Life in the Twin Cities

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are a thriving metropolitan area with a population of approximately 2. 5 million. The Twin Cities receives consistently high rankings nationally for education, economy, health care, innovation, the arts, and progressive government. For example:

• In 2004, the United Health Foundation ranked Minnesota the healthiest state in the nation.
• A 2003 University of Florida report ranks the University of Minnesota 10th nationwide – ahead of Harvard and MIT – in total research spending, mostly in the life sciences.
• Several of the University’s graduate schools rank high in the annual U.S. News and World Report rankings: Medical School Duluth (fifth in primary care), Medical School Twin Cities (13th in primary care), School of Education (19th), School of Law (19th), and Carlson School of Management (21st).
• The Twin Cities ranks as the world’s 10th most competitive knowledge region, based on indicators like the number of patents, number of managers as a percentage of total population, and per capita spending on education.
• Deloitte and Touche ranks 17 Minnesota companies among the 500 fastest growing technology companies in the nation.
• Minnesota is headquarters for 19 Fortune 500 companies.
• Forbesfeatures 14 Minnesota companies among the “400 Best Big Companies in America” and 10 companies among the “200 Best Small Companies.” The magazine named Best Buy Company “Best Company of the Year” for 2004.
• The state’s average prices for electricity are lower than the national average for all customer classes, while average gas prices are lower for residential and commercial users.
• Intel’s 2004 survey of the nation’s “most unwired places” puts the Twin Cities at 15th among cities offering high-speed Wi-Fi wireless Internet connections.

The following links provide more information on life in the Twin Cities:

• Relocation
• Child Care
• Education
• Entertainment and Outdoor Activities

Local News/Media

• Star Tribune – Minneapolis newspaper
• Pioneer Press – St. Paul newspaper
• City Pages – free metro are newspaper
• The Rake – free metro area newspaper
• Kare 11 (NBC)
• KSTP 5 (ABC)
• WCCO 4 (CBS)
• KMSP TV 9
• Minnesota Public Radio