Minneapolis is home to of many
corporate based companies such as Target, (which has
approximately 1500 retail stores nationwide), U.S. Bancorp,
Xcel Energy, Ameriprise Financial, Pepsi, Wells Fargo,
Macy's, Star Tribune, IBM, Piper Jaffray, ING Group, Qwest,
etc. The largest shopping mall, Mall of America is located
in Minneapolis.
The economy of Minneapolis today
is based in commerce, finance, rail and trucking services,
health care, and industry. Smaller components are in
publishing, milling, food processing, graphic arts,
insurance, and high technology. Industry produces metal and
automotive products, chemical and agricultural products,
electronics, computers, precision medical instruments and
devices, plastics, and machinery.
In 2005, Popular Science Magazine named Minneapolis as
the "Top Tech City" in the U.S. due to its above
average public transportation, university research,
Medical research and energy conservation. In 2006
Kiplinger's poll of Smart Places to Live ranked
the Twin Cities as the second best place to live. It
also stated Minneapolis is one of the Seven Cool
Cities for young professionals.
Minneapolis is the primary business center between
Chicago, Illinois, and Seattle, Washington. Minneapolis
is considered one of America's most literate city,
housing many cultural organizations for theater, visual
art, writing and music. The metropolitan area ranks
second only to New York City in live theater per capita
and is the third-largest theater market in the
U.S.
The Minneapolis park system has
been called the best-designed, best-financed and
best-maintained in America. Mineapplis has twenty
lakes and wetlands, the Mississippi riverfront, creeks and
waterfalls, many connected by parkways in the Chain of Lakes
and the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway.
Runner's World ranks
the Twin Cities as America's sixth best city for runners.
Minneapolis is home to more