Minneapolis Area Communities and Real Estate Property Listings Resource

Twin Cities General

Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis

First-time visitors are astonished at the wealth of natural beauty and the number of choices in outdoor, professional entertainment, and cultural activities in and around the Minneapolis/St. Paul (Twin Cities) area. With nature at their doorsteps, both Minnesotans and visitors concentrate much of their recreation in the outdoors, regardless of season.

Minnesotans know how to balance nature with sports activities and the Twin Cities offers many opportunities to personally explore the scenery, wild life and surroundings. Wild life refuges and reserves are found within city boundaries and host a number of activities including boating, fishing, bird watching, bicycling and hiking in warmer months. During the winter months, the parks, reserves and even golf courses, double as snowshoeing, sledding, ice skating and cross country terrains.

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul is a seven-county metropolitan area that is home to some 2.5 million people. It contains almost 200 individual cities and townships boasting a wide variety of lifestyles, housing costs and cultural amenities. The “Metro Area” includes the counties of Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Scott and Washington. Get some interesting local information in our Twin Cities Fact Sheet.

Lake Harriet Trolley, Minneapolis

The history of the area is as rich and diverse as its complex topography, with historical places of interest such as the Living Museum at Fort Snelling which dates back to the early 1800’s, or the historic Summit Avenue in St. Paul where you can see and tour the homes of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, and many industrial legends of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The 1920s were a notorious period in St. Paul's history. During Prohibition, from 1920 to 1933, St. Paul was a hub for smugglers, gamblers, and other outlaws, and a haven for gangsters including John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson, Machine-Gun Kelly, and Ma Barker and her gang. Today, you can visit the caves along the Mississippi River where they hid from the law.

Are museums and galleries more your taste? If so, the Twin Cities have a community tradition of supporting the arts and have several venues which showcase that support. The Twin Cities region is home of two thriving downtowns, an internationally acclaimed orchestra and symphony and several art museums. Second only to New York City for the number of theater seats per capita, Minneapolis alone is home to 30 live theaters. The level of musical artistry in the Twin Cities is extraordinary, featuring more than 18 professional music organizations and 25 community music groups.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul community is home to five professional sports teams, including the Minnesota Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Thunder (Soccer), Saint Paul Saints and the Lynx. Beautiful stadiums and sports facilities add convenience and comfort to any outing.

Stone Arch Bridge, Minneapolis

Don’t forget the vast amount of shopping and dining experiences available from the Mall of America, situated in Bloomington, to the wonderful Edina shopping experience and the unique downtown Minneapolis shops where you never need to venture out in the weather.

The phrase, quality of life, was first created for the Twin Cities area. It is truly is a great place to live, play and work. We have the lowest average work drive time in the nation at 21.1 minutes and that leaves a lot of time for play!