The Twin Cities: Minneapolis-St Paul

The so called Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St Paul combine to form the sixteenth largest metropolitan area in the United States, and the population and cultural centre of Minnesota. Although the two cities abut, they do have distinct characters and histories. Minneapolis has Scandinavian/Lutheran roots and been referred to as the "first" city of the American West, while early German Catholic and Irish influences helped to define St Paul as the "last" city of the east.

The Twin Cities lie along both banks of the Mississippi River. There are more crossings of this river here than in any other city along its banks. Indeed, the river was crucial to the development of the Twin Cities. St Paul was founded at a natural landing where loading and unloading boats was easy. Minneapolis grew up around Saint Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the Mississippi. The falls were harnessed from the earliest days of the city to power flour and saw mills. Later, the falls began to disintegrate through natural erosion and the impact of the logs floated down the river for the timber trade. The Twin Cities took careful action to ensure their continued prosperity by building a concrete apron to protect the falls and prevent them subsiding into a series of rapids.

Excavation and conservation of the extensive pipes, channels and canals that ran through and under the city gives some indication of what an enormous undertaking it was to build this city. Every mill was served by its own artificial stream, which then fed back into the river. Powered by the waterfall, the milling industry became so important to the city, and the country, that Minneapolis was known as the Mill City. Even today working and abandoned flour mills still line the banks of the river in the old downtown district near St Anthony Falls.

Careful to secure both a lasting power source and healthy river boat trade, Minneapolis-St Paul also boasts the greatest change in water level of the many locks and dams installed along the Mississippi. The locks and dams were created as part of the 9 foot navigation program, an enormous project which ensured a minimum depth of 9 feet in a freight boat channel along the river. Now this is a lock.

The Twin Cities are an artistic centre, the home of regional theatre in the upper Midwest, and have one of the largest live theatre audiences per capita in the country. It's also an educational hub and a sporting powerhouse. There's a lot going on here.

I saw a humorous video presentation about the Twin Cities that described them as having a perpetually adolescent air. There is certainly a lot of energy around. I saw an amazing number of people jog in scorching noon heat across the stone arch bridge that curves over the river. How can the same people who endure the frigid winter here be able to jog in such high temperatures and a million percent humidity?

The Twin Cities had suffered a tragedy shortly before my arrival. The I-35W bridge across the Mississippi collapsed during the evening rush hour, killing 13 people. Everywhere I looked there were reminders of the disaster in the closed off entrance ramps to the I-35. I had plenty of opportunity to notice them because Thelma, who doesn't follow the news, didn't know about the collapse and attempted to get me onto the I-35W at every opportunity. At least, I hope Thelma didn't know about the collapse. I could be in a lot of trouble if my satelite navigation unit has decided to start steering me off collapsed bridges.