Did you know Minneapolis was a city of innovation? We’re here to share some other interesting Minneapolis facts that will increase your respect for this fine city and its residents.
Minneapolis is also known for its amazing food, devotion to local sports teams and incredibly cold winters. But that’s just scratching the surface. What about all the Minneapolis secrets that only residents know about? That’s what you’re really here for, right? We’ve got you covered. The following list of Minneapolis facts will help you get to know this city even better — which is a great thing to do when you’re considering a move to the Twin Cities.
33 Minneapolis facts you need to know before moving to this city
1. Minneapolis is definitely a foodie city. In fact, it ranked No. 24 on our list of the Best Foodie Cities in America. And while chefs in the city make a variety of dishes, only residents know about the local cuisine. Dishes like lefse (Norwegian flatbread), lutfisk (lye-soaked fish that only hard-core Minnesotans can stomach) and tater tot hotdish (basically a tater tot casserole) are unique to this area of the country.
2. Two endearing qualities of people from Minneapolis are that they are mostly self-deprecating and they practice restraint. However, they’re also known — as are most people in the state — for something called “Minnesota nice,” which is an interesting way of saying locals are often passive-aggressive. In fact, a common passive-aggressive phrase used (and acknowledged that it’s used by locals) is “that’s…different.” If you identify as passive-aggressive, Minneapolis just might be the city for you! Though, you can also consider cities like Portland, San Francisco, New York and Philadelphia, ranked as the irrationally angriest cities by Thrillist.com.
3. You might think Minneapolis is like other Midwest or Eastern states with four distinct seasons, bitterly cold winters and hot, humid winters. You’d be partially right. What a lot of people don’t know is that the weather in Minneapolis is somewhat erratic. One day it’s warm and sunny, the next day it’s cold and rainy. It just changes on a dime, and you never really know what to expect. It’s a Minneapolis fact locals have (kind of) come to terms with.
4. One of the best Minneapolis secrets is skateboarding. Or, perhaps it’s the other way around. Minneapolis is skateboarding’s best-kept secret. On those days when the weather finally clears up and you can feel the warmth, the streets fill up with skateboarders. If you’ve got the balance, the skateboarding community is a fun one.
5. Locals invest in car starters. It’s a $200-$300 investment but being able to start your car remotely is a Godsend. You can warm it up in the frigid winter months and cool it down in the hot, sticky summer months.
6. The University of Minnesota had an apple breeding program. It was because of that program that we have the Honeycrisp apple — arguably the tastiest apple variety in existence.
7. Fun Minneapolis fact: Baking is huge here! So much so that the city is well known (at least in the Midwest and to those that love to bake) for inventing, developing or creating the pop-up toaster, Bisquick and the Bundt pan. Also, the General Mills icon, Betty Crocker, made her debut on a Minneapolis radio station.
8. The Mall of America — located in Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis — is so big that Google had to create an indoor map of the mall. The mall encompasses 2,869,000 square feet, which is bigger than 78 football fields. And just in case you’re wondering, there are 520 stores in the mall. If you spent 15 minutes in each store, you’d spend 130 hours in the Mall of America, or 5 ½ full 24-hour days.
9. The Minneapolis Skyway spans 69 blocks. It’s the longest continuous skyway in the world.
10. One of the top Minneapolis secrets is that it has a huge theater market. When you think live theater, you probably think of New York City, and you’d be right to think that since it takes the top spot in the country. However, Minneapolis (combined with St. Paul, MN) has the third-largest market for live theater in the U.S. Plus, when it comes to live theater seats, Minneapolis is second only to New York City per capita.
11. Dinkytown is in the commercial district of Minneapolis. The Loring Pasta Bar in Dinkytown is not only famous for its homemade pasta and live music, but also because it’s housed in the building where Bob Dylan used to live.
12. Minneapolis is a major biking city, with a bike score of 83. In fact, thousands of cyclists hit the road (or trail) every single day, making Minneapolis the most bikeable city in the country.
13. “The Lion King” is a beloved play that people all over the country visit Broadway to see. But “The Lion King” didn’t debut on Broadway. Instead, it first premiered at the Orpheum Theater here in Minneapolis.
14. An interesting Minneapolis fact: The city manufactured the first armored vehicle in the country.
15. Minneapolis is an ideal location for the nerds and geeks of the world, and Minnesota actually ranks in the top 20 nerdiest states in the country. It’s considered one of the “techiest” cities in the U.S. since they founded the Geek Squad in a suburb of Minneapolis (Richfield) and it was among the first cities to use wireless internet.
16. The Minneapolis Institute of Art has one of the most impressive, rare jade exhibits in the world. One piece on display is a 640-pound sculpture of a mountain. The sculpture (officially titled “Jade Mountain Illustrating the Gathering of Scholars at the Lanting Pavilion” sculpted in 1784 in Qing Dynasty China) is the largest jade carving outside of China.
