---
title:                                  Minneapolis
tagline:                                Largest City in the state of Minnesota
description:                            Largest City in the state of Minnesota
date:                                   2016-11-20 19:16:49 +0100

tags:                                   [ USA, Minnesota, City, Minneapolis ]
regenerate:                             false
---

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:wikipedia-article:                     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Minneapolis


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Minneapolis is the largest city in the state of Minnesota in the United States,
and the county seat of Hennepin County. According to the United States Census
Bureau, the city has a total area of 151.3 km² (58.4 mi²). 142.2 km² (54.9 mi²)
of it is land and 9.1 km² (3.5 mi²) of it (6.01%) is water.

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[[readmore]]
== Physical

Read: link:{wikipedia-article}[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, window="_blank"].

The Mississippi, which runs to the southeast, directed the early growth of the
city. Most early streets ran parallel to the river to maximize the amount of
land that could be used. Eventually, growth of Minneapolis turned to north-south
and east-west streets.

Many unique  intersections like Seven Corners on the eastern periphery of
downtown were formed to translate between the two layouts. Some streets,
especially older and more traditionally important ones like Hennepin Avenue
and Nicollet Avenue, have both orientations at different points.

== Parks and lakes

Minneapolis has a large park system consisting of ten square miles (26 km²)
of land and water that is interlinked in many places. Theodore Wirth is often
credited with the development of this system that brought a playground within
the reach of most children and the canopy of trees and boulevards in much of
the city. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area connects regional
parks and visitors centers.

Theodore Wirth Park is the largest in the city, shared with Golden Valley,
and is about 60% the size of Central Park in New York City. Minnehaha Park
is one of the most famous, the site of Minnehaha Falls and cultural heritage
events every year. Tower Hill Park in Prospect Park is the home of a 1913
water tower, one of the highest points in Minneapolis.

The Grand Rounds Scenic Byway circles through the city and many of the larger
park areas including land along the Mississippi, lakes and scenic areas.
A parkway for cars, a bikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians run
parallel paths along the 50-mile route. A growing number of bikeways and
walkways crisscross the city and interconnect with neighboring cities.

Twenty four small lakes are within the city limits. Among the largest
freshwater lakes to the west are Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun, Lake of the
Isles, and Cedar Lake, known together as the "Chain of Lakes". Lake Nokomis
and Lake Hiawatha are to the east. Connected by bike, running and walking
paths, Minneapolis lakes are used for swimming, fishing, picnics and boating.

== Flora and fauna

The area now occupied by the Twin Cities generally consisted of a 155 foot
(47 m) thick layer of St. Peter Sandstone, under a 16 foot (5 m) thick layer
of shale, under a 35 foot (11 m) thick layer of Platteville limestone.[4]
These layers were the result of an Ordovician Period sea which covered
east-central Minnesota 500 million years ago. The hard limestone cap
was formed from fossilized shell fish. About 20,000 years ago, the area
was covered by the Superior Lobe of the Laurentide ice sheet, which left
the St. Croix moraine on the Twin Cities as it receded.

Later the Grantsburg Sublobe of the Des Moines Lobe also covered the area.
Under these vast layers of ice, tunnel valleys were formed, cutting through the
limestone layer with tremendous force, to release ice meltwater and glacier
effluence. The result was a series of troughs in the limestone, which
were filled by glacial till and outwash deposit as the glaciers receded.
Sometimes the sediment would be mixed with huge chunks of ice, which would
leave voids in the soil. These voids created basins for the Twin Cities Lakes,
such as Harriet and Lake Calhoun. Connecting the city lakes in several
north-south arteries are gorges cut through the bedrock, but filled with
sand and sediment.

When River Warren Falls receded past the confluence of the much smaller
Upper Mississippi River, a new waterfall was created where that river entered
the much-lower glacial River Warren. The new falls also receded upstream on
the Mississippi, migrating eight miles (12875 m) over 9600 years to where
Louis Hennepin first saw it and named St. Anthony Falls in 1680. Due to its
value as a power source, this waterfall determined the location of Minneapolis.
One branch of the river coming from the west, Minnehaha Creek receded only a
few hundred yards from one of the channels of the Mississippi. Minnehaha Falls
remains as a picturesque and informative relic of River Warren Falls, and the
limestone-over-sandstone construction is readily apparent in its small gorge.