Minneapolis and St. Paul are both situated in the southern portion of the state of Minnesota and are located around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota, and St. Croix rivers. The Twin Cities area is host to many major attractions and historical sites. This well know urban area tends to attract many tourists with many interesting places to visit such as The Mall of America, several state parks and historical sites, botanical and zoological gardens and even gambling centers. For the sports fans this area is home to both the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins. Even those with a more religious interest will find interesting sites such as the cathedral named after the patron saint of the area and Americas first Basilica which is dedicated to St. Mary. http://www.twincitiestours.com/attractions.html

The history of the area reaches back to a time when Lt. Zebulon Pike was assigned to conduct a reconnaissance of the upper Mississippi river and when he reached the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers he purchased 155,000 acres from the Dakota Indians. http://www.fortsnelling.org/history/HistoricFortSnelling.aspx

After the war of 1812 when the government took possession of the Northwest Frontier the established a series of forts one of which was placed at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers and named Fort Snelling. The construction of the fort was completed in 1825 on the bluff above where the two rivers met. The settlement near the fort was named Saint Paul in 1841 in honor of a recently built chapel dedicated to the Saint. Its neighboring town was named by a contest which combined the Sioux word mine with the Greek word polis meaning city. As time progressed St. Paul became Headquarters for the American Fur Company and Minneapolis became the largest milling center due to new flour milling technique.

The two cities have continued to progress and diversified their industries into such areas as technology and education even becoming a leading cultural center in the U.S. Making this area one of the places to visit if your family members or companions have varying interests to indulge.

If you're planning a trip to Minneapolis or St. Paul check out our Minneapolis and St. Paul Vacation, Minneapolis and St. Paul Hotels, and Minneapolis and St. Paul Tours.

The 1-35W Bridge just outside of Minneapolis came apart and fell into the Mississippi River killing thirteen people. It was later determined that the collapse was the results of an original design flaw in the original construction of the bridge. A new bridge is set to open in the winter of 2008.