Area description continued:
It is said that Mark Twain was the first to call Minneapolis and St. Paul the 'Twin Cities,' both are less than a dozen miles apart and straddle the Mississippi River. The Twin Cities are pure heartland USA - industrious and prosperous, heavily into sports, shopping and the great outdoors. Yet they are not carbon-copy twins. St. Paul, the state capital, is smaller and quieter, a sedate midsize city spread across gentle rolling hills. On the other hand Minneapolis is the the financial, cultural and retail center for the area and has quite a nightlife with entertainment venues and good restaurants. Population: Minneapolis: 368,400;St. Paul: 287,150 Metro: 3,083,640
Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, a major regional hub and home of Northwest Airlines, is a 20-minute drive south of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. The airport handles around 22 million passengers a year. The Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport is 15mi (25km) southeast of Minneapolis and about the same distance southwest of St. Paul.