Living in Minnesota
Living in Minnesota
Quality of life is high in Minnesota. The economy is prospering, incomes are high, and opportunities are limitless.
Minneapolis is the City of Lakes. Most residents are within walking distance of at least one of its 22 lakes and 150 parks. St. Paul has the style and class of architecture of a much older city. Throughout the year, residents enjoy the outdoors and one of the healthiest regions of the country.
Enthusiastic fans enjoy: Minnesota Vikings football, Minnesota Twins baseball, Minnesota Wild hockey, Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx basketball and Big Ten action at the University of Minnesota. The area is a cultural mecca, home to the world acclaimed Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera Company and St. Paul's picturesque Ordway Theater. The nationally acclaimed Guthrie Theater is one of more than 100 live theaters in the state. Major art museums include the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center. The Minnesota History Center, Science Museum of Minnesota, Children's Museum and Minnesota Zoo rank among the finest in the country. The community also supports a number of thriving classical and modern dance companies and is home to two of America's top recording studios. "The Minneapolis Sound" from these and other studios has had a tremendous impact on the American music scene. For shoppers and tourists, the Mall of America, with its unique shopping and indoor amusement park, draws visitors from throughout the world.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, with 3 million people, is an exciting place to live and to visit. The area ranks eighth in the number of Fortune 500 corporations. Education and income levels rank among the highest of major cities in the country. The world-renowned Mayo Clinic is just 80 miles from the Twin Cities, and the entire area is known for its excellent medical facilities, outstanding schools, clean government, and a strong business climate.
At least as important, Minnesota enjoys clean, fresh air and outstanding environmental quality. Minnesota is a rare balance of cosmopolitan cities and wilderness recreation areas. It is heavily forested and graced with more than 15,000 clean lakes. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Voyageurs National Park and Canada's acclaimed Quetico Provincial Park are all within reasonable driving distance of the Twin Cities.