Minneapolis is situated on the Mississippi near the mouth of the Minnesota River. Its name came the Dakota Sioux word "minne" (water) and the Greek "polis" (city). As wheat-growing in the area increased, Minneapolis became the largest city in Minnesota.

In the 19th century Minneapolis became the home of an increasing number of European immigrants. In 1890 over 61,000 people living in the city had been born in Europe. This was 37 per cent of the 165,000 population and included large numbers from Sweden (19,000), Norway (13,000) and Germany (8,000).

Minneapolis is the commercial and industrial centre of Minnesota and in 1990 had a population of over 368,000 people. It produces chiefly electronic equipment, machinery, fabricated metals, chemical and textiles.