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Minneapolis is the county seat of Hennepin County, Minnesota. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 382,618 making it the largest city in Minnesota. It is in the southeast part of the state, adjoining the second-largest city and state capital, St. Paul. The two cities on the Mississippi River together are known as the Twin Cities. Minneapolis takes its name from the Dakota word for water ('minne') and the Greek word for city ('polis'), and is sometimes called the 'City of Lakes.'
Minneapolis grew up around the Saint Anthony Falls, the only waterfall on the Mississippi River and the end of the commercially navigable section of the river until locks were installed in the 1960s. Father Louis HennepinLouis Hennepin ( 1640? 1701?) was a 17th-century Flemish-French explorer of the interior of North America and a Catholic priest. Hennepin County, Minnesota, whose seat is Minneapolis, is named after him, as is a street, Hennepin Avenue, in Minneapolis. was the first European to explore the area, giving the falls their name, as well as lending his name to the county in which Minneapolis is located. The nearby Fort SnellingFort Snelling is a former military fortification located at the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers in Hennepin County, Minnesota. 100,000 acres (400 km²) of land in the area were purchased by Lt. Zebulon Pike in 1805, though it was more th spurred the growth of villages and towns in the area. In the 1840sEvents and Trends First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi New Zealand. The treaty between the British Crown and Maori made New Zealand a British colony and is considered the founding point of modern N, settlers were not allowed to stay on land directly controlled by the fort without special permission, so the first settlement near the falls grew on the northeast side of the river, just outside of the fort's jurisdiction. A few years later in 1852Events January 14 President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. January 17 United Kingdom recognizes independence of the Transvaal Devil's Island penal colony opens February 11 First British public toilet, the amount of land controlled by the fort was reduced with an order from U.S. PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state of the United States. Under the U. Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and commander in chief of the armed forces. Because of the superpower status of th Millard FillmoreMillard Fillmore Order 13th President Term of Office July 10, 1850 March 3, 1853 Followed Zachary Taylor Succeeded by Franklin Pierce Date of Birth January 7, 1800 Place of Birth Summerhill, New York Date of Death March 8, 1874 Place of Death Buffalo, New. The village of Minneapolis soon sprung up on the southwest bank of the river.
The original campusThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. It's student body is currently the second-largest in the United States according to the Associated Press, with 50,954 students (behind Ohio Stat of the University of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota is a large university with several campuses spread throughout the state of Minnesota, USA. There are four primary campuses: Twin Cities, Duluth, Crookston, and Morris. In addition, University services are available in Rochester first appeared near the falls at this time. Today it is a Big Ten Conference university with more than 45,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Twin Cities alone, making it one of the largest campuses in the country.
In 1867, Minneapolis became a city, merging with Saint Anthony five years later in 1872. The early growth of the city was directed by the river, which ran to the southeast, and most early streets ran parallel to it to maximize the amount of land that could be used. Later growth of Minneapolis eventually turned to using north-south/east-west streets, so many unique intersections were formed to translate between the two layouts (probably the most famous of these is a site known as Seven Corners, on the eastern periphery of downtown).
Following an initial burst of activity in the lumber industry, the city's economy developed around the processing of grain from the Great Plains, which is reflected by the presence of companies such as General Mills and Pillsbury in the city. In its heyday, it was known as the "milling capital of the world." It was the leading producer of grain in the world until 1932. Today, it is still referred to as the mill city. More recently the city has become notable for its medical and financial industries, as well as the largest shopping mall in terms of indoor space in the United States, the Mall of America (actually located in Bloomington, a suburb south of Minneapolis). Minneapolis was the headquarters of Honeywell International Inc.
The 1920s and 1930s were a rather dark period in the city's history, as organized crime and corruption took hold of the region. The most notorious gangster from this time was Kid Cann (real name Isadore Blumenfeld) who ran much of his operation from the city's West Hotel . His criminal activities included bootlegging, racketeering, and prostitution.
In the 1950s and '60s, the downtown area of Minneapolis went through a major phase of urban renewal, which involved the razing of about 200 buildings across 25 city blocks—roughly 40% of the area. This included the destruction of a slum area known as "Skid Row," but also the destruction of many buildings with notable architecture. One of the most lamented buildings was the Metropolitan Building, known simply as "the Met". Efforts to save the building (which ultimately failed) are credited with jumpstarting a much greater interest in historic preservation in the state of Minnesota.
In the 1980s, Minneapolis took its place as a center of the arts, with the Walker Arts Center leading the nation in appreciation of pop and postmodern art, and a diverse range of musicians, from Prince to Hüsker Dü to the Replacements leading the nation in musical innovation.
Another dark period came upon the city in the 1990s as the murder rate and incidence of gang violence climbed, especially in poorer neighborhoods. The Phillips neighborhood was particularly hard-hit. After reaching a record 97 homicides in 1995, the city gained an unpleasant nickname because of the violence: "Murderapolis." Supposedly coined by local gun shop owner Mark Koscielski, the term gained widespread use after when The New York Times used it when reporting that Minneapolis had surpassed the per capita homicide rate of New York City. The murder rate retreated in the following years, but area residents often grow concerned that the nickname may make a comeback whenever there is an uptick in violence in the city.