota Inline Skate Club Cedar Lake Trail Review Web page.
Athletic events
Minnesota has many exciting spectator sports teams including the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers (part of the Big Ten intercollegiate conference), the Minnesota Vikings professional football team, the Minnesota Timberwolves professional men's basketball team, the Minnesota Lynx professional women's basketball team, the Minnesota Twins professional baseball team, the Minnesota Wild professional hockey team, and the Minnesota Thunder professional soccer team.
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Economic advantages
Minneapolis and St. Paul are centers of commerce and industry, particularly in the following areas:
- computers
- electronics
- food processing and milling
- forest products
- medicine and medical technology
- retailing
- transportation
Hundreds of national and multinational corporations make their homes in the Twin Cities, such as 3M, Best Buy Companies, Inc., Cargill, General Mills, International Dairy Queen, International Multifoods Corporation, Land O'Lakes, Medtronic, Northwest Airlines, SuperValu, Inc., Target Corporation, United Health Group, and US Bank.
According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), Minnesota's job growth in the second quarter of 2006 accounted for 10 percent of the nation's overall job creation and was the biggest quarterly gain in 22 years. In June, the final month of the quarter, there were 14,700 jobs created, involving increases in 9 of the 11 job sectors monitored by the state. Year-over-year job growth, as of June, was 2.7 percent, nearly double the national rate of 1.4 percent.
Six Minnesota organizations have been winners of seven prestigious Baldrige Awards since 1988, a significant accomplishment since only 68 awards have been given nationally. Award winners include Sunny Fresh Foods, a subsidiary of Cargill, which won the award twice; 3M's Dental Products Division; and IBM Rochester. For more information, visit the Baldrige National Quality Program Web site.
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Quality of life
The Twin Cities consistently rank high in a variety of quality of life ratings. In 2006, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine ranked the Twn Cities number two in affordability and livability. Also in 2006, The Green Guide ranked Saint Paul and Minneapolis among America's Top 25 Green Cities. Factors considered include air and water quality, efficient use of resources, renewable energy leadership, green building practices, and number of parks and greenbelts. For more information, read the March/April 2006 issue of The Green Guide.
The Twin Cities have received national recognition for being a metropolitan area that is family friendly. For example, 75 percent of families in the Twin Cities own their own homes (the national rate is 67 percent). Also, the National Kids Count 2005 report, one of the largest annual studies of child welfare in the country, ranked Minnesota third overall based on 10 indicators of child well-being, such as infant mortality rate, percentage of high school dropouts, and percentage of children in poverty.
The Minnesota State Fair, which is held annually and ends on Labor Day, is referred to as The Great Minnesota Get-Together. Overall attendance in 2006 was 1,680,579 people over the 12-day run of the fair. The fairgrounds are located adjacent to the Twin Cities campus in St. Paul.
The metropolitan area has two zoos with very different characters. The Minnesota Zoo, which is in the southern metropolitan area, features an open habitat as well as housed exhibits. The Como Park Zoo, in St. Paul, is a classic urban zoo.
In addition to the zoo, Como Park offers a lake, picnic areas, sports fields, an 18-hole golf course, a conservatory, a small amusement park, a miniature golf course, an historic 68-horse carousel, and a performance pavilion with adjoining cafe.
The city of Minneapolis has more than 150 parks, each providing an opportunity to relax and enjoy the outdoors. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board also operates 49 year-round, neighborhood-based recreation centers. Programs, classes, and special events are offered to residents of the entire Twin Cities metropolitan area. For more information, visit the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board Web site.
Saint Paul Parks and Recreation offers athletic, recreational, educational, environmental, and social activities among its many programs for all ages. In 2005, the department received the coveted National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, which honors the nation’s outstanding park and recreation agency in communities of more than 250,000 people. To find out more about the city's great offerings, visit the Saint Paul Parks and Recreation Web site.
Downtown St. Paul is the home of two children's museums: the Science Museum of Minnesota, located in a riverside facility, and the Minnesota Children's Museum.
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Minnesota books
A good way to find out more about Minnesota is to read books about the state, such as the following titles published by the University of Minnesota Press (Minneapolis, MN):
- Adams, John S., and Barbara J. VanDrasek. Minneapolis-St. Paul: People, Place and Public Life. 1993.
- Adams, Noah. Saint Croix Notes. 2001.
- Bly, Carol. Letters from the Country. 1999.
- Brill, Charles. Red Lake Nation: Portraits of Ojibway Life. 1992.
- Butler, Dori Hillestad. M is for Minnesota. 1998.
- El-Hai, Jack. Lost Minnesota: Stories of Vanished Places. 2000.
- George, Stephen. Enterprising Minnesotans: 150 Years of Business Pioneers. 2003.
- Hess, Jeffrey A., and Paul Clifford Larson. St. Paul's Architecture: A History. 2006.
- Jaques, Florence Page. Canoe Country and Snowshoe Country. 1999.
- Lathrop, Alan K. and photography by Bob Firth. Churches of Minnesota: An Illustrated Guide. 2003.
- Le Sueur, Meridel. North Star Country. 1998.
- Olson, Sigurd. Reflections from the North Country. 1998.
- Olson, Sigurd. The Singing Wilderness. 1997.
- Sandeen, Ernest R. St. Paul's Historic Summit Avenue. 2004.
- Tice, D.J. Minnesota's Twentieth Century: Stories of Extraordinary Everyday People. 1999.
- Toth, Susan Allen. Leaning into the Wind: A Memoir of Midwest Weather. 2003.
- Vannote, Vance. Women of White Earth. 1999.
- Walker, Charles Rumford. American City: A Rank and File History of Minneapolis. 2005.
- Winnan, Audur H. Wanda Ga'g. 1999.
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