Minneapolis Minnesota : Ask Biography

Administration

Full name

Minneapolis

Official name

City of Minneapolis

Settlement type

City

Motto

En Avant (French: 'Forward')

Country

United States

State

Minnesota

County

Hennepin

Incorporated

1867

John H. Stevens and Franklin Steele

Named for

Dakota word "mni" meaning water with Greek word "polis" for city

Government

Mayor

R. T. Rybak (DFL)

Geography

Total Area

58.4 sq mi (151.3 km2)

Land Area

54.9 sq mi (142.2 km2)

Water Area

3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2)

Elevation

830 ft (253 m)

Demography

Total Population

382,578 (US: 48th) (2010)

Density (pop.)

2709.6/km² (7019.6/sq mi)

Urban (pop.)

2450721

Metro (pop.)

3,269,814 (16th)

Demonym

Minneapolitan

Other information

Time zone

CST (UTC-6)

- Summer (DST)

CDT (UTC-5)

ZIP codes

55401 � 55487

Area code

612

FIPS code

27-43000

GNIS feature ID

0655030

Home | City | Minneapolis Minnesota

Minneapolis ( ), nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States. Its name is attributed to the city's first schoolteacher, who combined mni, the Dakota word for water, and polis, the Greek word for city.

Minneapolis lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities, Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the 15th-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with approximately 3.5 million residents. The 2010 Census had the city's population at 382,578.

The city is abundantly rich in water with over twenty lakes and wetlands, the Mississippi river, creeks and waterfalls, many connected by parkways in the Chain of Lakes and the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway. It was once the world's flour milling capital and a hub for timber, and today is the primary business center between Chicago and Seattle. It has cultural organizations that draw creative people and audiences to the city for theater, visual art, writing, and music. Minneapolis' community's diverse population has a long tradition of charitable support through progressive public social programs, as well as private and corporate philanthropy.