A native's informal guide to Minneapolis & St. Paul. Second of several.
Minneapolis is the easternmost western city, and St. Paul is the westernmost eastern city. Generalizations, but more than a grain of truth.
The downtowns are less than ten miles apart, leading to the moniker "Twin Cities". Combining into one larger metropolitan area leads to synergies like a University, sports centers and commercial importance. The distance between bustling business centers means less pollution and fewer concentration of slums or crime.
St. Paul started off originally Pig's Eye Landing, a disreputable trading post near the newly founded Fort Snelling. The Louisiana Purchase opened up the territory for expansion by Europeans, though the people who already lived here didn't have any say in the matter. Located at the confluence of the Mississippi and the Minnesota Rivers and eventually named St. Paul by the Catholics who continue to be the dominant demographic, the city grew as a trading post.
Much of St. Paul feels like one of the older east coast cities. The streets wind up and around, and make no sense whatsoever. When Governor Jesse Ventura foolishly joked that St. Paul must have been laid out by a band of drunken Irishmen, many criticized his use of an ethnic slur. No one, absolutely no one, disagreed.
The buildings are made of stone and other older construction materials (though that is changing, of course) and seem closer to the sidewalks. Parking on the streets seems closer to each other. A slight tinge of fustiness and grime permeates alongside curiosity and innovation.
St. Paul is the only place I've ever heard the expression "stop and go signs", meaning traffic lights.
I confess I don't know St. P all that well. Even though it's almost walking distance and I've certainly been in the city many times over the years, it always seems like a foreign land. Like, say, Wisconsin.
Minneapolis started a little upstream at the highest navigable point in the Mississippi. St. Anthony Falls were the highest cascade on the river, and the milling industry flourished. Sometimes you'll hear Mpls (hardly anyone spells out the whole name) called "The Mill City". The Lutheran heritage is evident in the German/Scandahoovian citizenry, Prairie Home Companion and an interesting tapestry of Hmong, Native Americans and others. Their traditions can be seen in the wide variety of restaurants in and around town, and the large presence of theater and musical performances.
The downside is a sorry history of Indian wars and ethnic discrimination. For example, "Jews [were] unable to join AAA, Mpls Athletic Club, Kiwanis, Rotary Lions, etc; could not buy homes in certain sections of Mpls, Jewish physicians had difficulty acquiring hospital residences (compelling them to build Mount Sinai hospital -1948)" This lasted until 1961, when Mpls elected a Jewish mayor and the AAA (among others) were shamed into altering their policies. Since then, things have been better, and Minnesota has had at least one Jewish US senator since 1978. Go fig.
Natives are finally getting a little of their due with the establishment of casinos and programs in the school system, but the struggle has been hard fought and some of the gains are falling away due to budget cuts.
The upside is a tremendous history of progressive (not necessarily liberal) politics. One party is still called the DFL, the Democratic Farm Labor. Mpls mayor Hubert Humphrey played a big part in the civil rights movement keying off his 1948 speech to the DNC. For a long time, the other major party was the IR, the Independent Republicans. There were some good politicians on that side of the fence. Now, they're just Republicans.
The difference between "liberal" and "progressive" is on stark display at the moment. The Twin Cities are very much in The Bible Belt, and this is a good thing... most of the time. The Christian Bible says, rather specifically, "be nice to people" and "individuals are better when they are part of something larger". This has led to support for farmers and unions, an excellent health care system, progressive taxation and a higher-than-US average for citizen participation in things like voting and charity.
On the other hand, the Christian Bible also lays down rules for personal conduct. Well, actually the Jewish Bible does, and many Christians pick and choose which parts of the Pentateuch to guide them. The current flap over the anti-gay marriage bill is an excellent example. I think this comes out of the exact same "progressive" strain that helped build strong unions and charity networks. This is also why I'm not a "progressive". (I'm not really a "liberal" either, but that's another essay...)
Minneapolis feels like a city built much later in the history of the country. The land-grant style parcels of land are more regular. The buildings seem farther back from the street. People are terrible at parking, but in different ways than in St. Paul. Mpls has a few of the older style buildings, but most seem a bit newer. Some areas are run down, but most are livable.
"Minnesota Nice" means something every now and then. A car will get stuck in the snow, and within minutes a group of people with shovels and hardy backs are there to get it out. Mostly, "nice" translates to "indifference". Very little of that east coast "in your face" or the west coast "my way or the highway" attitudes, though that varies.
The cities are connected by a network of highways and city streets. You can, for one fare, travel from downtown to downtown, though it will take you a while. Commuters can catch Express buses which cut travel time. The first Light Rail line connects downtown Minneapolis and the Airport. The second (if it ever gets built) will connect the downtowns.
Well, this is far more of a ramble than I really wanted. But I hope you get a little of the feel of the area in which Netroots Nation is being held. The Twin Cities has the advantages of a large metropolitan area such as Detroit with few of the major downsides to a concentrated urban population.
You will enjoy your sojourn here, I hope. You won't be helped by reading How To Talk Minnesotan, immersing yourself in A Prairie Home Companion and everything else Garrison Keilor does, seeing Fargo or wearing a Minnesota Twins baseball cap. But it couldn't hurt.