17. Prince might be Minneapolis’ most famous musician, but other legends recorded some of their earliest and/or greatest hits at Sound 80 recording studio, including Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens.
18. Minneapolis is home to the only natural waterfall on the Mississippi. St. Anthony Falls (also known as the Falls of Saint Anthony) is found along the northeastern edge of downtown Minneapolis. Who needs Niagara Falls? St. Anthony Falls is truly a sight to behold!
19. Minneapolis is also the first city to build a bridge over the Mighty Mississippi. Builders erected the bridge in 1855 where the Hennepin Avenue Bridge sits. Some of the anchor stones of the original bridge are still situated around the base of the current bridge.
20. The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (or just the Metrodome) was a sports stadium in the downtown area. It opened in 1982 but in 2014, the powers that be decided to demolish it. The stadium was home to the Minnesota Vikings (NFL), Minnesota Twins (MLB), the Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA) and other sports teams. The Metrodome was the only sports facility that hosted a Super Bowl, World Series, MLB All-Star Game, as well as an NCAA Division I Basketball Final Four. Too bad they demolished it. But safety first, right? With a self-supported (by air pressure) fabric and fiberglass roof that collapsed five times, sustaining the stadium just wasn’t cost-effective.
21. Cheerleading was born at the University of Minnesota. Back in 1898, a medical student by the name of Johnny Campbell gathered a group together to pump up the fans at a school football game. Leading the crowd in a series of unified chants soon caught on and gave us modern cheerleading, sans the acrobatics of contemporary cheer squads.
22. One of the lesser-known Minneapolis secrets is that this city is the unofficial hipster capital of the Midwest. You’ll find a ton — seriously, a ton — of contemporary art galleries, record stores, vintage clothing shops, coffee shops and millennials in Minneapolis.
23. Housing costs are fairly affordable for such a hip city. Apartments in Minneapolis average slightly over $1,400 per month. Some neighborhoods in and around Minneapolis are extremely cheap (relative to your income, obviously), which can leave you more money to spend on your vintage record collection and the best food this city has to offer.
24. If you’re someone who wants to make it in the corporate world and start earning big bucks, you should definitely make the move to Minneapolis. Downtown, as well as various Minneapolis suburbs, are home to at least 12 Fortune 500 companies. Overall, 16 companies in Minnesota made the Fortune 500 list.
25. Living in a city means you have to get used to loud noises — including obnoxious people, right? Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find some quiet places to visit. You can go to a park or one of the quiet, nearby suburbs. Or, you can visit Orfield Labs anechoic chamber, one of the quietest rooms in the world. The room has negative sound decibels, a rare fact that put the room in the Guinness Book of World Records.
26. Dr. C. Walton Lillehei (a Minneapolis native) performed open-heart surgery in 1953 at the University of Minnesota. He was the first surgeon to successfully complete this procedure.
27. Everyone loves a good cat video. Minneapolis took its appreciation for hilarious and heartwarming cat videos to the next level by hosting the first Internet Cat Video Festival in 2012 at the Walker Art Center. Since then, the event has become a tradition in the Twin Cities, complete with special guests, live music, costumes and art projects. You’ll even find booths promoting animal welfare projects.
28. It’s a Minneapolis fact: this city is a music lover’s dream. Legendary musicians not only record in the city, but they also perform — often at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Past acts include Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash and Elvis.
29. Minneapolis is also an art lover’s dream. The Walker Art Center is one of the top five contemporary art museums in the country — and one of the most frequently visited.
30. Minneapolis appreciates pop culture, too. On Nicollet Avenue, you’ll find the Mary Tyler Moore Statue on the very spot where Ms. Moore throws her hat into the air during the show’s iconic intro.
31. The locals want to help immigrants succeed. That’s why some of the streets in Minneapolis have the names of U.S. Presidents. Those streets are also in order in regards to when those Presidents served. This helped immigrants’ study for their immigration exam.
32. Little-known Minneapolis fact: sports reporter and broadcaster Halsey Hall coined the phrase “holy cow!” in the city. Baseball players used the phrase as early as 1913, and Hall used the phrase in a broadcast during a home run. Other sports broadcasters used the phrase often (sometimes in an effort to avoid using vulgarities), including Harry Caray, Phil Rizzuto, Jack Holiday and Earl Gillespie.
33. If you’re a chocolate fan (who are we kidding? There are no “ifs” about it!), you can thank Minneapolis for the creation of some of the best candy bars on the planet, including Snickers.
You’ve just learned some interesting Minneapolis facts — what now?
It’s time to decide if making the move to Minneapolis is right for you. If the facts we shared today intrigue you, that’s great. It’s always a perk to live in a city that has personality, especially if it aligns with your own.
The next step is to find out if you can afford to make the move to Minneapolis. If you can, get to know some of the locals as soon as possible. They’ll be able to share even more fun Minneapolis facts.
