Minneapolis

Getting Around

The streets of Minneapolis are laid out in two adjacent grid patterns. Streets north of Grant Street follow a northeast-southwest axis, while those to the south are laid out north-south and east-west. With the Mississippi River wending right through its center, St. Paul's layout is more irregular and broken up by hills and bluffs. Both cities have extensive systems of elevated, covered skywalks connecting virtually all of their major government and commercial buildings. The skywalk systems move much of the cities' street life to second-story level during the region's notorious winters, when they provide a climate-controlled haven from biting winds, frigid temperatures, and heavy snowfall. The Minneapolis skywalks can take pedestrians as far as 12 city blocks—from a city-operated parking ramp to the convention center.

The Twin Cities area is known for ease of commuting, with traffic flow aided by an efficient freeway system, medium population density, and the fact that commercial and public buildings are spread out over two downtown areas. The legendary politeness of Midwesterners may contribute as well.