City of Lakes | City of Lakes
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 census, it is the state's most populous city. Located in the state's center near the eastern border, it occupies both banks of the Upper Mississippi River and adjoins Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota. Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the surrounding area are collectively known as the Twin Cities, a metropolitan area with 3.69 million residents. Minneapolis is built on an artesian aquifer on relatively flat terrain and is known for cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers. Nicknamed the "City of Lakes", Minneapolis is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks, and waterfalls. The city's public park system is connected by the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway.
Wikipedia →Summary excerpted from the Wikipedia article Minneapolis, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Text may be clipped or paraphrased to fit this page.
Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles, and Bde Maka Ska form the Chain of Lakes; walk, run, or rent a paddleboard. Walker Art Center pairs Frank Gehry-designed buildings with the Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture in the adjacent Sculpture Garden. The Mill City Museum tells the flour-milling story inside an actual ruined mill on the riverbank. First Avenue, the club Prince made famous in Purple Rain, still hosts gigs nightly. Minnesota State Fair (late August) is among the biggest in the US.
Winter is brutal; January lows of -15 to -25°C with wind chill far worse. Don't attempt without serious cold-weather gear. Summer brings mosquitoes (the unofficial state bird) at dawn and dusk; use repellent. Don't walk alone in industrial areas late at night. The 2020 unrest after George Floyd's murder centered here; some neighborhoods are still rebuilding.
Summer is warm and humid; highs around 27 to 30°C, lows around 17 to 19°C, with frequent thunderstorms (this is tornado country, though direct hits in the city are rare). Long northern daylight stretches past 9 pm in June. The lakes fill with sailboats, paddleboards, and beach loungers. Festival season is dense: Pride, Aquatennial, the State Fair. Pack lightweight cottons, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Winters are brutally cold; highs around -4 to -7°C, lows often -15 to -20°C with wind chills far below, and 130 cm of average snowfall. The city's 11-mile skyway system (climate-controlled walkways above streets) lets downtown workers commute without going outside. Lakes freeze solid by January, with ice fishing shacks on Lake of the Isles. Pack a serious parka, insulated boots, hat, gloves, and YakTrax; anything less is dangerous.
7-day forecast from Open-Meteo. UV badges flag days when sun protection matters (3 and above is moderate; 8 and above is risk territory for unprotected fair skin within 30 minutes).
Monthly highs, lows, and rainfall (long-term averages, NASA POWER).
2 commercial airports within 100 km. Closest is Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP) at 12 km.
Public-transit operators within 8 km of the city center. Click through to each operator’s site for routes, fares, and tickets.
This page blends public reference data, climate/elevation services, and personal notes. Travel requirements can change, so visa and entry details should be checked again before booking.
Summary, canonical article, and some image fallbacks.
Population, area, image, coordinates, and linked identifiers where available.
Monthly temperature and rainfall climatology.
1991-2020 temperature and precipitation cross-check for compact climate fields.
Coordinate-based elevation backfill.
Coordinate-based IANA timezone lookup.
Public domain, City of Minneapolis.
Global source notes, map tiles, flags, licenses, and attribution policy.
Operators and modes aggregated by TransitLand from individual transit-agency GTFS feeds. Route classifications (subway / tram / rail / bus / etc) come from each feed’s GTFS route_type codes.
Upcoming public holidays in United States of America. On these dates, expect banks, post offices, and government services to close. Many shops and museums close or run shortened hours; transit typically still runs.
Public holidays sourced from date.nager.at.