Winter is the first thing everyone mentions about Minneapolis, and summer is the reason people stay. This is the City of Lakes, with about 430,000 people, and in warm months the paths around Bde Maka Ska and Lake of the Isles fill with walkers, cyclists and paddlers. St. Paul is only about 10 miles away, and the two cities together make up a large, culture-minded metro.
There is plenty to do indoors and out. The Walker Art Center and its sculpture garden, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Guthrie Theater and the First Avenue music club are the big draws, along with the Stone Arch Bridge and Minnehaha Falls. Costs are moderate for a big city. Expect brutal cold, ice and snow in winter, and mosquitoes and storms in summer. Violent crime is concentrated in certain areas, notably parts of North Minneapolis, though it has been easing.
